One Concerning Stat Could Haunt Nuggets Despite Win Over Jazz

The Denver Nuggets won their fifth straight game on Friday, but just because it came against the 21-53 Utah Jazz does not mean it was easy. The Nuggets scraped out a 135-129 win, and even trailed by ten points with just 5:30 left in the fourth quarter, but finished on a 21-5 run to come out on top.

This clutch performance by the Nuggets was exactly what they needed, especially amid plenty of talk about how poor their crunch-time execution has been this season. However, even though they ultimately pulled out a win, there are some notable concerns from Friday's game.

Most notably, one stat jumps off the page. The Jazz scored 84 points in the paint on Friday. For reference, they average just 51.9 paint points per game, and the league-leading Detroit Pistons average 58.1. Their 84 points allowed in the paint is their most since the 1996-97 season, per Statzman.

Denver allowed 84 points in the paint, the most since 1996-97 (was 80 at Clippers on 12/22/18).

The 38 point differential in the paint was the worst for the @nuggets since 1/28/20 at Grizzlies (-54).

The Jazz shot 55.8% FG, their 2nd highest of the season.
— Statzman (@RealStatzman) March 28, 2026

How big of a weakness is Denver's paint defense?

This is a huge statistical outlier for Denver, as 84 points allowed in the paint is a wild number, but it speaks volumes to their weak paint defense.

Of course, three-time MVP Nikola Jokic is arguably one of the greatest offensive players to ever touch the court. His defense, though? It is no secret that interior defense is not Jokic's strong suit, but what he does on offense makes up for any lapses on the other end. Regardless, though, giving up 84 points in the paint to a Jazz team playing without Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., Walker Kessler, and Jusuf Nurkic is not ideal.

Jokic commented on Denver's weak interior defense after the game, saying that they did not play "any defense," which led to a lot of easy baskets for the Jazz.

"I mean we didn’t play any defense, especially in the beginning of the second half. They were just attacking, and it was basically layup after layup, even the first 20 points I think were in the paint. So, we didn’t play any defense and it’s hard when the team feels that they can just drive and score. We definitely need to do a better job guarding and protecting the paint," Jokic said.

While this was a huge problem on Friday night, it has not been as glaring an issue throughout the season. The Nuggets rank in the middle of the league, allowing 50.5 points in the paint per game, but that is still far from where they would want to be.

Still, though, this could create problems in the playoffs. The Nuggets have shifted toward small-ball lineups whenever Jokic is on the bench, with backup center Jonas Valanciunas now logging five consecutive DNP-CDs. Is that part of the problem? Potentially, but overall, a lot of it stems from defensive effort.

The Nuggets showed minimal effort on the defensive end against the Jazz, hence allowing 129 points in general. Regardless of who is on the floor, some good effort and an effective defensive scheme would prevent the opposing team from scoring 84 points in the paint.