National Basketball Association

Jazz use 24-0 run in 3rd quarter to beat Nuggets 100-84

Published Apr. 10, 2016 9:46 p.m. ET

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DENVER (AP) Trey Lyles scored a career-high 22 points in an unexpected start, Gordon Hayward helped fuel a 24-0 third-quarter run and the Utah Jazz maintained their slim lead for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference with a 100-84 win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.

All five starters reached double figures for the Jazz, who have a one-game cushion over Houston with two games remaining. The Rockets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 130-110 earlier Sunday.

Lyles got the start when Derrick Favors was a late scratch because of right knee soreness. Hayward scored 10 of his 22 points in a pivotal third quarter that saw Utah turn the game into a rout.

Nikola Jokic and Emmanuel Mudiay each had 19 points as the Nuggets finished 0-4 against the Jazz this season. They averaged just 84.3 points against a stingy Utah defense.

The game changed dramatically after halftime. The Jazz were trailing 62-58 with 6:56 remaining in the third, but they held Denver scoreless for the rest of the quarter.

In all, Denver went 8:28 between baskets, a streak that was finally halted on a dunk from Will Barton moments into the final quarter. By then, Utah was well on its way to snapping a two-game skid.

Rudy Gobert finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots.

The Nuggets had extra incentive to beat the Jazz in an effort to bolster Houston's playoff chances. If the Rockets earn a playoff spot, the Nuggets receive their first-round pick as part of the Ty Lawson trade. Should Houston miss the postseason, the compensation turns into a second-round pick next year.

''There's no pressure on us, just go out there and have fun,'' Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.

Denver went into halftime tied at 48 but returned to the court for the third quarter with one fewer point. That's because officials took a second look at a late 3-pointer by Jokic and changed it to two points.

TIP-INS

Jazz: Alec Burks played in his second game after missing 50 games with a fractured left fibula. He was scoreless in nearly 14 minutes. ... Utah's bench had just 13 points.

Nuggets: A dinged up Kenneth Faried didn't play for a second straight game. ''Let Kenneth get a little bit of rest,'' Malone explained. ... F Darrell Arthur was back after missing the game against the Spurs as he tended to a family matter. He finished with five points. ... The Nuggets are 3-24 when scoring 99 points or fewer this season.

SCOREBOARD WATCHING

Utah coach Quin Snyder didn't want his team paying attention to how Houston was doing against the Lakers earlier in the day.

''I don't think there's any value to spectating,'' Snyder said. ''We need to shut that out. Granted, it's hard. ... The only thing that can do is take our focus away from the things we can control.''

UP NEXT

Jazz: Host Dallas on Monday. The Mavericks are a game up on Utah for the seventh spot in the playoffs.

Nuggets: Visit Portland on Wednesday.

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