Utah Jazz keep win streak intact by pulling away in 4th News Utah Jazz

OAKLAND, Calif. ? They saved their best for last. Again. As a result, the Jazz ? playing on the second night of a back-to-back set ? spared themselves from spoiling what has become a rather showy streak of success.

Utah took the lead for good with two Andrei Kirilenko free throws late in the third quarter Sunday night and held off Golden State in the fourth, beating the Warriors 112-104 at Oracle Arena for its eighth straight victory overall and the 11th and its last 12 outings. That's two shy of the Jazz's longest winning streak last season, a 10-gamer that ran through early February. "I think we (got) a little more consistent at the end of the game," said Kirilenko, whose two final-quarter baskets were part of a 13-4 Jazz run that did in the Warriors. "We kind of played with a bigger focus than in the beginning." Center Mehmet Okur had the hot hand early for the Jazz, scoring 17 of his team-high 23 points in the opening quarter. But point guard Deron Williams used his to distribute throughout, as he dished a season-high 20 assists and finished just one shy of his career high. Beneficiaries included not only Okur, but also Ronnie Brewer, who scored with 21, and four others who hit double figures, Paul Millsap (17), Kyle Korver (17), Kirilenko (12) and Carlos Boozer (10). "He (Williams) sees the floor, and he knows what's gonna be open," said Millsap, who along with Brewer scored seven in the fourth. "He sees ahead of the play. That's tough to do, but he's one of the few guys that can do that." Williams, whose six points on 3-for-12 field shooting were a season low, suggested he simply was doing what was necessary. "My offensive game didn't feel too good," he said. "Everything. Driving to the basket, I was getting my shot blocked. The jumper didn't feel right. "So I just tried to get my teammates involved, distribute the ball. You know, we had a lot of fastbreak opportunities, and my teammates finished well." The 37-23 Jazz actually ran with the up-and-down Warriors, and it worked to their advantage. "I'm not saying (we) were quicker than they were," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said, "but I think they were expecting us maybe to slow it down. And we pushed it up and got a couple easy baskets off it." Williams was the one setting the pace, and everything else fell into place against a 20-39 Golden State team that bizarrely rested healthy scoring leader Stephen Jackson. "He (Williams) got three or four of (his assists) by being able to push the ball," Sloan said. "They want you to play their game, play their tempo ? and I thought we played at best when we were getting out and running," Williams said. "They're not a very good defensive transition team, and we were able to exploit that a little bit ? especially in the second half ? and open the game up a little bit." The Jazz's separation run in the fourth included not only Kirilenko's cutting layup and a 23-foot jumper fed by Williams, but also a three-point play from Brewer, two Millsap layups and a Williams jumper. That followed two similarly scripted victories, one Saturday in which the Jazz used a late 11-0 run to blow open a one-point game against Sacramento and one last Wednesday in which Utah put away Minnesota with a 10-burst in the fourth. Credit for that goes partly to newfound energy from the Jazz, who are off now until playing host to Houston ? one of the teams they're chasing the NBA's Western Conference playoff race ? on Wednesday night at EnergySolutions Arena. "Just the style of how we play kind of wears teams down," Korver said. "We're not getting tired," Williams added. "We're not showing any letdown, any back-down." But there may be more to it than that. "We've got guys that step up in the fourth quarter," Korver said. "We've got a lot of guys who are comfortable shooting big shots, making big plays, and that's the biggest thing now." E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com