Nikoloz Tskitishvili > Articles

No.22 DOMINATES IN HIS 1-ST NBA GAME

Tskitishvili shines in debut

By Marc J. Spears Denver Post Sports Writer

Sunday, July 21, 2002 - SALT LAKE CITY - Nikoloz Tskitishvili scored a game-high 16 points Saturday night during the Nuggets' 64-53 win over the host Utah Jazz in Denver's Rocky Mountain Revue opener. Tskitishvili made 5 of 10 shots, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, made all five of his free throws and had two steals in 28 minutes. Defensive-minded Denver (1-0) held Utah (1-1) to 27.3 percent shooting, didn't allow a Jazz player to score in double figures and won the rebounding battle 39-26.

Nuggets guard Kenny Satterfield added 12 points on 6-of-12 shooting and four assists in 24 minutes. Denver is off today and plays the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.

"I didn't do great, but well," Tskitishvili said. "This is a big game. This is the first game and we won, so it means a lot to me. I am really happy that we played so well together."

DENVER (1-0)

Andersen 2-3 2-2 6, Elson 2-6 0-0 4, Tskitishvili 5-10 5-5 16, Satterfield 6-12 0-1 12, Yarbrough 1-5 2-2 4, Harvey 2-3 4-4 8, Harrington 2-4 0-1 4, Arroyo 1-3 0-0 2, Savovic 2-8 0-0 4, Daniels 0-2 0-0 0, Davison 1-2 2-2 4. Totals 24-58 15-17 64.

UTAH (0-1)

Kirilenko 0-1 2-2 2, Collins 2-3 3-5 7, Stevenson 2-14 2-2 4, Avery 1-7 0-0 2, Garces 3-6 2-2 8, Green 1-4 1-1 4, Cline-Heard 1-2 1-1 4, Brown 2-4 3-5 8, Bell 3-11 0-0 6, Evtimov 0-4 0-0 0, Profit 2-5 2-2 4, Hood 1-2 0-0 2, Linehan 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 18-66 16-20 53.

Halftime - Denver 36, Utah 17. 3-point goals - Denver 1-6 (Tskitishvili 1-2, Yarbrough 0-2, Savovic 0-2), Utah 1-8 (Brown 1-1, Avery 0-1, Green 0-1, Linehan 0-1 Stevenson 0-2, Bell 0-2). Fouled out - Andersen, Elson. Rebounds - Denver 39 (Elson 9), Utah 26 (Collins, Garces 4). Assists - Denver 11 (Satterfield 4), Utah 8 (Collins 2). A - NA.

NBA.com RECAP

The home crowd saw very little of what they wanted, as the Denver Nuggets defeated the Utah Jazz 64-53 in day two of the Rocky Mountain Revue at the Campus of Salt Lake Community College.

Denver got off to a strong start, outscoring the Jazz 10-2 to start the game, but scored only ten more the rest of the way to take a 20-10 lead. The Jazz had a particularly tough time shooting the ball, hitting only three of fifteen shots in the quarter.

The shooting woes for Utah continued into the second quarter, with the Jazz not scoring a basket until three minutes into the period. The hometown team hit only two more baskets the rest of the way, while Denver opened up a commanding 36-17 half time lead. The Nuggets' 2002 first round pick Nikoloz Tskitishvili played a solid first half, leading the team with eight points.

Utah shook off a dreary first half by going on a 14-4 run in the first five minutes of the third period. Behind the clutch shooting of LaRon Profit and Ruben Garces, Utah pulled within nine points, closing out the third period with a 37-46 disadvantage. Garces and Profit both scored six in the period for Utah.

The teams traded baskets in the fourth quarter, with Utah never getting closer than seven points. Denver played strong in the final two minutes, closing the door on Utah by hitting shots when the Jazz started to get momentum.

Tskitishvili led the Nuggets with 16 points, Kenny Satterfield chipped in with 12 points. The Jazz had a balanced scoring effort, with Garces and Marcus Brown leading the team with eight points each. The Jazz ended the game shooting only 27 percent from the field.

The Jazz don't play again until Tuesday, July 23 at 6 p.m. against Toronto. The Nuggets play the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, July 22 at 6 p.m.