SALT LAKE CITY — Remember the Nuggets? The one team who could knock off the mighty Lakers?
Yeah, they’re falling apart at the worst possible time, losing 117-106 Sunday at Utah.
With the loss, the Nuggets trail Utah 3-1 in the first-round series and have lost three consecutive games. Thus, the Nuggets will have to go on a three-game win streak to win the series — only eight teams have come back from 3-1 deficit to win series in NBA history (189 series), most recently the 2006 Suns in the first round against Lakers.
Utah’s teamwork and hustle has been extraordinary in this series, routinely outthinking and outhustling Denver in this series. Then consider Utah is without Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur. Amazing.
Denver forward Carmelo Anthony scored a game-high 39 points — including two 3s late to make it interesting — but Melo had four turnovers in the third quarter alone, eight total, and played with foul trouble all night. The passionate Anthony also got into a minor argument with Chris Andersen on the bench in the second quarter, after Birdman hoisted a 20-foot clanker.
“I’m frustrated at the level of play — the energy and intensity is not there at times,” Anthony said. “We start out the game good, a then we’re down 10 points.”
For the second consecutive game here, the Nuggets fell apart in the third quarter, outscored 32-23 in the pivotal 12 minutes, heading into the fourth quarter up 18.
In that third quarter, Denver went the first 10 minutes and 43 seconds without tallying one assist.
With 5:40 left in the third, Carlos Boozer (31 points) made a difficult layup while being fouled, and his primal scream and fist pump captured the passion that is the Jazz. His free throw gave Utah a 20-point lead, its biggest at the time.
Denver cut the lead to seven in the fourth, numerous times, but the home team prevailed.
All weekend, the Nuggets sounded frighteningly similar to the 2007-08 squad that was swept in the first round. They talked and talked about sharing the basketball – but seldom did so consistently. In the Game 3 loss, the Nuggets had just 12 assists and in Game 4 they had 13.
Denver point guard Chauncey Billups, a proven leader, didn’t have what it takes on Sunday, as his team looked disoriented. He fouled out with 3:46 left in the game and finished 6-for-14 for 14 points and four assists. Billups fouled out just one other time this season.
Game 5 is Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. at Pepsi Center.
“You win a game at home and they feel pressure to win Game 6. You just have to put everything into Game 5,” Billups said. “It’s always great to play at home, as you’ve seen these guys play in their building the last two games.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
