SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Deron Williams scored 12 of his 25 points in the third quarter and the Utah Jazz rallied from a 19-point deficit to beat the Denver Nuggets 97-91 on Friday night, extending their winning streak to 10 games.
Williams also had 11 assists, his 11th straight game with 10 or more, as the Jazz pulled within a half-game of the Nuggets for the Northwest Division lead.
Utah used a 17-0 run over the end of the second period and beginning of the third to come back on the Nuggets, who had beaten Portland the night before in Denver and could not stop the Jazz once they got rolling.
Carlos Boozer had 16 rebounds and Ronnie Brewer scored 16 points for Utah.
J.R. Smith led Denver with 27 points. Carmelo Anthony was in foul trouble much of the game and finished with 20 points.
The Nuggets took a 47-28 lead on Nene's three-point play with 2:40 left in the second quarter, then the Jazz started a remarkable turnaround.
The Jazz regained their composure late in the first half, closing on a 9-0 run to cut Denver's lead to 47-37 at halftime.
Utah was fortunate to be that close after going just 7-for-14 from the foul line in the first two periods, but the Jazz somehow found their free-throw touch in the locker room. The Jazz made their first 12 foul shots of the third period, which they opened on an 8-0 run to quickly eat away what was left of the Nuggets' lead.
The Nuggets continued to flounder, then it got worse when Anthony was called for his fourth foul with 7:25 left and Brewer made both free throws to get the Jazz within 52-51. The Jazz went 9-for-17 from the field in the period, closing with two 3-pointers by C.J. Miles in the final 31 seconds while taking a 73-69 lead into the fourth quarter.
Denver's hopes faded early in the fourth quarter when Anthony was called for his fifth foul with 10:59 left while jostling with Andrei Kirilenko.
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