The presence of guard Carlos Boozer and forward Deron Williams was again a winning combination that allowed the Utah Jazz to beat the Denver Nuggets 117-106. It was the fourth game of the Western Conference playoffs and the Jazz are dominating 3-1.

Before the beginning, some thought that this might be the most balanced series in the Western Conference playoffs, due to the great players and coaches in each squad. During Game 1, the Nuggets were so determined that they took the first game on their favor, 126-113. But the amazing victory in Game 2 at Denver provided the motivation for the Utah Jazz to win at home the following two games.

During Game 4, the Jazz controlled the first three periods, using their speed and showing more determination than the Nuggets, chasing loose balls and encouraging their fans with every play. The Nuggets didn’t start out badly in the first half, scoring seven of their first nine shots. But then, though, they slipped back to the same awkward style of play that overwhelmed them in Game 3, which they lost 105-93. Denver’s ball movement was slow and the team’s decisions in certain moments of the game were erroneous, giving an advantage to Utah. At the end of the first quarter, Utah got a lead of 6 points, 25-31.

In the second quarter, Utah kept control of the game, keeping the advantage and extended its lead to 11 points with 2:30 left. Denver later tried to respond but its shooting wasn’t good enough, ending the quarter 54-45.

Entering the third quarter, both teams exchanges baskets during the first two minutes, until the Jazz had an 11-2 run to put the score 69-51. But then Denver cut the scoring to 15 points with 2:59. However, with some jump shots and free throws of Williams, Buzzer, and Matthews, the Jazz extended their lead to 20 points, 84-64 with 58 seconds left. At the end, Utah ended with an advantage of 18 points.

The Jazz led up to 20 points in the fourth quarter and the Nuggets were out of balance until Anthony led a comeback attempt for his team. However, the Nuggets had foul trouble and lost Chauncey Billups while trying to recover in the fourth quarter.

Anthony converted a three-point play and continued to shorten Utah’s lead to 90-79, but committed his fifth personal foul with 8:45 minutes left when he tangled with Williams in a battle for a rebound. Anthony sat for a couple of minutes and the Nuggets were trailing 98-85 when he returned. Then Denver made some good offensive plays, which silenced the Utah Arena. The Nuggets cut the lead to seven (113-106) with three consecutive three-pointers from Anthony, but that was as close as they got in the game.

In the end, the Jazz simply handled the situation better, winning the game 117-106.

The Jazz now will try to liquidate Game 5 to qualify for the next round on Wednesday when they visit the Nuggets at the Pepsi Center in Denver, where the team, led by Adrian Dantley as replacement of George Karl, will have all the pressure to win or say goodbye to the postseason.

At the end of Game 4, Williams stated he was really motivated and happy with the victory, which placed his team within one game of the Western Conference semifinals.

"We're putting ourselves in a good position to win the series. Steal one on the road -- that's what we want to do. But we protected home court, and now we're going back 3-1. The series isn't over. We've still got to get ready to play," said Williams.

About the Author

Ally White has been a prominent writer on daily NBA games; sports news and the sportsbetting industry for many exceptional sport web sites. You may reprint this article in its full content, please note no modifications to it are accepted.