Game ID: 22500405
Utah Jazz @ Denver Nuggets
Monday, December 22, 2025 at 9:00 PM ET
Ball Arena, Denver, CO
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
DEN 40 29 34 32 135UTA 15 31 38 28 112
DEN vs UTA ScoutingDEN vs UTA Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
DEN availability going into 12/11 · 3 days' restOUT Braun missed 12 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 8 since 11/22, out tonight
OUT Strawther missed 11 since 11/17, out tonight
BACK Pickett back 11/29 after 5, 6 min since (41% of 16)
NEW Johnson 31 to 36 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 12/15 · 3 days' restOUT Braun missed 13 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 9 since 11/22, out tonight
OUT Strawther missed 12 since 11/17, out tonight
DEN availability going into 12/18 · 2 days' restOUT Braun missed 14 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 10 since 11/22, out tonight
OUT Strawther missed 13 since 11/17, returns tonight: 6 min (40% of 15)
NEW Johnson 31 to 37 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 12/20 · 1 day's restOUT Braun missed 15 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 11 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Strawther back 12/18 after 13, 6 min since (40% of 15)
NEW Johnson 31 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Pickett 16 to 22 min over the last 3
DEN availability going into 12/22 · 1 day's restOUT Braun missed 16 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Watson missed 2 since 12/18, returns tonight: 28 min (94% of 30)
OUT Gordon missed 12 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Strawther back 12/18 after 13, 5 min since (36% of 15)
NEW Johnson 31 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Pickett 16 to 22 min over the last 4
DEN availability going into 12/23 · back-to-backOUT Braun missed 17 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 13 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Watson back 12/22 after 2, 28 min since (94% of 30)
BACK Strawther back 12/18 after 13, 7 min since (50% of 15)
NEW Pickett 16 to 23 min over the last 4
DEN availability going into 12/25 · 1 day's restOUT Braun missed 18 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 14 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Watson back 12/22 after 2, 26 min since (88% of 30)
BACK Strawther back 12/18 after 13, 9 min since (58% of 15)
DEN availability going into 12/27 · 1 day's restOUT Braun missed 19 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 15 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Watson back 12/22 after 2, 31 min since (106% of 30)
BACK Strawther back 12/18 after 13, 9 min since (62% of 15)
DEN availability going into 12/29 · 1 day's restOUT Braun missed 20 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Johnson missed 2 since 12/25, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 16 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Watson back 12/22 after 2, 32 min since (109% of 30)
NEW Hardaway Jr. 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Jones 22 to 30 min over the last 5
UTA availability going into 12/12 · 4 days' restOUT Kessler missed 18 since 11/02, out tonight
OUT Harkless missed 9 since 11/21, out tonight
OUT Tshiebwe missed 23 since 10/22, out tonight
BACK Williams back 12/04 after 4, 8 min since (34% of 24)
BACK Hendricks back 12/04 after 4, 16 min since (106% of 15)
NEW Filipowski 23 to 31 min over the last 5
UTA availability going into 12/15 · 2 days' restOUT Kessler missed 19 since 11/02, out tonight
OUT Harkless missed 10 since 11/21, out tonight
OUT Anderson missed 2 since 12/07, returns tonight: 15 min (77% of 20)
OUT Tshiebwe missed 24 since 10/22, out tonight
BACK Williams back 12/04 after 4, 8 min since (34% of 24)
BACK Hendricks back 12/04 after 4, 16 min since (106% of 15)
NEW Filipowski 23 to 29 min over the last 5
UTA availability going into 12/18 · 2 days' restOUT Kessler missed 20 since 11/02, out tonight
OUT Harkless missed 11 since 11/21, out tonight
OUT Tshiebwe missed 25 since 10/22, out tonight
BACK Williams back 12/04 after 4, 13 min since (53% of 24)
BACK Anderson back 12/15 after 2, 15 min since (77% of 20)
BACK Hendricks back 12/04 after 4, 17 min since (112% of 15)
NEW Filipowski 23 to 31 min over the last 5
UTA availability going into 12/20 · 1 day's restOUT Kessler missed 21 since 11/02, out tonight
OUT Harkless missed 12 since 11/21, out tonight
OUT Tshiebwe missed 26 since 10/22, out tonight
BACK Anderson back 12/15 after 2, 15 min since (77% of 20)
NEW Filipowski 23 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Hendricks 15 to 22 min over the last 3
UTA availability going into 12/22 · 1 day's restOUT Markkanen missed 2 since 12/18, returns tonight: 36 min (106% of 34)
OUT Kessler missed 22 since 11/02, out tonight
OUT Harkless missed 13 since 11/21, out tonight
OUT Anderson missed 2 since 12/18, out tonight
OUT Tshiebwe missed 27 since 10/22, out tonight
UTA availability going into 12/23 · back-to-backOUT Kessler missed 23 since 11/02, out tonight
OUT Harkless missed 14 since 11/21, out tonight
OUT Anderson missed 3 since 12/18, out tonight
OUT Tshiebwe missed 28 since 10/22, out tonight
BACK Markkanen back 12/22 after 2, 36 min since (106% of 34)
NEW Love 17 to 23 min over the last 3
UTA availability going into 12/26 · 2 days' restOUT Kessler missed 24 since 11/02, out tonight
OUT Harkless missed 15 since 11/21, out tonight
OUT Anderson missed 4 since 12/18, out tonight
OUT Tshiebwe missed 29 since 10/22, out tonight
BACK Markkanen back 12/22 after 2, 36 min since (106% of 34)
NEW Love 17 to 26 min over the last 3
UTA availability going into 12/27 · back-to-backOUT Kessler missed 25 since 11/02, out tonight
OUT Harkless missed 16 since 11/21, out tonight
OUT Anderson missed 5 since 12/18, out tonight
OUT Tshiebwe missed 30 since 10/22, out tonight
BACK Markkanen back 12/22 after 2, 37 min since (109% of 34)
NEW Love 17 to 23 min over the last 4
UTA availability going into 12/30 · 2 days' restOUT Kessler missed 26 since 11/02, out tonight
OUT Harkless missed 17 since 11/21, out tonight
OUT Anderson missed 6 since 12/18, out tonight
OUT Tshiebwe missed 31 since 10/22, out tonight
BACK Markkanen back 12/22 after 2, 36 min since (106% of 34)
NEW Love 17 to 26 min over the last 3
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 113, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 24 free throws a game; Jokić at 30 and Murray at 26 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Braun (16 straight), Watson (2 straight), Gordon (12 straight). One day's rest. Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 132, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 29 free throws a game; George at 29 and Bailey at 12 a game. Without Markkanen (2 straight), Kessler (22 straight), Harkless (13 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the defense, Denver allowing 113 a night to Utah's 132 and the line, where Utah takes 29 free throws a game to Denver's 24. Call it Denver 127, Utah 117, Denver by 10.
12/11 @ SAC 136-105 — DEN notes
DEN won 136-105. DEN shot 59% (52 of 88) to SAC's 45%, 12 of 29 from three, and went to the line 29 times to SAC's 23 — 20 points from the stripe to their 16. Jokić led with 36 (14 of 16, 6 of 8 at the line); Watson added 21, Johnson 16. The hinge was Q1, 41-26: from level to 15 ahead, and the lead reached 37. Jokić was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
12/15 vs HOU 128-125 — DEN notes
DEN won 128-125 in 1 overtime. DEN shot 51% (43 of 85) to HOU's 51%, 15 of 34 from three, and went to the line 33 times to HOU's 26 — 27 points from the stripe to their 19. DEN turned it over 10 times to HOU's 16. Jokić led with 39 (13 of 27, 5 of 9 from three, 8 of 11 at the line); Murray added 35, Johnson 13. The hinge was Q2, 34-21: DEN came in trailing by 6 and left it ahead by 7.
12/18 vs ORL 126-115 — DEN notes
DEN won 126-115. DEN shot 56% (49 of 88) to ORL's 47%, 16 of 36 from three, and got to the line 15 times to ORL's 26. Murray led with 32 (11 of 22, 7 of 12 from three); Jokić added 23, Johnson 19. The hinge was Q2, 43-22: DEN came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 14, and the lead reached 21. Johnson was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
12/20 vs HOU 101-115 — DEN notes
DEN lost 101-115. DEN took 15 more shots (92 to 77), fed by 10 offensive rebounds, but shot 40% to HOU's 51%, 8 of 29 from three. DEN turned it over 11 times to HOU's 19. Jokić led with 25 (9 of 20, 1 of 4 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Murray added 16, Brown 12. Q1 was theirs, 29-26, but the other 3 periods went 89-72 against them. Hardaway Jr.'s -22 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/22 vs UTA 135-112 — DEN notes
DEN won 135-112. DEN shot 50% (46 of 92) to UTA's 43%, 24 of 47 from three, and went to the line 25 times to UTA's 19 — 19 points from the stripe to their 16. Murray led with 27 (8 of 16, 6 of 12 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Hardaway Jr. added 21, Johnson 20. The hinge was Q1, 40-15: from level to 25 ahead, and the lead reached 29. Johnson was the night's best plus/minus at +31.
12/23 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 121, shooting 48 percent and 27 from three, 28 free throws a game; Flagg at 25 and Davis at 24 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 114, shooting 51 percent and 43 from three, 25 free throws a game; Jokić at 27 and Murray at 24 a game. Without Braun (17 straight), Gordon (13 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Denver at 43 percent from three to Dallas's 27 and the turnovers, Dallas giving it away 16 times a game to Denver's 11. Call it Denver 121, Dallas 116.
12/25 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 120, shooting 51 percent and 44 from three, 21 free throws a game; Murray at 28 and Jokić at 26 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Braun (18 straight), Gordon (14 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 106, shooting 42 percent and 32 from three, 29 free throws a game; Edwards at 29 and Randle at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the arc, Denver at 44 percent from three to Minnesota's 32 and the defense, Minnesota allowing 106 a night to Denver's 120. Call it Denver 117, Minnesota 115, Minnesota keeping it close.
12/27 @ ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 120, shooting 44 percent and 33 from three, 26 free throws a game; Black at 21 and Bane at 19 a game. Without Fra. Wagner (6 straight), Suggs (5 straight), Bitadze (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 122, shooting 50 percent and 44 from three, 21 free throws a game; Jokić at 29 and Murray at 28 a game. Without Braun (19 straight), Gordon (15 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Denver at 44 percent from three to Orlando's 33 and the line, where Orlando takes 26 free throws a game to Denver's 21. Call it Denver 120, Orlando 117, Orlando keeping it close.
12/29 @ MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 120, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Powell at 21 and Jaquez Jr. at 20 a game. Without Adebayo (2 straight), Herro (7 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 125, shooting 49 percent and 43 from three, 24 free throws a game; Jokić at 32 and Murray at 27 a game. Without Braun (20 straight), Johnson (2 straight), Gordon (16 straight). One day's rest.
So: Miami wins, and the game turns on the arc, Denver at 43 percent from three to Miami's 37. Call it Miami 122, Denver 121, Denver keeping it close.
12/12 @ MEM 130-126 — UTA notes
UTA won 130-126. UTA shot 46% (48 of 104) to MEM's 46%, 17 of 47 from three. George led with 39 (12 of 20, 5 of 9 from three, 10 of 10 at the line); Markkanen added 26, Love 20. The hinge was Q3, 42-33: UTA came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 6. UTA trailed 61-64 at the half and won the second half 69-62. Collier was the night's best plus/minus at +7.
12/15 vs DAL 140-133 — UTA notes
UTA won 140-133 in 1 overtime. UTA shot 52% (50 of 97) to DAL's 49%, 13 of 36 from three, and got to the line 33 times to DAL's 41. George led with 37 (11 of 20, 5 of 10 from three, 10 of 12 at the line); Markkanen added 33, Filipowski 25. The hinge was Q4, 37-30: UTA came in trailing by 7 and left it level. UTA trailed 71-75 at the half and won the second half 69-58. Markkanen was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
12/18 vs LAL 135-143 — UTA notes
UTA lost 135-143. UTA shot 52% (43 of 83) to LAL's 53%, 18 of 37 from three, and went to the line 47 times to LAL's 39 — 31 points from the stripe to their 32. UTA turned it over 13 times to LAL's 7. George led with 34 (9 of 20, 5 of 11 from three, 11 of 12 at the line); Bailey added 19, Collier 18. Q1 was theirs, 41-32, but the other 3 periods went 111-94 against them. They led by as many as 10. Clayton Jr.'s -16 in 14 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/20 vs ORL 127-128 — UTA notes
UTA lost 127-128 in 1 overtime. UTA took 9 more shots (105 to 96), fed by 18 offensive rebounds, but shot 42% to ORL's 49%, 15 of 43 from three. George led with 27 (8 of 22, 2 of 8 from three, 9 of 10 at the line); Mykhailiuk added 23, Collier 18. Q4 was theirs, 36-21, the deficit cut from 15 to 0, but the other 4 periods went 107-91 against them.
12/22 @ DEN 112-135 — UTA notes
UTA lost 112-135. UTA shot 43% (41 of 96) to DEN's 50%, 14 of 41 from three, and got to the line 19 times to DEN's 25. Markkanen led with 27 (10 of 20, 2 of 9 from three); George added 20, Nurkić 17. Q3 was theirs, 38-34, the deficit cut from 23 to 19, but the other 3 periods went 101-74 against them. Nurkić's -31 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/23 vs MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 129 a night and allowing 133, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 31 free throws a game; George at 31 and Markkanen at 29 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Kessler (23 straight), Harkless (14 straight), Anderson (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Memphis comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 118, shooting 46 percent and 40 from three, 22 free throws a game; Jackson Jr. at 21 and Spencer at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Morant (3 straight), Williams Jr. (2 straight), Small (19 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Utah wins, and the game turns on the defense, Memphis allowing 118 a night to Utah's 133 and the line, where Utah takes 31 free throws a game to Memphis's 22. Call it Utah 123, Memphis 122, Memphis keeping it close.
12/26 vs DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 128 a night and allowing 135, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 33 free throws a game; George at 28 and Bailey at 13 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Kessler (24 straight), Harkless (15 straight), Anderson (4 straight). 2 days' rest. Detroit comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 107, shooting 45 percent and 29 from three, 26 free throws a game; Cunningham at 24 and Duren at 18 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Holland II (2 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Detroit wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Detroit allowing 107 a night to Utah's 135 and the glass, where Detroit has been plus-8 a night and Utah minus-4. Call it Detroit 124, Utah 118.
12/27 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 103, shooting 51 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Castle at 19 and Wembanyama at 17 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 134, shooting 46 percent and 40 from three, 32 free throws a game; George at 27 and Nurkić at 13 a game. Without Kessler (25 straight), Harkless (16 straight), Anderson (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: San Antonio wins, and the game turns on the defense, San Antonio allowing 103 a night to Utah's 134 and the glass, where San Antonio has been plus-7 a night and Utah minus-2. Call it San Antonio 128, Utah 114, San Antonio by 14.
12/30 vs BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 129, shooting 46 percent and 39 from three, 27 free throws a game; Markkanen at 29 and George at 26 a game. Without Kessler (26 straight), Harkless (17 straight), Anderson (6 straight). 2 days' rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 109, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Brown at 32 and White at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Minott (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 109 a night to Utah's 129 and the glass, where Boston has been plus-6 a night and Utah minus-2. Call it Boston 122, Utah 117.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
DENBB B. Brown
CJ C. Johnson
HT H. Tyson
JM J. Murray
JP J. Pickett
JS J. Strawther
JV J. Valančiūnas
JO Jokic
NJ N. Jokić
PW P. Watson
SJ S. Jones
TH T. Hardaway Jr.
VA Valanciunas
ZN Z. Nnaji
UTAAB A. Bailey
BS B. Sensabaugh
CW C. Williams
IC I. Collier
JN J. Nurkić
KF K. Filipowski
KG K. George
LM L. Markkanen
NU Nurkic
SM S. Mykhailiuk
TH T. Hendricks
WC W. Clayton Jr.
DEN/UTA the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Nuggets jump out to a 19-0 lead and rout the Jazz 135-112
DENVER -- — Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets raced out to a 19-0 lead in the opening four minutes and tied a franchise record for 3-pointers with 24, cruising to a 135-112 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday night.
It was the second time in 17 days that Utah got down big before hitting a shot or a free throw. The New York Knicks led the Jazz 23-0 on their way to a 146-112 win on Dec. 5.
The biggest run to open an NBA game was 29-0 by the Los Angeles Lakers against Sacramento on Feb. 4, 1987.
Denver shot 68.2% in the first quarter and made 15 of 28 from 3-point range in the first half, five by Murray. He scored 27 points and Cameron Johnson went 6 of 6 from deep to finish with 20.
Nikola Jokic had 14 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists, and Peyton Watson scored 20 after missing two games.
Jokic got his 14th triple-double of the season and 178th of his career when he fed Watson for a layup with 7:10 left in the third quarter.
Lauri Markkanen had 27 points and Keyonte George scored 20 for Utah, which has dropped three straight.
The Nuggets shot 7 of 9 to start the game while Utah missed its first 10 field goal attempts and committed two turnovers. A corner 3-pointer by Brice Sensabaugh with 7:06 left in the first made it 19-3 but Denver kept surging, leading 33-5 with 4:42 remaining in the period.
The Nuggets led 94-67 before a 13-2 run by the Jazz cut the deficit to 17 late in the third quarter. They trailed 105-88 early in the fourth when Tim Hardaway Jr ., who finished with 21 points, hit three 3-pointers in 46 seconds.
Up next Jazz: Host the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night.
Nuggets: At the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.