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Nuggets welcome Jazz to Pepsi Center

Nov 9, 2012 - 4:16 PM (Sports Network) - Following an 0-3 start to the season, the Denver Nuggets can even their record with a win Friday versus the Utah Jazz at the Pepsi Center.

Denver began the 2012-13 campaign with three straight road losses to Philadelphia, Orlando and Miami, then returned to the Rocky Mountains to dispose of Detroit. The Nuggets made it two wins in a row Wednesday with a 93-87 triumph in Houston behind a game-high 21 points and eight assists from Ty Lawson.

Kenneth Faried recorded a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Nuggets, who won despite committing 22 turnovers for 23 Houston points.

Rockets new star James Harden entered the game averaging a league-high 35.3 points per game, but finished with just 15 points and turned the ball over six times in the setback.

"We decided as a team that we were going to take the ball out of Harden's hands," Faried said. "It was an overall team effort defending him. Overall we did a good job staying in front of him."

Danilo Gallinari posted 13 points and 10 rebounds in the win. He is listed as probable for Friday with a left ankle sprain. Center Timofey Mozgov (knee) also is probable versus the Jazz.

Denver has had six or more players in double figures for three straight games.

Utah ended a three-game slide -- all on the road -- with a 95-86 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday in Salt Lake City. Randy Foye scored a team-high 17 points off the bench, while Al Jefferson posted a double-double with 18 points and 10 boards for the Jazz, who never trailed in the game and are 2-0 at home this season.

"Oh man, I was feeling it," said Foye, who nailed four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. "I've got to give a lot of credit to my teammates, my teammates found me at the right spots and I just knocked down the shots."

Mo Williams, who has led Utah in scoring over the first four games, scored 16 points and handed out seven assists. Williams leads the Jazz in scoring per game (19.8) and assists per game (6.8). Jefferson owns three double-doubles this season and is questionable tonight because of a stomach virus.

Utah has won eight in a row at home dating back to last season.

The Jazz will now play five of the next six games on the road and took two of three meetings with Denver a season ago. Denver, though, has prevailed in six of the past eight matchups between the teams in Colorado.