Carlos Boozer had 31 points and 13 rebounds, Deron Williams added 24 points and 13 assists and the Utah Jazz held off a late charge to beat the Denver Nuggets 117-106 on Sunday night for a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference playoff series.

Carlos Boozer had 31 points and 13 rebounds, Deron Williams added 24 points and 13 assists and the Utah Jazz held off a late charge to beat the Denver Nuggets 117-106 on Sunday night for a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference playoff series.

Carmelo Anthony finished with 39 points and led the Nuggets back within range late in the fourth quarter but Denver never caught all the way up and lost for the third straight time.

Jazz take 3-1 lead.

The Jazz controlled the first three quarters, seeming quicker and more determined than Denver while chasing down loose balls and firing up the fans with every hustle play. The frustrated Nuggets battled foul trouble, losing Chauncey Billups while trying to rally in the fourth quarter.

Denver trailed by 18 entering the final period but were able to get within 113-106 on back-to-back 3-pointers from Anthony, but that was as close as they could get.

C.J. Miles scored 21 and Wesley Matthews added 18 points for Utah. The Jazz led by as much as 20 and had the Nuggets off balance until Anthony led a surge early in the fourth.

Also in the Western Conference, Tim Duncan had a miserable 34th birthday and Manu Ginobili looked as rough at times as his bandaged-up broken nose but Geroge Hill scored 29 points to help the Spurs push the second-seeded Mavericks to the brink of elimination with a 92-89 victory on Sunday night.

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