Kirilenko keeps smiling, and so do the Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY — Who would have figured that at this point of the season, one of the Jazz's big accomplishments would be to beat Denver with the Nuggets' two best players missing?

Face it, there was some doubt on Saturday.

The Jazz's 116-106 win moved them within two games of the second-best record in the Western Conference. It also helped them avoid getting swept by Denver for the first time in franchise history.

When you're as unpredictable as the Jazz, you take the wins where you can, even when the other guys are limping.

For some reason (two of them being Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups) the Jazz have struggled this year against a team they used to dominate. Throughout most of their history, the Nuggets weren't often a worry. The Jazz would pass them like a long-haul truck on a night run. They lead the all-time series 95-62, including a 65-15 advantage at home.

But lately, the Nuggets have been troublesome. Going into Saturday's game, the Jazz had lost all three matchups this year. That's worrisome enough for them on the surface. But when you consider they lost their Jan. 2 home game with Denver missing both Anthony and Billups, you had to figure something was fishy in Denmark.

And it didn't smell too pleasant in Salt Lake, either.

The Nuggets not only had their number, they had their throats.

Which made it all the more worrisome when the Nuggets announced pre-game Saturday that they had scratched both Anthony and Billups again, due to injury.

What if the Jazz were to lose this one, too?

Isn't that like losing a war to Andorra?

Meanwhile, the division race seemed almost academic.

That's not to discount the roll they've been on the last month. With a born-again Andrei Kirilenko in the starting lineup, something changed: They got happy. And nobody is happier than Kirilenko.

When he's playing well, he's smiling like a kid at recess. When he's not, he's hollow-eyed and somber.

"I always said, whatever works," said Kirilenko. "You know, like the last month has been great. Coach put me in the starting lineup and we start winning. You know, if you start winning, don't change anything."

They're not about to.

Lately, he's been the old Kirilenko, playing the best since when he was an All-Star way back in 2004.