"This is a big game, it felt like a playoff game, playoff atmosphere," Deron Williams said. "One of the best teams in the NBA coming in here. They beat us. We were right there, we had chances, and we just didn't come up with a win."

The Jazz (25-19) lost for the fifth time at EnergySolutions Arena this season -- once more than in the entire 2007-08 season -- and must win tonight at Denver to avoid slipping 4? games behind the Nuggets in the Northwest Division race.

"It's probably one of the biggest game we'll play all year up to this date," Matt Harpring said. The Jazz have gone 1-9 in the second game of back-to-back sets this season; Denver will have been off four full days coming in.

With Saturday's victory, Cleveland matched the L.A. Lakers for the NBA's best record at 34-8. The Cavaliers took the lead for good with 2:41 remaining as Mo Williams (25 points) drove for a three-point play to make it 94-91. At the other end, Williams came up with a steal as Mehmet Okur looked for Deron Williams, then flipped a behind-the-back pass on the fast break to Sasha Pavlovic for a dunk and five-point lead.

James followed by beating Harpring backdoor for an alley-oop dunk, the last in a series of highlights for the MVP frontrunner that included a two-handed windmill dunk in the first quarter and an alley-oop off a half-court pass from Williams to open the second half. Pavlovic left his former team an opening with 1:10 to play, missing two free throws with Cleveland leading 98-95. But the Jazz couldn't take advantage as Deron Williams and Okur both missed potential tying three-pointers in the final minute.

Deron Williams finished with 17 points and 16 assists while Paul Millsap led the Jazz with 24 points and 15 rebounds. Okur, however, scored only four points, made 1 of 9 shots and needed 18 seconds to pick up his fourth foul to start the second half.

Once again the Jazz continued their season-long theme of stumbling at the start. They trailed 33-23 at the end of the first; James had 15 points, five rebounds and four assists in the opening 12 minutes.

With 3:40 left in the quarter, James swept in to rebound J.J. Hickson's missed free throw, then attacked for a ferocious dunk. He went down in a heap, however, as Kyrylo Fesenko clocked James in the face as he tried to contest the dunk late.

"It happens every game ? and I haven't missed a game yet," James said. "I'm all right."

The Cavaliers called timeout, and James stayed in the game to hit a 16-footer over Millsap, followed by a 25-foot three-pointer. But James' run was not meant to be, as he airballed an even deeper three and missed his last three shots of the quarter.

The Jazz fought back in the second and fourth quarters behind their reserves, in particular Harpring, whose physical play bothered James. With Andrei Kirilenko missing his second game with an injured ankle, Harpring drew the fourth-quarter assignment.

"He's a great player," Harpring said. "The biggest thing is you just can't let him do whatever he wants out there. You've got to make him uncomfortable, you've got to make him hit shots that are tough and, on the other end, you've got to make him play defense."

The Jazz used a 12-0 run in the fourth-quarter to take an 85-83 lead on Kyle Korver's three-pointer with 8:18 left. Mo Williams answered with a three-pointer as Deron Williams was drilled on a back screen by Ben Wallace and left the game with a stinger.

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan was dismayed by the slow start, describing the Cavaliers as a "championship-type team" and saying his own team had a ways to go in joining them.

"Once the first quarter was over," Sloan said, "it looked like we got back and started competing a little bit more and not accept the fact that once they knocked us down, we're going to lay around on the floor and feel sorry for yourself."

rsiler@sltrib.com In short

In short ? The Jazz overcome a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit and near triple-double by LeBron James before falling short down the stretch.

Key moment ? James beat Matt Harpring backdoor for an alley-oop dunk with 1:44 left to make it 98-93.

Key stat ? The Jazz dropped to 17-5 at EnergySolutions Arena this season, after going 37-4 in 2007-08. James solid on both ends

James barely misses what would have been the 20th triple-double of his career, but his defense is stellar, too. C14