Then the schedule came out.

"I was probably depressed," he said.

But while Karl, due to acquisitions of Chris Andersen and Renaldo Balkman, eventually felt less badly about losing Camby and Najera, he still has to deal with the schedule.

The Nuggets face one of their most rigorous opening-season stretches in recent memory. Beginning with Wednesday's 98-94 loss in the opener at Utah, the Nuggets play six of their first nine games on the road. Next on the docket is a Friday road date with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Denver's November schedule features two games against the Lakers and dates with Boston, Cleveland, Houston and New Orleans.

"If you look at our schedule, you'd have some nightmares," Karl said. "That doesn't mean we can't win games that we're supposedly not going to win... (The Nuggets) might be 9-9 at the end of November, which some people might go, 'Oh, they're no good.' To me, it's how we're going to play. It's not necessarily the record early in the season."

It also doesn't help that star forward Carmelo Anthony will miss the first two games of the season due to a suspension after plea bargaining following an arrest last April on a DUI charge.

The Nuggets will have Anthony for their home opener Saturday against the Lakers. But while the Lakers will be resting Friday night in Denver, the Nuggets will be playing on the road against the Clippers before flying back to Denver.

JAZZ 98, NUGGETS 94: A Utah motto is "Greatest Snow on Earth." George Karl believes "Greatest Snow Job on Earth" might be more apt.

The Nuggets coach was not pleased with a lane violation called on his team in the waning seconds of a loss to Utah in the season opener for both teams Wednesday at EnergySolutions Arena.

With 12.5 seconds remaining and the Jazz leading 93-92, Utah forward Kyle Korver, who shot 91.5 percent from the foul line last season, stepped to the line. He made the first but clanged the second.

But Nuggets forward Chris Andersen was called for entering the lane too early. Korver got another chance, and made it.

"I have no idea," Karl said when asked if it was the right call. "It's only in Utah. They violate the lane and they push and shove. They're the best free-throw rebounding team because they cheat the line all the time and we get a call that cost us the game."

Calls or no calls, the Nuggets had a tough time all night against Jazz forward Carlos Boozer, the only Olympic gold medalist from last summer playing due to Denver's Carmelo Anthony serving the first game of a two-game suspension and Utah guard Deron Williams out with a sprained ankle. Boozer totaled 25 points and 14 rebounds.

Trailing 97-94, the Nuggets did have one final chance to tie the game. But forward Kenyon Martin, who had a team-high 18 points along with guard Allen Iverson, missed a three-pointer with three seconds remaining.