DENVER, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- Deron Williams had 26 points and 14 assists and Matt Harpring scored 22 Friday night as the Utah Jazz beat Denver, 114-104.
Paul Millsap finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and four steals for the Jazz, who won despite the absence of Mehmet Okur and Andre Kirilenko. Okur missed the game with a back injury, and Kirilenko came out the game early due to a bruised knee.
Carmelo Anthony had 36 points and Allen Iverson scored 33 for the Nuggets, who lost their third straight.
The Jazz led, 31-30, after the first quarter, but started to build a lead during the second. During the final three minutes of the first half, C.J. Miles hit a three and Harpring hit a jumper to run Utah's lead to eight points -- and the Jazz led, 57-48 at the intermission.
Utah ran its lead to 14 early in the third and finished the stanza with a commanding lead, 93-74. Denver used a 10-2 run to get with nine points with just under three minutes left, but Utah held the Nuggets off the rest of the way.
