DENVER -- Offense rescued the Nuggets several times this season, but lately Denver is discovering how to win with defense.

Jamal Murray scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds, Trey Lyles added 16 points and eight rebounds against his former team, and the Nuggets beat the Utah Jazz 107-83 on Tuesday night.

Nikola Jokic had 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists before being ejected early in the fourth quarter, but the Nuggets (19-15) closed it out to win their third straight.

"Our players aren't fazed when Nikola's not on the court," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. "We know we can win without Nikola."

Denver, which held the Jazz to a season-low 32.1 percent shooting, has given up an average of 83 points during the short winning streak.

"We're just more locked in," Murray said. "We've won a lot of games with our offense, but our defense is what's keeping us in the game and helping us go on runs."

Derrick Favors led Utah with 20 points, Jonas Jerebko scored 13 and rookie Donovan Mitchell had 13 points and six assists. The Jazz (15-20) lost for the ninth time in 11 games.

The Nuggets kept Mitchell in check after he scored 29 in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night.

"Obviously, we didn't shoot the ball well," Utah coach Quin Snyder said. "I thought we missed some open shots. When we don't shoot well, we have to be even more determined defensively."

Denver played well in the first half of both games at Utah earlier this season only to collapse in the second half. The Jazz came back in the fourth quarter on opening night to steal the win, and the Nuggets scored just 28 points in the second half on Nov. 28 in a 29-point Utah victory.

Denver made sure there was no repeat Tuesday night.

Murray led the way in the first quarter with 13 points to give the Nuggets a 13-point lead at one point. Jokic, who didn't score in the first period, scored 11 in the second quarter. He had a 3-pointer and a three-point play during an 8-0 run that gave Denver a 41-26 lead en route to a 50-34 halftime edge.

Jokic had a steal, layup and an assist on a Mason Plumlee dunk to start the third quarter, and the Nuggets were up 62-41 early in the period.

Utah had a chance to get back into it after Jokic was called for a flagrant-2 foul and ejected from the game. Jokic was given the technical when he hit Jerebko in the face early in the fourth quarter.

He said he was surprised the referees called a flagrant-2 on him.

"We were running together and he started bumping into me," Jokic said. "First time, second time, third time, and I tried to swim over him and I hit him. If I'm going to hit the guy, I'm not going to hit him (like that).

"I didn't do it on purpose."

Even with Jokic tossed, the Jazz weren't able to get closer than 13 the rest of the way.

Lyles had nine of his points in the fourth quarter despite knocking heads with Naz Mitrou-Long late in the game. Lyles had a knot on his head after the collision while Mitrou-Long needed nine stitches to close his wound.

"It is not as bad as it looks," Mitrou-Long said. "I have no hockey in my background, but I was a bouncer before, so I got hit in the head a couple of times."

Wilson Chandler and Gary Harris each scored 15 points for Denver.

NOTES: Utah G Raul Neto missed his eighth consecutive game with a concussion. ... Nuggets G Emmanuel Mudiay returned after missing four games with a sprained right ankle. He played the final two minutes and scored seven points. ... The Jazz entered Tuesday allowing 95 points per game at home and 106 on the road. ... Denver has won 13 of its past 19 home game against the Utah. ... The Jazz's 34 first-half points were a season low. ... Nuggets F Juancho Hernangomez was inactive for the second time in six games.