Jazz fall flat in Denver

DENVER — Afterward Linas Kleiza ran through a hallway at the Pepsi Center, shouting to everyone in general and no one in particular, "Read it in the paper tomorrow; read it in the paper," as he made his way to the Denver Nuggets locker room.

How fitting.

Kleiza ran circles around the Jazz all night Thursday, scoring a career-high 41 points to help push the Nuggets past Utah 120-109.

That's 12 points more than the previous high for Kleiza, a University of Missouri product by way of Lithuania who is in his third NBA season.

It's also a big reason the 23-15 Nuggets were able post 38 fastbreak points, 21 more than they were averaging coming into the night.

But it wasn't the only factor that propelled Denver, which led by just two points heading into the break, during the second half in the first meeting of four this season between the two NBA Northwest Division title contenders.

There was Nuggets center Marcus Camby pulling down 24 rebounds tying him with Phoenix's Shawn Marion for tops in the league this season — and blocking a career high-matching 11 shots while he and Kleiza helped make up for the absence of ailing big men Kenyon Martin (staph infection) and Nene (testicular tumor surgery).

There was a quick trigger tendency on the part of the 22-18 Jazz, who saw their four-game winning streak come to a close while their string of consecutive road losses stretched to four.

And there was a general lack of success getting back on transition defense for Utah, prompting coach Jerry Sloan to question his club.

Or at least try.

"I don't know what to ask them," Sloan said. "Maybe you ask those guys what their problem is (that) they can't run back down the floor.

"If I wrote in the newspaper, I'd ask them that question. I can't answer it. I'd say, 'Hey, why can't you guys run the floor?' ... I mean, I asked them that — and I didn't get much response."

There were honest answers, however, in a disheartened Jazz locker room.

Especially when it came to the issue of Kleiza, who finished 13-of-21 from the field, 4-of-8 from 3-point range and 11-of-14 from the free-throw line — and pulled down nine rebounds to boot.