DENVER -- Trey Lyles found out just before tip he was in the starting lineup. The rookie made the most of his opportunity and helped the Utah Jazz creep closer to a playoff berth.

Lyles scored a career-high 22 points, Gordon Hayward also scored 22 and had nine rebounds, and the Utah Jazz used a big third quarter to beat the Denver Nuggets 100-84 on Sunday.

Rudy Gobert had 16 points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots for Utah, which leads Houston by a game for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The Rockets beat the Lakers on Sunday to keep the pace with Utah. The Jazz trail Dallas by a game for seventh place and host the Mavericks in a pivotal matchup on Monday night.

"I don't have to talk a whole lot about it," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said of Monday's game. "It speaks for itself."

Utah (40-40) ends the regular season on Wednesday in Los Angeles against the Lakers in Kobe Bryant's final game.

Lyles got the start when Derrick Favors was a late scratch because of right knee soreness. Snyder told Lyles he was in the lineup and he responded with 15 first-half points.

"I didn't know I was starting until the huddle. It caught me by surprise," Lyles said. "I just tried to stay ready. I knew there was a chance I might have to start."

With a big matchup against Dallas on deck, Gobert urged Favors to sit out so he could be ready for the Mavericks.

"I told Derrick if he wasn't feeling good that he shouldn't play because we're really going to need him for (Monday) night's game," said Gobert, who finished one block shy of his career high. "Trey played great for us in his absence and helped us get the win."

Nikola Jokic had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Emmanuel Mudiay also scored 19 points for the Nuggets, who were swept by Utah this season. Denver (33-48) finished 18-23 at home and finished out of the playoffs for the third straight year.

"They're a better team than us. You get beat four times by a division opponent, there's not mixed or magical reason," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. "They're a better team than us. Right now they're ahead of us."

With their season possibly in the balance, the Jazz used a dominating third quarter to take control and put away Denver. Utah outscored the Nuggets 34-15 in the period and ended it with a 24-0 run to turn a four-point deficit into an 82-62 lead.

Hayward sparked the Jazz on both ends, getting two steals and scoring seven points. Utah held the Nuggets scoreless over the final 6:56 of the period.

Snyder agreed when he was asked if it was his team's best defensive stretch of the season.

"I think it was, under the circumstances and given what this game represents," he said. "For our guys to be able to focus at that moment for that period of time, was really good."

The drought carried over to the fourth quarter before Will Barton's dunk ended it with 10:28 left. Denver missed 14 straight shots and had four turnovers before Barton scored.

"We turned the ball over a little bit too much," Mudiay said. "We got some good shots but they just weren't falling. When you're shots aren't falling you have to stop the other team."

The Nuggets had a reason to beat the Jazz on Sunday. If the Rockets reach the playoffs this season, Denver will get their first-round pick from the Ty Lawson trade last summer. If Houston doesn't reach the playoffs, the Nuggets get a 2017 second-round pick.

The Nuggets already possess two first rounders -- their own and Portland's from the trade that sent Arron Afflalo to the Trail Blazers last year.

NOTES: Jazz coach Quin Snyder said G Alec Burks "had a little bit of soreness" after Friday's game but that was to be expected. Burks missed 50 games with a fractured left fibula and played 31 minutes in his return in the loss to the Clippers. ... Denver F Darrell Arthur was active after missing the last three games. Arthur sat for two games with sore knees and missed Friday's win over the Spurs because of a family matter. ... Snyder said his team needed to forget Friday's late collapse and overtime loss to the Clippers. "You can't let one game beat your twice," he said. ... Nuggets F Kenneth Faried did not start again because of general soreness. Faried did not play Friday but was available off the bench.