Utah Jazz Team Report - March 15

(Basketball News) - The Utah Jazz were crushed by the Denver Nuggets, 102-75, on Sunday at the Pepsi Center.

In a battle between two teams vying for the eighth and final playoff spot in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, the game was never much of a contest. The Nuggets jumped out to an 11-point lead after one quarter of play and never looked back, as they defeated Utah for the third time this season and moved 1 1/2 games clear of the Jazz in the playoff race.

Carlos Arroyo led Utah with just 13 points. Gordan Giricek, who had averaged 22 points over his pervious four games, finished with just 11 on 4-of-10 shooting.

Utah’s Andrei Kirilenko finished with just three points on 0-for-4 shooting from the floor. The Jazz struggled from the floor as they shot just 36 percent (28-of-77).

The Jazz are off until Wednesday when they visit the Toronto Raptors. Earlier this season, Utah beat the Raptors, 97-94, in overtime on December 26, 2003 at the Delta Center.

Arroyo has averaged 11.5 points and 4.5 assists in his last two games. He has scored in double digits in eight of his last 10 contests.