SALT LAKE CITY, April 8 (Ticker) -- Michael Finley had a different partner in crime in the fourth quarter in Nick Van Exel.

Finley and Van Exel combined for 22 points in the final period as the Dallas Mavericks temporarily prevented the Utah Jazz from clinching a playoff berth with a 105-96 victory.

Utah secured its 19th straight postseason spot after the Los Angeles Clippers lost at Seattle.

With All-Star Dirk Nowitzki sidelined in the second half with a sprained left ankle, Dallas needed another player to step up down the stretch. Van Exel complied, banking in a 3-pointer with 5:35 remaining to put the Mavericks ahead for good, 91-88. Finley followed with a basket for a five-point edge.

NBA TV highlights from Mavs-Jazz: 56k | 300k Nick Van Exel dished nine assists in addition to tying Michael Finley with a team-high 20 points. Kent Horner NBAE/Getty Images

"I still felt confident with my shot," said Van Exel, who saw limited action in the first half. "In the fourth quarter, when we were right there, I just started being more aggressive, attacking a bit more."

Utah pulled within 99-96 on Karl Malone's bucket with two minutes left, but Greg Buckner scored off a feed from Steve Nash to restore Dallas' five-point lead.

"It was a big win," Nash said. "It wasn't necessarily a good performance, but it was still a good win without our leading scorer in the second half. (Finley) made huge shots for us and Nick made a bunch of really big plays down the stretch."

Malone scored 22 points to lead the Jazz after missing Friday's loss to Sacramento with a swollen right knee -- just the fifth game he has sat out in 17 seasons.

"One-on-one defense is where you've got to step up and stop people, and quite frankly, I don't think we do a good job of that," Malone said. "I go back to the old saying, you've got to be able to guard somebody individually."

Van Exel and Finley each scored 20 points to lead Dallas, which is listing Nowitzki as questionable for Tuesday's game against Portland. Nash scored 17 points despite 6-of-19 shooting to go with eight assists and seven rebounds.

Van Exel, who has been maligned in the past for selfish play, also contributed eight assists for Dallas, which remained one-half game ahead of second-place San Antonio in the Midwest Division.

"Van Exel was sensational once again and he really is playing with a nice rhythm," Dallas coach Don Nelson said. "I needed him and I had to go with him."

John Stockton scored 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and handed out eight assists for Utah, which fell to 3-14 against the top five teams in the Western Conference. Bryon Russell and rookie Andrei Kirilenko each added 14 points for the Jazz, who are one game behind seventh-place Seattle in the West.

"I think it's an attitude, about wanting to win and coming and demanding it of yourself that you are going to win," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "We haven't been able to finish in those games."

Nowitzki and Eduardo Najera each scored 10 points for Dallas, which placed five players in double figures. Without Nowitzki, the Mavs never were able to get their running game untracked and scored just nine fast-break points.

Najera had nine rebounds, helping Dallas to a 46-40 edge on the glass. Dallas improved to 2-1 against Utah this season.

The Jazz begin a four-game road trip Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers. It concludes April 16 in Dallas.