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By MELISSA TRUJILLO Associated Press Writer
DENVER (AP) -- Mehmet Okur scored 24 points, and the Utah Jazz kept pace in the Western Conference playoff race with a 115-104 win over the Northwest Division-leading Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.
Andrei Kirilenko added 21 points and a key block late in the game for the Jazz, who have won three of their last five games. With Sacramento's win over Portland, Utah remained 1 1/2 games behind the Kings for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.
Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points and Andre Miller added 19 points and 12 assists for the Nuggets, whose magic number to clinch the division remained at six. Their lead over the Jazz dropped to 5 1/2 games.
The Nuggets were playing without center Marcus Camby, who sat out with a back strain. Eduardo Najera returned after missing four games with a sore right knee, but finished with two points and three fouls in 3 minutes.
The Jazz used accurate shooting to extend their lead to as many as 16 in the third quarter, but the Nuggets came back late in that quarter and in the fourth to make it a game.
Anthony hit a 3-pointer with 7:58 remaining in the game to pull to 95-89, but Carlos Boozer quickly hit a basket to extend the lead to eight. He finished with 15 points.
It was a common theme all night, with the Nuggets scoring, but failing to stop Utah on the other end.
The Jazz essentially sealed the game when Anthony was called for a technical foul for yelling at the referee with 4:44 remaining. Okur made the free throw to give Utah a 10-point lead.
Utah finished shooting 58.5 percent from the field, slightly below its season high of 58.8 percent.
Utah didn't take its first lead until Boozer's basket made it 33-31 in the final seconds of the first quarter, despite shooting 67 percent in that period. By halftime, Utah had extended its lead to 56-45.
Before the game, Nuggets coach George Karl said he was worried the Nuggets were too relaxed and confident after winning nine of their last 12 games.
"It's the first time this year that we probably have a strut to our step," Karl said. "It makes me a little nervous, too. I don't want them to be too happy."
Notes:@ Utah's 56 first-half points were a season high. They had scored 55 points twice, the last time against the Hornets on Monday . ... Anthony has scored at least 25 points in nine straight games.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APTV-03-29-06 2259MST
