Jazz are back on same page

DENVER — Two days after Jazz guard Devin Brown said his integrity and passion for the game was questioned during what he called "an altercation," and two days after Jazz coach Jerry Sloan acknowledged having "a little disagreement" during Tuesday morning's shoot-around, Brown said "everyone's back on the same page."

"It wasn't even that big of a deal," Brown said before Utah practiced Thursday in advance of tonight's game at Denver, one in which the lead of the NBA's Northwest Division is at stake between the 21-19 Nuggets and 20-19 Jazz. "The coach just wanted to have more production out of a player, so we talked about it and, you know, that was the end of it.

"That's the thing with Coach Sloan," Brown added. "It's not like a long, ongoing thing. He's real good at not holding grudges, or anything like that, so when we talked about it, we just left it at that and that was it."

Sloan and others in the organization suggested Tuesday that Brown was not singled out, and five or six others may also have been chastised.

"Everybody's back on the same page," Brown said Thursday, "and feeling good about what we're trying to do."

Sloan, for his part, suggested he just wanted to send notice to a team that followed losses Saturday vs. Miami and Monday to the Los Angeles Clippers with a win Tuesday against Toronto.

"We lost two tough games," Sloan said. "In order to be able to try to win those games, you've got to be focused on everything — to try to make sure you don't let them get away from you.

"That's the only thing I was concerned about."

COLLINS DOUBTFUL: Jazz starting center Jarron Collins is doubtful for tonight due to a sprained right ankle, the team said Thursday.

Collins sustained the sprain during overtime of the Jazz's road loss Monday to the Clippers, and he did not play Tuesday vs. Toronto.

Collins has started 18 of the 38 games he's played this season, including 17 straight before Tuesday. He is averaging 6.1 points and 4.7 rebounds in 23.4 minutes per game.

Backup Greg Ostertag, the Jazz's starter earlier this season, started Tuesday. He is averaging 3.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game over 32 games, including 21 starts.

Denver also is without its usual starting center, as Marcus Camby has missed the past 11 games with a fractured pinkie finger.