Denver's Bench Erased the Hole Short Minutes Dug
Denver trailed by as many as nine points at Utah before its bench turned a split-squad game into a 117-106 win.
Utah led into the second quarter before Denver's reserves closed the gap, and the closing five - Gordon, Johnson, DeRozan, Murray and Jokic - were still on the floor at the final horn. DeMar DeRozan's plus-7 in ten minutes off the bench was the best mark on the floor; Christian Braun's minus-7 in nine minutes was the worst.
A Lead Built While the Starters Rested
Utah pushed its lead to as many as nine points, still ahead 27-31 at a second-quarter timeout with 10:56 left, after the score stood 13-20 and then 22-28 at two Nuggets timeouts earlier in the first quarter. Denver's starters were on short preseason minutes - Jokic for ten, Murray for nine, Gordon for nine - and closing the gap fell to the second unit.
The Bench Did the Scoring
DeRozan's seven points, on 2-of-5 shooting with a 3-pointer on two tries and two free throws, carried the best plus-minus of the night, a plus-7 in ten minutes off the bench. Alpha Diallo made both of his three-point attempts for six points, Marvin Bagley III added four points and a block in eight minutes, and Julian Strawther put up five points with a steal and two assists. In the stretch that decided the game, Bagley scored four, Diallo three and Strawther two.
Grades for the Five Who Closed It
Gordon: A-, 10 points on perfect 3-of-3 shooting with both his three-point tries falling, in nine clean minutes. DeRozan: A, the bench stint that turned the game. Jokic: C, four points on 2-of-4 shooting and a minus-4 in ten minutes, a line shaped more by his limited run than by his play. Murray: C-, 1-of-4 shooting for two points and a minus-2 in nine minutes, still searching for his shot.
A 1-1 Split Before Any of It Counts
Denver and Utah are even after two meetings in three days, Tuesday's 117-106 win answering the 97-109 loss on Oct. 4. Neither team was on a back-to-back, and both had a day of rest beforehand. Denver doesn't play again for five days, hosting the Bulls on Oct. 11, with Utah next up in six - the number that will actually matter is the opener, Oct. 22 at Oklahoma City.
Who had Denver's best plus-minus against Utah?
DeMar DeRozan, at plus-7 in ten minutes off the bench, with seven points on 2-of-5 shooting.
What was Denver's closing lineup in the win over Utah?
Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson, DeMar DeRozan, Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic were on the floor for the final five minutes and at the final horn.
