DENVER (ABC4 Sports) – Bones Hyland made seven 3-pointers and scored 26 points, DeAndre Jordan hit a rare 3, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Utah Jazz 117-101 on Friday night.
Michael Porter Jr. added 22 points and 13 rebounds and Nikola Jokic had 12 points, 10 rebounds and six assists while shooting just 3 of 10 from the field for the Nuggets, who were blown out in their season opener against the surprising Jazz.
Denver was 17 for 37 on 3-pointers, none as surprising as Jordan’s heave from the left wing late in the third quarter. Hyland drew a double team and fed the 6-foot-11 Jordan with the shot clock running down. The lefty calmly swished the 27-footer at the buzzer, then mimicked teammate Jamal Murray’s “Blue Arrow” bow-and-arrow shot to the sky as the crowd roared.
The 34-year-old Jordan had been 1 for 12 in his career on 3s in 984 previous NBA games, with the lone make coming with the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2014-15 season. Jordan finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone hopes it’s the last 3 Jordan shoots.
“I told him, ‘Let’s stay at 100% from 3 all season long,’” Malone said, smiling.
Lauri Markkanen had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Mike Conley scored 14 for the Jazz, who entered 4-1.
Hyland, who finished a point shy of matching his career high, went 7 of 12 from long range. He hit four straight 3s in the second quarter as the Nuggets built a 20-point lead.
“They think, ‘Well, he’s nowhere near the (3-point) line, so he’s not going to shoot this,” Hyland said. “But I practice these shots, night in and night out. And I’m comfortable shooting farther than I am.”
Denver didn’t put it away until early in the fourth quarter when Hyland hit a couple more 3s amid Jokic’s poor shooting night. Jokic was 0 for 4 from 3-point range and is 3 for 14 from long distance this season.
Utah hit 4 of its first 5 3-pointers, then went 6 of 34 from long range the rest of the way as coach Will Hardy lamented the team’s lack of pace. Jordan Clarkson shot 1 of 10 from the field and missed all seven of his 3s.
“I thought for the most part we got good 3-point looks,” Hardy said. JC going 0 for 7 is definitely an anomaly. I thought he took good ones.”
Collin Sexton, who missed the second half of Wednesday’s win over Houston with a sore left oblique, scored 13 points off the bench. Rudy Gay and Simone Fontecchio (COVID-19 protocol) and Walker Kessler (illness) were out.
The Jazz next host Memphis on Saturday night to complete the second of six back-to-back sets over their first 22 games.