• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Jazz hoping to avoid third straight loss

Jan 25, 2009 - 7:20 AM Utah (25-19) at Denver (28-15),

DENVER (Ticker) -- The Utah Jazz hope to avoid a third straight defeat when they visit the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.

Utah, which has been without Carlos Boozer for an extended period, has missed Andrei Kirilenko for the past two contests with a sore right ankle.

Paul Millsap had 24 points and 15 rebounds and Deron Williams had 17 and 16 assists but the Jazz fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 102-97, on Saturday. LeBron James nearly had a triple-double with 33 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists for Cleveland.

The Jazz have struggled on the road this season (8-14) and the Nuggets have been one of the better home teams in the league with a 17-6 record.

Denver has won eight of its past 11 contests and is coming off a 118-99 triumph over Sacramento on Tuesday.

Linas Kleiza scored 27 points and Chauncey Billups added 22 for the Nuggets, who are 4-3 without the injured Carmelo Anthony. The star forward has been out with a fractured right hand since January 7.