Jazz like Nuggets' new look

ATLANTA — The race is on.

So Jazz coach Jerry Sloan declared — sort of — one day after the Denver Nuggets made a trade for longtime Philadelphia 76ers star Allen Iverson.

"They have to be a favorite for the division with a player like that on their team," said Sloan, whose now 19-7 Jazz went into Wednesday's play with a three-game lead over the Nuggets in the NBA's Northwest Division — and extended it to 3 1/2 with a 112-106 win at Atlanta.

"They have two guys (Carmelo Anthony, and now Iverson) on their team, and they've got the ability to get you 15 or 18 free throws a night," Sloan added. "That's very, very difficult to play (against). ... And those guys are as good as anybody in the world that plays to force the action."

Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko expressed similar sentiments.

"Denver was a great team, a great roster," he said. "They get one more good guy on the roster — of course they'll be tough to beat. They're a good team, and I think they're getting better and better.

"It will be tough to win division anyway," Kirilenko added. "Either Denver or Minnesota — those teams, they're playing good basketball."

Just how much Iverson will indeed help Denver has been the subject of much speculation around the NBA world.

Wrote ESPN.com's John Hollinger: "I think this trade was an absolute home run for the Nuggets, one that elevates them into the grouping with the Spurs, Suns and Mavericks when we discuss the league's elite. (Sorry Utah fans, I'm not quite ready to go there yet. Gimme another month and I'll take it under advisement.)

Not everyone, however, is as seemingly pessimistic as Sloan, Kirilenko and Hollinger.

"I think they (the Nuggets) have to worry about us. Not we about them," Jazz shooting guard Gordan Giricek said. "We have to try ... to win as many games as possible, and if we do that, I think they cannot catch us. So they should be concerned with our game. Because they are behind us."

HIGH ON OKUR: After hitting 4-of-5 from 3-point range Wednesday, Mehmet Okur's belief in his shot-making ability seemed sky-high.

It frequently is.

"I have confidence in my shot," said Okur, who hit two fourth-quarter treys, including Utah's stay-ahead bucket in a 21-point rally.

Okur's faith does not stand alone.