
Posted: 9:48 PM- AUBURN HILLS, Mich.- Maybe it's a coincidence, maybe not, but the Jazz have yet to lose to the Detroit Pistons in the four seasons since Deron Williams came to Utah.
Williams nailed jumpers at the end of regulation and the first overtime and the Jazz were able to outlast the Pistons 120-114 in double overtime and improve to 2-1 on their annual pre-Christmas trip. It was the Jazz's seventh consecutive victory over the Pistons and Williams' best game since returning from a sprained left ankle nearly a month ago. He finished with 29 points and eight assists in 45 minutes.
The Pistons watched Rasheed Wallace foul out in the first overtime and Richard Hamilton, Rodney Stuckey and Antonio McDyess follow in the second overtime. Kyle Korver's three-pointer with 19.3 seconds left in double overtime was the dagger.
The Pistons took a 106-104 lead as Tayshaun Prince drove on Paul Millsap and beat the shot clock with a left-handed runner with 35.9 seconds left. But Williams answered for the Jazz, hitting a step-back jumper over Hamilton with 25.6 seconds to play.
After Stuckey missed a three-pointer from the corner for the Pistons, the Jazz had the chance to win the game with 1.4 seconds left in overtime. They inbounded to Williams, who took one dribble but couldn't get off his shot in time against Arron Afflalo.
Hamilton sent the game to overtime, getting free from Korver and hitting a jumper from the left side with 0.4 seconds left off Prince's inbounds pass.
Williams dribbled down the clock, drove left on Stuckey, then stopped on a dime and spun back to hit a jumper with 2.3 seconds remaining to give the Jazz a 98-96 lead.
Williams scored 15 points in barely six minutes in the second quarter and helped rescue the Jazz after they fell behind by seven in the fourth quarter. The Jazz couldn't hold a five-point lead with fewer than two minutes to play but prevailed in the end.
Korver had been 1-for-7 before hitting the shot. Williams drove on Afflalo and passed back outside to Korver for the shot.
rsiler@sltrib.com