This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Jazz suffered their worst defeat of the season at Pepsi Center. Simply put, the Jazz couldn't shoot from the outside and relied too heavily on shooting from the outside.
"For whatever reason tonight," coach Tyrone Corbin said, "we kept shooting jump shots. We didn't get anything attacking the baskets."
The Jazz were just 4-of-23 on 3-pointers, and were outscored in the paint 46-38. Meanwhile, the Nuggets were vastly more efficient from beyond the arc (at least in comparison), making 6-of-17 attempts, including five by former Florida Gator Corey Brewer.
The Jazz were outrebounded 53-45, a surprisingly slim margin given the fact both Kenneth Faried and Kosta Koufos tallied double-doubles. The Jazz, however, did get strong rebounding nights from their big men, including 11 boards from both Al Jefferson and Derrick Favors.
The statuses of Jefferson and point guard Mo Williams will be two of the biggest issues heading into Saturday's game against the Suns in Salt Lake City.
Jefferson played despite missing Thursday practice with a stomach virus, and Corbin said it was apparent he was affected by the 12-hour illesss.
"He wasn't feeling his best," Corbin said. "A couple moves inside, the one dunk they blocked, he got a rebound, put back, then he couldn't get off the floor a little bit. I wanted to let him go a little bit to see if he could get it going, but he wasn't himself tonight."
Jefferson was just 1-of-9 from the field and finished with 9 points. Meanwhile, Mo Williams was almost as bad, finishing 1-of-6 from the field and missing all four of his 3-point attempts. Williams was limited to 25 minutes and did not return to the game after leaving in the third quarter, due to aggravating his right adductor (groin muscle). The same injury forced him to miss multiple games in the preseason.
Is Williams OK? Corbin was asked.
"We'll see in the morning, he tweaked his groin a little bit, so we'll see."
— Bill Oram