Jazz Will Try to Put Away the Nuggets

The Utah Jazz are not a happy bunch. Denied a sweep in Denver, the Jazz intend to put this Western Conference semifinal to rest once and for all.

“We’re upset we didn’t win that game,” Jazz guard Jeff Hornacek said after practice Monday. “We wanted to get back to Utah and play immediately. That was the guys’ attitude.”

Hornacek said it was an angry Utah team that flew back to Salt Lake City on Sunday night after losing 83-82 to the Nuggets. The Jazz, who lead the best-of-7 series 3-1, will try again tonight to wrap things up.

No team in NBA history has come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series. Still, Sunday’s victory -- coming off a 111-109 overtime loss the day before -- gave Denver a glimmer of hope.

“In Game 4 we said ‘No, we won’t go home like this,”’ Nuggets center Dikembe Mutombo said. “We might sneak in another one and go back to Mile High City.”

Indeed, the Nuggets are used to overcoming the odds. Their first-round victory over Seattle was the first time an eighth-seeded team beat a No.1 seed since the league went to a 16-team postseason format 10 years ago.

Another parallel: Denver was on the verge of elimination against the SuperSonics, too, but won three straight to overcome a 2-0 deficit.

“It’s a do-or-die situation for us and we are still down,” said LaPhonso Ellis, who scored 17 points in Game 4. “We’re not dead yet. It will be tough in Utah, but we’re still alive.”

Hornacek, who had 12 points Sunday, does not intend to let history repeat itself.

“They won one game, but we’re coming home with a 3-1 lead,” he said.

But Karl Malone, perhaps sobered by his miserable 6-for-20 shooting and sub-par 20 points in Game 4, is more circumspect.

“It’s not the end of the world; we’re still up 3-1,” he said. “But we’re not going to then have to say, ‘we’re still up 3-2’ then be tied, either.”

The Nuggets have lost 17 of their last 18 games in Utah, including four this season.