Millsap calls the tune as Jazz feast on Nuggets

Paul Millsap

(Reuters) – Paul Millsap scored 14 straight points  for Utah in the critical fourth quarter to carry the Jazz to a  106-96 triumph over the Northwest Division rival Denver Nuggets  on Sunday.

Paul Millsap

Finishing with 26 points and 12 rebounds, Millsap’s  devastating personal run in the final quarter gave Utah (8-4)  their seventh win in eight contests.

The Jazz led 81-79 early in the fourth when their big power  forward netted his own 6-0 run to stretch the lead and finished  with 16 in the quarter to keep the Nuggets at bay.

“My team mates did a great job of finding me, of going to  me. There was a mismatch and we tried to expose it,” Millsap  told reporters.

“Our team is very unselfish and they find the guy with the  mismatch. You get in a zone like that, you get hot and start  feeling it, guys just start looking for you.”

Denver was coming off a big victory over the Miami Heat on  Friday, and were involved with a close battle all game but were  unable to keep pace down the stretch.

Nene and Danilo Gallinari each recorded 18 points in the  loss for the Nuggets (8-5).

Gallinari also had the unenviable task of trying to guard  Millsap.       “In my opinion they kind of disrespected him by putting  (Gallinari) on him,” Utah’s Al Jefferson said. “He had an  advantage and he got hot. He was in the zone tonight.”

Jefferson added 18 points and 12 rebounds while Gordon  Hayward had 19 for Utah. The win moved the Jazz into second place in the Northwest  Division behind the Oklahoma City Thunder (11-2).