Utah Jazz pulled level with the Trail blazers in the NBA's Northwest Division after a 97-88 win over Portland on Thursday.

Mehmet Okur scored 21 of his 27 points in the first half and added 10 rebounds for Utah, which is now level with Portland a game behind divisional leader Denver.

Paul Millsap had his 10th straight double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Jazz, and Deron Williams added 14 points and 11 assists.

In Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki hit a key 3-pointer with less than 30 seconds to play to secure Dallas' 95-90 win over Charlotte.

Nowitzki finished with 23 points for the Mavericks, 10-0 against the Bobcats, which suffered a fifth straight loss.

(Xinhua News Agency December 12, 2008)