SALT LAKE CITY -- The Rockets ran through the reasons they believed the Utah Jazz caught them from behind, but really they were stumped.

And that seemed to say more about the difference between the veteran Jazz and the now officially lottery-bound Rockets than anything spoken.

The Jazz came back in the fourth quarter Tuesday night to slap the Rockets with a painful 109-105 loss, extending its winning streak over the Rockets in Utah to 11 games and cutting off the last mathematical thread by which any playoff delusions were hanging.