<p>SALT LAKE CITY — Bojan Bogdanovic scored a career-high 48 points to rally the Utah Jazz past the Denver Nuggets 127-120 on Friday night. </p>
<p>Bogdanovic went 16 of 23 from the field — making a career-high eight 3-pointers — to lead the NBA-leading Jazz to their fourth straight victory. He also had eight rebounds. </p>
<p>Jordan Clarkson added 21 points and eight assists. Rudy Gobert had 14 points and nine rebounds, and Georges Niang chipped in 13 points – all in the second half. </p>
<p>Michael Porter, Jr. scored 31 points for Denver. Nikola Jokic added 24 points, 13 assists, and nine rebounds, Paul Millsap had 20 points and Austin Rivers 18.</p>
<p>Utah did not trail over the final 11:22 of the fourth quarter after Niang hit back-to-back shots to give the Jazz a 103-99 lead. Denver scored just one basket over a six-minute stretch and couldn’t quite erase the resulting deficit. </p>
<p>The Nuggets cut it to 121-118 on a free throw from Rivers. Clarkson answered with a stepback 3-pointer with 51.7 seconds left and Bogdanovic hit a pair of free throws in the final seconds to seal the win. </p>
<p>Both offenses sizzled during the first quarter. Denver shot 68% from the field and Utah shot 67%. The two teams combined for 81 points and 31 total baskets in the quarter. </p>
<p>Denver made 11 of its first 13 shots from the field and staked out a 24-13 lead midway through the first quarter. The Nuggets repeatedly blew past perimeter defenders and scored five layups over the first six minutes – culminating with a reverse layup from Gordon that put Denver up by 11 points. </p>
<p>Utah answered with a 19-6 run to erase Denver’s lead before the end of the quarter. Clarkson hit three 3-pointers to level the score. Ersan Ilyasova made another 3-pointer and hit a pair of free throws to finish off the run and give the Jazz a 40-36 lead. </p>
<p>Denver pulled ahead again before halftime. The Nuggets built up a 58-49 lead behind a 17-6 run capped off by a Jokic jumper. Bogdanovic kept Utah within striking distance. He hit three 3-pointers to help the Jazz erase the deficit a second time and pull even at 67-67. </p>
<p>TIP INS</p>
<p>Nuggets: Austin Rivers is 15 of 19 from 3-point range in three games against Utah this season. Rivers went 5 of 7 from long distance on Friday. … Denver coach Michael Malone was whistled for a technical foul midway through the third quarter after an unsuccessful coach’s challenge. … Jokic made his first seven shots before missing a jumper with 38.4 seconds left in the third quarter. </p>
<p>Jazz: Clarkson has made a 3-pointer in 89 straight games. … Bogdanovic surpassed his previous season-high of 34 points during the third quarter. … Niang did not attempt a shot in the first half. Utah is 17-1 this season when he scores at least 10 points. … Joe Ingles finished with a team-high nine assists. </p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Nuggets: Host Brooklyn on Saturday.</p>
<p>Jazz: Host Houston on Saturday.</p>
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