Nuggets' 19-0 run to begin game sets tone in 135-112 victory over Jazz

DENVER — Bad starts have become a recurring theme for the Utah Jazz this season.

The Denver Nuggets put 19 points on the board before a 3-point shot from Brice Sensabaugh ended the scoring drought to begin Monday's game on the road.

The rough start was too much for Utah to overcome, and Denver won 135-112.

Outside of the opening sequence, the Jazz managed to hang with Denver for the rest of the night. The opening quarter set the tone for the game with a red-hot shooting performance from the Nuggets, who made nine 3-pointer on 14 attempts, while Utah managed just two makes from deep on 14 attempts of their own.

"There's a responsibility as a starter, and it comes with the territory, like you've got to be ready to go," Jazz head coach Will Hardy said. "I'm never going to be the coach that yells 'make a shot,' but it's part of the business."

It wasn't a great shooting performance for the Jazz, even with the return of Lauri Markkanen to the lineup. Markkanen struggled in his start but settled in and finished with 27 points.

"I think Lauri battled," Hardy said. "He was a little rusty early but stayed with it. He's such a pro. He was an amazing teammate tonight, he showed great leadership in the huddles."

The young guard tandem of Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier continued to impress, with George putting up 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the loss. Collier struggled from the field but recorded nine assists, his fifth-straight game with at least eight assists.

Outside of Markkanen and George, Utah struggled to get consistent scoring from the rest of the lineup. Jusuf Nurkic totaled 17 points and 14 rebounds to record his seventh double-double of the season.

Denver led by as much as 28 points and maintained a healthy 20-point lead for the majority of the contest, never allowing the Jazz to threaten.

Nikola Jokic dominated, tallying his 14th triple-double of the season, in which he finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists. Jokic was everywhere from the get-go as he put up 8 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in just the opening frame.

While he was getting his teammates involved early, Jamal Murray continued to find ways to hunt the Jazz, too. The Canadian native seems to always have a knack for big performances against Utah, and his array of skills was on display, once again, Monday.

Murray poured in 27 points in just 27 minutes of action, while the Nuggets had seven players reach double-digit figures. Four of the seven Denver players scored 20 points and three made six 3-point shots.

Murray, Cam Johnson and Tim Hardaway were the three Nuggets to record six made 3-pointers, with Hardaway reaching the feat off the bench.

"I was proud of the team for the way they executed for the remainder of the game," Hardy said.

The Jazz are back in action Tuesday night as they host the Grizzlies on the second night of a back-to-back for both squads.

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