Nuggets Avoid Elimination, Bounce Jazz 116-102

Like the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant, the Denver Nuggets oftentimes have to rely on Carmelo Anthony offensively.

Wednesday night’s game between the Nuggets and Utah Jazz would be a little different. The Nuggets are playing with their backs against the wall. being down 3-1 prior to the game Wednesday; being in such a situation, the Nuggets needed contributions from more than just Anthony,

And for once, Anthony got his wish.

Besides getting help from Chauncey Billups, Anthony got key assistance from J.R. Smith and Chris Andersen, allowing Denver to easily dismantle Utah 116-102 at Pepsi Center.

When it appeared that the Nuggets would take control in the closing moments of the first half, Deron Williams’ two 3-pointers and two free throws sparked a 12-4 run which would send the Jazz to their locker room at halftime ahead with a 52-50 lead.

Denver, while getting the win, lost a key player in Nene Hilario as he sprained his left knee with 5 minutes left in the first half. He was working beneath the basket when Carlos Boozer’s left leg slammed into his knee; Nene stayed down for a few moments, then limped to the locker room. The team said that he would be re-evaluated on Thursday.

The Nuggets, leading 86-81 after three quarters, poured it on, like they did in Game 1, icing the victory.

Anthony led all Nuggets scorers with 26 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals while Billups added 21 with a rebound, 4 assists, 3 steals and a block; Kenyon Martin scored 18 with 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals while Smith chipped in 17 (including 4 three-pointers) with a rebound and 3 assists.

The Jazz were led by Deron Williams with a game-high 34 points (including 5 treys), 4 rebounds and 10 assists while Boozer added 25 with 16rebounds, an assist and a block; Paul Millsap came off the bench to score 16 with 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks while Wesley Matthews poured in 15 with an assist and a block.

Utah hopes to end the series as they host Denver in Game 6 of their best-of-seven series at Energy Solutions Arena on Friday.

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