SALT LAKE CITY, April 11 (UPI) -- Mehmet Okur scored 20 points and had 12 rebounds in helping the Utah Jazz keep playoff hopes alive with an 85-83 victory over the Houston Rockets.
Monday's victory pulled the Jazz, which has won three straight, within 2 1/2 games of Sacramento and the Los Angeles Lakers in the race for the last two NBA Western Conference playoff spots.
It wasn't easy for the Jazz as Houston scored the first 10 points, with David Wesley and Chuck Hayes each scoring 5 points, of the fourth period for a 71-70 lead, setting up a tight finish.
Utah led 84-83 after Deron Williams hit a free throw with 70 seconds left but Hayes missed two free throws on the other end. A Carlos Boozer free throw made it a 2-point game that became the final score when Juwan Howard's shot for Houston came after the final buzzer.
Boozer finished with 25 points for Utah while Okur's 20-point total included 4-of-6 3-point shooting. Howard had 25 points to pace the Rockets.
Houston's Yao Ming suffered a broken foot in the first period Monday and will miss the rest of the season.
