<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Matt Harpring did his part to keep the Utah Jazz's playoff chances alive. Harpring scored 18 of his 29 points in the first half and the Jazz started a critical three-game homestand with a 110-93 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. The Jazz (37-39) led throughout, opening a 10-1 lead just three-plus minutes in, en route to their fifth win in seven games. They are 2 1/2 games behind both the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento, who are tied for the final two playoff spots in the Western Conference. "We're still alive, we've won two in a row," Harpring said. "You never know what happens. We could go on a good winning streak now. Maybe L.A. loses, maybe Sacramento loses, you never know." Harpring's 3-pointer with four seconds left in the first half gave Utah a 56-50 lead at the break. The Trail Blazers were within 58-54 early in the third quarter before Harpring made a jumper to start a 15-5 run. Mehmet Okur, who scored 18 points, capped the burst with a jumper to make it 73-59 with 4:52 left in the period. Portland never got closer than seven points thereafter in losing its 13th straight on the road. "I thought we executed our offense pretty well," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "We're still alive and that's the important thing. The games mean something ... You just keep fighting and playing until the season is over and see what happens." </div> <div align="center">Recap</div>
