The Utah Jazz would like to avoid matching their longest losing streak of the season. Avoiding that fate could also give them a share of the final playoff position in the Western Conference.

The Portland Trail Blazers would just like to win back-to-back games for the first time in more than two months.

The Jazz look to snap a three-game skid Monday night when they visit the Trail Blazers for the first time this season.

Utah (27-26) has lost three in a row, putting it on the brink of equaling its season-high four-game skid from Feb. 19-28. The current losing streak has dropped the Jazz out of playoff position, one game back of eighth-place Houston. The Rockets visit league-leading Chicago on Monday.

Utah fell behind by 16 after the opening quarter Saturday, and never recovered in a 105-96 road defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers.

“We fought back enough to give ourselves a chance, but it just wasn’t enough to get over the hump,” coach Tyrone Corbin said.

Al Jefferson is certainly doing his part, scoring 26 points on 13-of-22 shooting against the Clippers, one night after he scored 27 and pulled down 16 rebounds in a 104-103 loss to Sacramento.

Jefferson leads Utah with 19.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, but the Jazz didn’t need him in a 93-89 home victory over Portland (25-28) on Jan. 30. Jefferson missed that contest due to an ankle injury, but Paul Millsap picked up the slack with 19 points and 15 rebounds.

Millsap is averaging 18.3 points and 10.0 boards over his last three meetings with the Trail Blazers.

While Utah is trying to snap its skid, the Blazers would like to finally string a pair of victories together. They haven’t won consecutive games since Jan. 23 and 24, and have alternated wins and losses over their last seven contests.

Portland will try to end that trend after beating Minnesota 119-106 on Sunday as LaMarcus Aldridge returned to action.

Aldridge had 26 points and eight rebounds against the Timberwolves after a left elbow sprain had sidelined him two days earlier for a 98-97 loss to the Clippers.

“I just blocked it out,” Aldridge said. “When I’m out there I’m going to play.”

Aldridge is averaging 23.6 points on 59.3 percent shooting over his last three games. He finished with 25 points and seven rebounds at Utah on Jan. 30, giving him an average of 23.4 points in his last five meetings with the Jazz.

Blazers swingman Nicolas Batum had 15 points in the January visit to Utah, but just nine in a 100-89 win Dec. 30, 2010, the most recent meeting between these teams at The Rose Garden.

Batum scored 24 points in Sunday’s win, increasing his season scoring average to a career-high 14.1.

SALT LAKE CITY — Big wins are starting to pile up for the Utah Jazz.

And, no, that wasn’t a reference to that victory over the Golden State Warriors.

While that was a nice overtime outcome, the Jazz’s big wins list in March is starting to resemble a who’s who of the NBA.

Heat, Lakers and, yep, the Thunder.

LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant can now feel your pain after his Oklahoma City squad was squarely beaten by the surging Jazz 97-90 at EnergySolutions Arena on Tuesday night.

“That prove,” Jazz center Al Jefferson said, “that when we get our head together and go out and play great defense, we can beat anybody, especially on our home floor.”

Two days after a masked man went 3-for-20 at Staples Center against the Jazz, C.J. Miles and Gordon Hayward teamed up for another defensive masterpiece against the explosive and versatile Durant.

The Thunder’s MVP candidate was held 10 points below his scoring average with 18 points on 6-for-22 shooting. As a team, Oklahoma City only shot 42.3 percent and scored just 46 points in the second half.

Durant said several charges Jazz players took from him “messed with me,” and he blamed himself and complimented Utah for his off night, which included a scoreless 0-for-7 fourth quarter.

“They played good defense,” Durant said. “You have to give those guys credit.”

The defensive performance by the Jazz wings was quite timely for the team that found out earlier in the day that it might be without starter Josh Howard for the rest of the season because of a surgery-requiring knee injury.

“(Hayward) and C.J. both, I thought they did a great job of coming off and DeMarre (Carroll) had some good minutes in there just making him work for everything,” Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said.

Even without Howard or starter Raja Bell (adductor) and key backup Earl Watson (ankle) the Jazz improved to 24-22 and moved within a half-game of Houston for the eighth spot in the Western Conference.

Power forward Paul Millsap led six Jazz scorers in double figures with 20 points, including a couple of big baskets in the final minutes. One was a dunk that was made possible by a terrific and tricky interior pass from Hayward; the other was a jumper.

The Utah Jazz have picked up the pace over the last few weeks to climb above .500 for the first time in over a month.

Keeping things going, however, could prove difficult with the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder coming to town.

Seeking a fourth straight victory and sixth in a row at home, the Jazz try to avoid a three-game season sweep and a sixth consecutive loss to the Thunder on Tuesday night.

Utah sat three games under .500 following a 5-13 stretch Jan. 25-Feb. 28, but has since gone 8-4 to pull within one-half game of Houston for the final playoff spot in the West.

One night after defeating Golden State 99-92 in overtime for their fifth consecutive home win, the Jazz (23-22) picked up their third consecutive victory Sunday, 103-99 over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Six players scored in double figures for Utah, which forced a season-high 24 turnovers and held the Lakers to 2-of-13 shooting from 3-point range.

“It’s big for our team, big in our development and big in our growth,” said Paul Millsap, who had 24 points, nine rebounds, five assists and five steals. “We just continue to push forward. I’m so proud of our young guys. They stepped up big for us. They came into a hostile environment and showed what we were capable of doing.”

With leading scorer and rebounder Al Jefferson away from the team to attend his grandmother’s funeral over the weekend, Derrick Favors averaged 17.5 points and 13.5 boards while starting each of the last two games at center. Enes Kanter, selected No. 3 overall in June’s draft, had a season-high 17 points Sunday.

“That’s who we are,” coach Tyrone Corbin said. “Right from the beginning of the year, we knew we had to play our young guys to get them some experience on the floor, to develop them with our veteran group of guys.”

Averaging 19.0 points and 9.4 rebounds, Jefferson is expected to return versus a Thunder team that’s given the Jazz fits of late. Oklahoma City (34-11) has taken eight of 10 in the series, including five straight by an average of 15.0 points.

The Thunder have shot a combined 51.0 percent from the field in winning 101-87 at Utah on Feb. 10 and 111-85 at home four days later.

Oklahoma City, though, is enduring its worst stretch of the season by going 5-4 over its past nine games. The Thunder avoided dropping two in a row for the second time in 2011-12 with Sunday’s 111-95 home win over Portland.

Russell Westbrook scored 28 points while Kevin Durant added 26 for the Thunder, who outscored the Trail Blazers 31-15 in the first quarter and never looked back.

“We did a good job getting that good start,” Westbrook, averaging 27.5 points during his last four visits to Utah, told the NBA’s official website. “I liked our pace, we did a good job pushing the ball. We just have to stay focused.”

Oklahoma City shot a season-best 61.1 percent (11 of 18) from beyond the arc, improving to 12-0 when shooting at least 41.0 percent from long distance.

“I think passing (was key),” forward Nick Collison told the team’s official website. “It starts with execution, if we can get an advantage, they have to help and that’s when you can kick to open shooters.”

Utah has outscored opponents by an average of 10.0 points and outrebounded them by 15.2 per game during its home winning streak. The Jazz haven’t won six straight on their own court since a 10-game run Feb. 24-April 6, 2010.

Los Angeles • Alec Burks wasn’t shaking. He wasn’t starry-eyed or in awe or anything he should’ve been.

Burks had just outshined flat-footed Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. As a rookie, Burks had dropped in 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting during the fourth quarter Sunday. And the Jazz guard had almost singlehandedly closed down Utah’s gutsy 103-99 victory against Los Angeles, turning into a Twitter trending topic by the time his fire had stopped burning and season-high 17 points were in the book.

Burks had pulled out a smooth, no-hesitation 3-pointer. He’d leapt over Los Angeles to tip in gravity-defying putbacks. He’d cut and slashed and scored like Showtime was still in style, doing it all in front of Hollywood and La La Land and everything else starry and showy.

Burks, 20, had made Bryant – likely a first-ballot future Hall-of-Famer – a complete afterthought.

The kid’s reaction? Calm, cool, fierce and tough. Like he had every right to be on center stage inside Staples Center. Like it all was nothing.

“That’s how I play: I’m a confident, fearless guy,” Burks said. “I’m proving that when I get out there, I’m fearless.”

As Burks has said all season, this is just what he does. It’s what he was born for. He created it in little-known Grandview, Mo. Polished it at Colorado, catching Jazz General Manager Kevin O’Connor’s eye and turning the early shine into the No. 12 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.

Even then, though, critics said Burks couldn’t shoot well enough to ever collect real minutes in the league.

Goodbye to all that. Hello to the future.

“He just plays, man,” Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. “I’m so happy for the kid. Just being able to have some success on the floor, especially at key times against big teams on the road.”

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Burks finished what Utah’s kids started Sunday.

Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Gordon Hayward, Burks: Four lottery picks from the 2010 and 2011 drafts. Four of the best young players in the NBA. Four crucial pieces in one of the Jazz’s best wins of the season – a victory Utah captured without starters Al Jefferson and Raja Bell, and with key reserve Earl Watson stuck on the bench.

Kanter added a season-high 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting for the Jazz (23-22), grabbing six rebounds and at times embarrassing Los Angeles’ weak interior defense. Favors traded his second consecutive start for 12 points and a team-high 10 boards, including five offensive rebounds. And even though Hayward was held scoreless, he ran the court at critical times and never played out of character.

Paul Millsap’s team-high 24 points, nine rebounds, five assists and five steals clearly guided Utah. But the Jazz were ultimately defined by their young heart.

“That’s who we are,” Corbin said. “Right from the beginning of the year, we knew that we had to play our young guys. … When they got minutes on the floor, they made the most of them, and that’s what’s starting to pay off now.”

A Utah team that’s won three consecutive games and four of five moved above .500 with the victory, eyeing above-average ground for the first time since Feb. 19. More importantly, the Jazz remained tied with Phoenix for ninth place in the Western Conference, just a half game behind eighth-place Houston.

With many teams tiring due to a hectic lockout-compressed schedule, Utah is thriving on its youth. To Millsap, it’s the key that could grant the Jazz a spot in the playoffs.

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Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Utah Jazz have been playing more consistently at home recently, but for their next game at EnergySolutions Arena, they’ll be without their leading scorer.

Al Jefferson will be away Saturday night when the Jazz, seeking their fifth straight home win, face the Golden State Warriors.

Jefferson will also miss Utah’s game Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers following the death of his grandmother earlier this week. His absence leaves the Jazz without their leading scorer (19 ppg) and rebounder (9.4 rpg).

Utah (21-22) is in must-win mode, sitting 11th in the Western Conference – 2 1/2 games behind Houston and Denver for the final two playoff spots. The Jazz have won two of three and six of 10 overall, but haven’t been able to win more than two in a row since the middle of January.

They won 111-105 in overtime at home over Minnesota on Thursday, when Gordon Hayward’s season-high 26 points led six Utah players in double figures. Paul Millsap missed a potential game-winning layup at the end of regulation, but added 16 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high eight steals.

“I don’t want to be sitting there next summer, thinking of games like this and saying, ‘I wish I would have done this or that.’ We’re going to put it all on the line,” Millsap said.

The Jazz now will try to move above .500 for the first time since they were 15-14 on Feb. 17. They are 2-1 this season when Jefferson has not played.

Golden State (18-23) is in transition after trading leading scorer Monta Ellis earlier this week, but that doesn’t mean the Jazz can afford to take it easy Saturday.

“We can’t afford to relax against anybody with guys out,” Utah coach Tyrone Corbin said. “We’ve got to continue to understand who we are, continue to fight and create a tempo. To take anybody lightly is a mistake.”

The Warriors won their first game after trading of Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown to Milwaukee, but have since lost two straight while allowing an average of 112.5 points. They failed to recover from scoring 12 points in the first quarter against the Bucks on Friday, losing 120-98. David Lee scored 22 points and Klay Thompson added 19 in the defeat.

The Bucks never trailed in the game, led by as many as 30 points and outrebounded the Warriors 54-35, grabbing 16 offensive boards.

“We took all the punches and threw none. For the first time in a while we didn’t make the team that we played against feel us. They did whatever they wanted to do. It was an embarrassing effort,” Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. “They destroyed us. They treated us like we were their little brothers. Any way you look to define being thoroughly outplayed and physically beaten up, we made a case for it.”

The Warriors and Jazz have split two meetings so far this season, both at Golden State.

SALT LAKE CITY — Before he left to attend his grandmother’s funeral, Jazz center Al Jefferson had a message for his teammates.

Big Al’s advice prior to his expected two-game absence Saturday night and Sunday: “I just told them to take care of business and do what they have to do to win.”

Jefferson flew to Mississippi after Thursday’s overtime win over Minnesota to attend his grandmother’s funeral Friday morning. The starting center will remain with his family over the weekend and is expected to miss Saturday night’s game against Golden State and Sunday’s contest in Los Angeles against the Lakers.

The Jazz will also be without backup point guard Earl Watson for at least Saturday night’s game. He is in L.A. to receive laser therapy on his sprained left ankle and will meet up with the team Sunday.

“We’ve got to make sure we come out and be aggressive,” Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. “We have a few guys out of our lineup because of different issues, but we can’t afford to take anybody for granted.”

Favors is expected to step into Jefferson’s starting role, and the pressure will be on the second-year big man and rookie center Enes Kanter to fill Big Al’s big void.

“It’s going to be a team effort. We’ve got to come together,” said Jazz power forward Paul Millsap, who’ll also have a bigger load on his shoulders. “He’s going to be dearly missed, but other guys have got to step up for us. We’ve got to have D-Fav, Enes stepping up for us rebounding, scoring some buckets down in the low post.”

NO REGRETS: There are still 23 games remaining — or about a third of the season to go. But the Jazz are in must-win mode, as far as Millsap is concerned.

They missed the playoffs last year, and that is not something he wants to repeat.

“I don’t want to be in the summer wishing that we could’ve, should’ve done this,” Millsap said. “Anytime we get out there, we’ve got to put it all on the line.”

Considering tonight’s game is at home against a team in flux that just lost its leading scorer, the pressure is really on the 21-22 Jazz to win and even their record again.

“I’m glad that we don’t have to play Monta (Ellis) again. He’s kind of killed us in both games. But they’re a tough group; they’ve got some talented scorers, and they’re right there in the (playoff) race with us,” Jazz swingman Gordon Hayward said. “We need these games, we need them for sure, so we need to come out with another focused effort.”

PHOENIX — C.J. Miles had a tattoo inked onto his forearm to help him get through challenging times. Reading from the Bible he carries around also helps.

Inner peace is hard enough to find when your routine is normal, but solace is even trickier to obtain with uncertainty permeating the locker room air leading up to the NBA’s trade deadline (today at 1 p.m. MT).

“It’s a tough time,” Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. “You don’t know. You can’t control that. You just have to play and as much as you can not wreck your mind thinking about it the whole time.”

That’s the gist of what was said Wednesday by the four Jazz players whose names popped up in trade rumors over the past couple of days.

Starters Raja Bell and Josh Howard along with Miles and fellow reserve Jamaal Tinsley said they’re tuning out trade talk. None had any concrete information to share, either.

“I’m happy to be here. I’m happy to get a chance to play,” said Miles, who has been with the Jazz since 2005. “I’m happy to get a chance to help my team win when I can, and that’s all I can really worry about.”

When the storm clouds enter his soul, though, Miles, a preacher’s son, recites the words found on his right arm for comfort. They read:

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

That Serenity Prayer is so important to Miles, he rubs the tattoo as part of his pregame ritual. It’s his “mental reminder.”

“I’ve got it tatted on my arm for a reason,” he said. “All I can worry about is tonight, try to help my team win a game today. … If you miss shots, so be it. All you can control is the next one.”

Howard said he hadn’t heard news about his name coming up in trade talk, although it didn’t shock him.

“I’ve been a part of this league for nine years. Nothing new. Nothing surprises me,” Howard said. “All you can do is be a professional with the team you’re with at the time and if it happens, it happens. If it don’t, continue to play the way you’ve been playing.”

Ditto for Tinsley.

“I still approach it the way I’ve been approaching it,” Tinsley said. “I can’t control that anyway. The only thing I can control is being ready when my number being called and do what I do.”

Home, sweet home. After a long road trip that finished in a pair of tough losses, EnergySolutions Arena was a welcome sight for the weary Utah Jazz. This was evidenced by Utah’s 105-90 victory over the visiting Detroit Pistons Monday.

While it was a close affair until late in the game, Utah made most of the fourth quarter. Down by two at the start, Tyrone Corbin’s squad outscored the Pistons 30-13 in the final 12 minutes.

Big game by Big Al: In a gutsy, emotional performance, Al Jefferson had another dominant game for the Utah Jazz. Grieving the loss of his grandmother, the center came through Monday night with 33 points, 12 rebounds, and a pair of blocked shots. But what was most impressive was the way he did it, using a variety of smooth interior moves and soft jump shots. Going against second-year standout Greg Monroe — already one of the league’s best centers — Al was able to have his way offensively.

Jefferson was particularly potent in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 points, including a streak of 10 straight going down the stretch. He was also able to connect on the first 3-pointer of his career. An inspiring game for a heavy-hearted Al Jefferson.

Raja’s Return: After a well-publicized few days, Utah head coach Tyrone Corbin and veteran Raja Bell met with general manager Kevin O’Connor earlier in the day. By most accounts, the two made amends for a tumultuous weekend that resulted in Bell being dismissed from the Jazz’s last leg of their weeklong road trip.

Unfortunately, Bell did not have a great outing in his return, managing just one point and four rebounds in 27 minutes. He struggled all evening and seemed to be bothered by his nagging leg injury.

Backcourt bounce backs: After some recent struggles, a pair of Utah guards had some much-needed bounce back efforts. Devin Harris, who missed Saturday’s bout with Chicago, had only scored 28 points in his previous three games. The point guard came back with one of his best outings of the season. His 19 points, eight assists, and two steals were huge. He was able to get to the free-throw line (9 of 10) and his two treys came at crucial junctures.

In the past four games, reserve C.J. Miles had only made 3 of 22 field goals, tallying just 12 points. His easily eclipsed that total Monday with 15 points on 5 of 7 shooting — including three integral 3-pointers. He played with a lot more energy and his shots came within the Jazz’s offensive schemes.

Random thoughts:

It was like nothing even happened.

Raja Bell was back in the Jazz’s starting lineup Monday. Coach Tyrone Corbin praised his shooting guard’s professionalism and calm demeanor. General Manger Kevin O’Connor eyed the high road, preached patience, and spoke not just of making the playoffs, but also of drawing a favorable seed in the Western Conference.

All it took was a private meeting between the trio Monday, and multiple revealing interviews that saw Bell and Corbin alternate veiled verbal punches with a vow that their on-off relationship is still defined by respect and understanding.

To prove it, Corbin kept Bell in Utah’s first unit against Detroit, despite initially considering putting Gordon Hayward back in the starting lineup.

“He’s been around this league long enough and he’s been through enough ups and downs and tough situations to know when the game’s on you play,” said Corbin, prior to Utah’s 105-90 win against the Pistons.

Bell met with Corbin and O’Connor to address lingering issues, which peaked when Corbin sent Bell home early from the team’s recent five-game road trip. Bell wasn’t with the team Saturday at Chicago, and his absence was vaguely classified as an internal matter.

That internal matter was a heated confrontation between coach and player, during which Bell let out more than a year’s worth of frustration.

After the meeting, all involved parties said the situation has been moved forward. Bell didn’t request a trade, and he’s willing to remain with Utah for the remainder of his contract, which lasts through 2012-13.

“For me, it’s a wrap. What was said was said and … my job is to come in here and help any way I can,” said Bell, who underwent a magnetic resonance imaging exam Monday on his left knee.

Results of the MRI weren’t announced, but Bell and Corbin said they didn’t expect bad news.

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Heavy heart

A grieving Al Jefferson played against Detroit because it’s exactly what his grandmother, Gladys Jefferson, would’ve wanted.

Gladys, 82, died Sunday night due to internal bleeding. She lived in Jefferson’s hometown of Prentiss, Miss.

Jefferson will attend her funeral Friday, and expects to miss games Saturday against Golden State and Sunday at the Los Angeles Lakers.

Jefferson tallied 33 points and 12 rebounds while playing 36 minutes, 13 seconds.

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Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz are halfway home to beginning a tough week with a victory.

Utah, coming off of a five-game road trip, leads Detroit 52-48 at EnergySolutions Arena Monday evening.

Though they didn’t participate in shootaround for different reasons, both Al Jefferson and Raja Bell started for the Jazz. Jefferson was absent after his grandmother passed away Sunday night. Bell had a meeting with coach Tyrone Corbin and general manager Kevin O’Connor to dicuss the “internal matter” that happened Friday night leading to the veteran guard being sent home early from the Jazz’s road trip.

Jefferson, playing in honor of his late grandmother who helped raise him, leads the Jazz with 14 points and five rebounds.

Paul Millsap and Devin Harris, back from missing Saturday’s game against Chicago with stomach flu, each have nine points.

Rodney Stucky has a game-high 17 points through two quarters, helping the Pistons, winners of three straight, keep it close.

EMAIL: jody@desnews.com

TWITTER: DJJazzyJody

Raja Bell’s situation remains a mystery for outsiders, but a resolution will be worked on sometime Monday.

Bell was with the team Friday night in Philadelphia. Then, with almost no details provided, the Utah Jazz guard wasn’t with his teammates in Chicago.

The only explanation for Bell’s absence?

The Jazz called it an “internal matter.”

Without giving details about the friction that happened Friday with Tyrone Corbin, Bell confirmed on Sunday that he will try to sort things out Monday in a meeting with Jazz brass, including his coach and general manager Kevin O’Connor.

The well-spoken and forthright veteran spoke with reporters in Philly after the loss to the Sixers. Bell said he was supportive of Alec Burks as the rookie played the bulk of the fourth quarter Friday while also mentioning (but not necessarily complaining about) a lack of offensive touches in the three games back from his injury.

“Look, man, I feel fine. My leg feels fine,” said Bell when asked if he’s still shaking off rust from his six-game absence. “I just need opportunities, that’s it, bro.”

It hasn’t been described what happened between postgame interviews and the Jazz’s chartered flight to Chicago an hour or so later that night.

Usually gregarious, Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin became edgy when reporters tried to fill in the blanks.

Multiple questions were followed mostly by vague answers and no comments by Corbin.

“He’s not with us. Internal matters,” Corbin said. “That’s all I want to say about it.”

End of subject.

Pressed for more details about anything and everything regarding the flare-up and Bell’s absence, Corbin eventually responded: “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

Not surprisingly, the lack of detail led to rampant speculation over the weekend.

Jazz fans, who suffered through more than their fair share of dealing with repercussions and rumors about “internal matters” last season, were left wondering:

Is Bell being traded?

Did he get into it with Coach Corbin over limited recent playing time?

Will he be fined?

Miss more time?

Going against one of the youngest teams in the NBA in the Cleveland Cavaliers, the visiting Utah Jazz countered with a very veteran starting line-up. And it paid off for most of the game. The Cavs made it interesting at the end, but the Utah Jazz came away with a much-needed road victory, winning 109-100. It marked just Utah’s fourth victory away from EnergySolutions Arena in 17 tries.

For the first time in a while, Tyrone Corbin had his whole roster at his dispersal, but that changed quickly as starting point guard Devin Harris exited early with a strained knee. Likewise, Raja Bell was slowed down a bit by the injury that has hampered him the past few weeks.

Embracing new roles: If his move from the starting line-up to a bench role had any effect on Gordon Hayward, it did not show. In fact, it was the quite the opposite. Playing with great aggressiveness, inhibition, and poise, the second-year man had probably his best game of the season and one of the most well-rounded of his career.

Hayward entered the game with three minutes left in the first quarter and his impact was immediate. He scored 11 points in the first half and bested that in the second with 12 more, finishing with a season-high 23 points. His efficiency was a huge spark, as he shot 8 of 11 from the field, 2 for 3 on three-pointers, and made all five of his free throw attempts. On top of that, he added five assists and four rebounds while not having a single turnover in 27 minutes.

Meanwhile, new starter Josh Howard added 14 points and five rebounds, despite battling some foul trouble.

One game does not a season make, but Monday’s performance was very encouraging for this change in rotation.

Big Al comes up big: Not just one, but two players had one of their most balanced outings of the year. Leading scorer Al Jefferson is used to regularly putting up double-doubles. Triple doubles? Not so much. Against a young front line, the Jazz center had his way, putting up a game-high 25 points while adding 13 boards. The most striking number, however, were the seven assists he added. Not only did it result a new career-best, but it paced Utah.

Quick hits:

DALLAS — LeBron James and Dwyane Wade one night. Dirk Nowitzki and the defending NBA champions the next.

Doesn’t seem like a fair back-to-back pairing for the Utah Jazz, but that’s what the unmerciful NBA schedule-maker gave ‘em.

To their credit, the Jazz only lost one of the monster matchups.

Also to their credit, the Jazz turned a monster 40-point outing by Nowitzki — in just 29 minutes — and what looked like a mismatch Saturday night into a moral-victoryesque 102-96 loss to the Mavericks.

The Jazz — sparked by the energetic and relentless play of their second unit — made a furious rally in a 41-point fourth quarter. After trailing by 23 with 10 minutes left, Utah pulled within five points in the final two minutes to make the sellout crowd at American Airlines Center get a tad nervous.

Despite some shoddy ball handling against a feisty Jazz defense, the Mavs managed to hold on to snap their four-game losing streak.

Nevertheless, the Jazz said they took something positive out of the Nowitzki showcase that could help them as they continue their five-game road trip Monday in Cleveland.

“We came at them and got aggressive and gave us a chance to get back in the ballgame,” Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. “We made a couple of turnovers down the stretch, but the effort that we had in that fourth quarter is what we’re going to need to get to more consistently, especially on the road, to have a chance to win road ballgames.”

Jazz center Al Jefferson (11 points, 4-for-12 shooting) struggled to find his offensive game almost to the level that Nowitzki excelled at his. Even with Nowitzki doing his thing — 14-for-21 shooting, including an off-balanced, one-legged, 3-point bank shot — Big Al was pleased that the Jazz fought back in the fourth.

“We still put ourselves in a position to win the game, and that’s all you can ask for,” Jefferson said. Without pausing, he then added one more thing Utah can actually demand from itself. “We’ve just got to play like that the whole 48 minutes, not 30.”

Because the Jazz didn’t do that while scoring just 55 points through the first three quarters, they fell to 17-19, dropped to 3-13 outside of the Beehive State and lost to Dallas for the seventh straight time.

Nowitzki had quite a bit to do with that.

“He didn’t miss,” Jefferson said.

There are reasons an NBA game is 48 minutes. After being down by as many as 23 points, the Utah Jazz fought back in the fourth quarter and pushed the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks to the very end. While Dallas snuck out with the 102-96 win, Utah certainly made it interesting down the stretch.

2011 Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki was definitely in MVP-form, finishing with 40 points. He shot a scintillating 14 of 21 from the field, most of them coming on long-range perimeter shots. Jason Terry added 22 points off the bench.

Paul Millsap led five Jazz players in double-figures, ending the game with 24 points.

Dr. Jekyll: The first half was a tough one for the Jazz. They shot 39 percent from the field, while being shut out from three-point territory (0-8). Utah had a mere five free throw attempts and recorded only nine bench points. On top of that, they had just five assists, along with six turnovers.

That said, the third quarter (and the start of the fourth) was worse. The Mavericks outscored the Jazz 31-19 in the third stanza, extending the Jazz deficit to 23 in the fourth. Along the way, Dallas was outshooting, outsmarting, and outplaying Utah.

Mr. Hyde: A totally different team came out in the fourth quarter. Behind tenacious defense and outright hustle, the same bench squad (Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, C.J. Miles, Earl Watson, and Alec Burks) that was so integral to the Miami victory quickly brought Utah back into the game. Favors was the ringleader, scoring eight points during a key 14-5 run. Paul Millsap was also stellar down the stretch, hitting some big shots and frustrating Nowitzki with some physical defense.

After a rocky start, Miles made some big shots down the stretch. Burks continues to impress, fearlessly taking the ball to the hoop and being extremely active defensively.

While the harried comeback fell short in the end, Utah put 41 points on the board in the quarter. The fight they exhibited was very encouraging.

Quick shots:

• In a bizarre turn of events, Mavs forward Lamar Odom’s D-League assignment was nixed and he played against Utah, tallying nine points and five rebounds.
• The 10-23 three-point shooting by Dallas turned the tide for the home team.
• Utah only had one blocked shots — by their shortest player, Watson.
• The Jazz only assisted on 13 of their 38 field goals — just 34 percent. They also had 14 turnovers.
• In their first two match-ups, Jazz killer Rodrique Beaubois torched the Jazz for 39 points in 54 minutes. Saturday night, he had just three points in 20 minutes.

David Smith is providing instant analysis for Deseret News’ Utah Jazz coverage this season. He works for LDS Philanthropies and also blogs for the Utah Jazz 360 website. He can be reached at mechakucha1@gmail.com or on Twitter at davidjsmith1232.