SALT LAKE CITY — Carlos Boozer
scored 26 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, Deron Williams added 23
points and 14 assists and the Utah Jazz took over first place in the
Northwest Division with a 103-98 win over the New York Knicks on Monday
night.
Paul Millsap also had a double-double
with 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Jazz, who scored 44 in the first
quarter then needed to hold off the Knicks down the stretch.
The Knicks rallied from 15 points down
and tied it late in the third quarter but couldn't overcome a 10-2
surge by the Jazz in the fourth.
Utah's victory combined with Denver's
loss at Dallas puts the Jazz one game ahead of the Nuggets for the
division lead and keeps the Jazz within a half-game of the Mavericks,
who are second in the Western Conference.
Al Harrington led New York with 26
points and 17 rebounds.
It was the 50th double-double of the
season for Boozer and Williams' 41st. Williams almost had his wrapped up
before the end of the first quarter, finishing with 14 points and eight
assists. The Jazz made all seven of their 3-point attempts and shot 17-for-20 in the period, missing as many from the foul line as they did
from the floor.
But the Knicks hacked away at the lead
and cut it to 64-60 by halftime, then tied it in the third.
A 3-pointer by Harrington tied it at
84, then Tracy McGrady drew a foul while shooting a 3-pointer. He made
the first foul shot to tie it at 87, but missed the next two and it was
still tied entering the fourth.
Utah opened the fourth with a 6-0 run
and the Knicks weren't able to catch up again, but they kept it close
until the final minute.
Mehmet Okur hit a 3-pointer midway through
the third that put Utah up 96-91 and started a 10-2 run that clinched it
for the Jazz. After New York's Sergio Rodriguez cut it to 96-93 with a layup, Boozer
followed with a layup and then Williams hit back-to-back jumpers,
including his fifth 3-pointer of the night to restore Utah's lead to 10.
Notes
The Knicks announced Monday
that C Eddy Curry will likely miss the rest of the season because of a
right calf injury. Curry has played in just seven games this season. …
Utah F Andrei Kirilenko was out again with a strained left calf, the
eighth game he's missed in Utah's last 10. … Williams badly crossed up
New York's Toney Douglas at the top of the key and set himself up for a
wide-open 3-pointer that put Utah up 44-30 late in the first quarter.