Sports and Scores
 
NBA Basketball
Scoreboard|Stats|Standings|Teams|Players|Player News|Injuries|Transactions|Home
90
Final 1 2 3 4 Tot
Utah 20 24 16 30 90
San Antonio 19 21 20 23 83
83
Preview | Box | Play-by-Play | H2H | Recap 
Final Boxscore

Jazz get first win in San Antonio since 1999

By PAUL J. WEBER,

Associated Press Writer

SAN ANTONIO (AP) A decade of misery for the Utah Jazz in San Antonio is over.

But the Spurs' early struggles show no sign of ending.

Deron Williams scored 21 points and Carlos Boozer scored 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Jazz to their first regular-season victory in San Antonio since 1999 - a 90-83 win on Thursday night.

That's 10 years and 20 games since 30 points from Karl Malone on Feb. 28, 1999, carried the Jazz to their previous win in San Antonio. No player in Utah's loose locker room Thursday night was even in the NBA back then.

"We've been to this building a lot of times, had some close games and had some blowouts," said Boozer, who also had 11 rebounds. "To get the win, the first one in this building, is big-time for our organization. We're proud of ourselves."

Tim Duncan scored 21 points, and he has seldom seen San Antonio struggle at the start of a season like this. The Spurs revamped their roster this summer with sights set on a fifth NBA title run, but they are 4-6 and have their first losing record after 10 games since 1996.

The Spurs have dropped three straight.

"(We have to) worry more about improvement and understanding more than our record - and we know what our record is," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

Paul Millsap added 20 points for the Jazz, who won back-to-back games for the first time this season. They did so with only nine players for the second consecutive night, after beating Toronto at home on Wednesday.

Taking over Malone's role, Boozer played the foil to the Spurs this time. He was 4-of-6 from the field in the fourth. His second of two and-ones in the period with 1:08 left put Utah up 87-83 and provided a big two-possession cushion.

Ronnie Brewer added 13 points for the Jazz, who shot 60 percent in the fourth quarter. Williams had six of his 10 assists while playing the entire fourth quarter along with Millsap and Andrei Kirilenko, who finished with 13 points.

"We did all the right things down the stretch, which we've struggled with in this building," Williams said. "I still want to beat them when they're not short-handed."

The Spurs certainly were.

Like the Jazz, they were also playing their second game in two nights after falling in overtime at Dallas. The Spurs hobbled home Thursday perhaps not weary, but certainly more banged up.

Manu Ginobili, who sprained his left groin against the Mavericks, is expected to miss at least a week. He sat out along with Tony Parker, who has missed four of five games because of a nagging ankle sprain.

Parker, San Antonio's third-leading scorer, remains day-to-day. The All-Star point guard originally hurt the ankle Nov. 6, then re-aggravated the sprain Saturday in a loss to Oklahoma City.

George Hill, starting in place of Parker, had 18 points but on 7-of-17 shooting. Richard Jefferson added 16 points, and Roger Mason had 12.

After spending big dollars to bring in Jefferson and Antonio McDyess this summer while dumping half their roster, the Spurs' sputtering start isn't what the team had in mind. But it's also not the first time San Antonio has started slow: the Spurs began 5-5 last season, and still won the Southwest Division.

"If the playoffs started tomorrow, I think we'd be in trouble," Duncan said. "But we've got a long way to go."

NOTES: Jazz G Ronnie Price will not need surgery on his injured left toe, the team announced before the game. Price has undergone two MRIs since spraining his big toe Nov. 9 in a win against the Knicks. ... Utah C Mehmet Okur didn't make the trip, staying home because of flulike symptoms.

Updated November 20, 2009

s1 © 2010 by STATS LLC and Associated Press.
Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

Audio & Video on Demand

  • +Patriots
    -

    Rosevelt Colvin, Former Patriots LB

    Rosevelt, our Indianapolis correspondent, talked about playing with Drew Brees back in their days at Purdue, what he was thinking going into the Super Bowl and what actually surprised him in the game, which player is being singled out as the goat in Indianapolis, where this Colts team ranked with previous seasons, and what's the latest on his many business ventures

    Peter King, SI/NBC Sports

    Peter joined the guys to recap Super Bowl XLIV and discussed Sean Payton's decision to start the second half with an onside kick, the evolution of Payton as a coach over the years, what the loss does for the legacy of Peyton Manning, how Bill Polian was taking the Colts loss, what the win means for the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana, and the results for the Pro Football Hall of Fame

    Adalius Thomas

    Patriots linebacker Adaluis Thomas joins Mustard and Johnson to clarify he's still a Patriot and discusses his relationship with Belichick.

  • +Celtics
    -

    Jackie MacMullan

    Jackie talked about the struggles of the Celtics in the second half of games, that both Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett would be better off skipping the All-Star Game, if Ray Allen will be a member of the Celtics at the end of the season, if signing Rasheed Wallace was a mistake, how Rondo has become the most important member of the team in many respects, and dropped a great rap to pay off her Super Bowl bet with Michael

    Eddie House, Celtics Guard

    Eddie talked about if he or Paul Pierce would be participating in the three-point contest at All-Star Weekend this year, why his shot hasn't been the same as last year but he is working on the kinks every day, how the guards need to do a better job of rebounding, the team struggling to finish games strong, the leadership of Rajon Rondo, and told us to look up his impression of Ray Allen on YouTube

    Doc Rivers, Celtics Head Coach

    Doc joins D&C to talk about the C's struggles, Ray Allen on the trade block and the All Star Game

  • +Bruins
    -

    Mike Milbury, NHL TV Analyst

    Mike talked about how the Bruins need some help, that they may have overachieved last year but they are better than how they are playing right now, the trade of Ilya Kovalchuk to the New Jersey Devils and who got the best of the deal, what he would have done different in the past offseason, if he is seeing players tuning out Claude Julien, how the Bruins don't have a dynamic player, and why Milan Lucic looks like a different player this year

    Peter Chiarelli, Bruins GM

    Peter talked about the Bruins coming off a disappointing month of January, his thoughts on the Leafs making two big trades over the weekend, if anyone has approached him in making a move, how he is unwilling to trade their first round pick from Toronto, how the team doesn't seem confident right now, if Thomas is still the number 1 goalie, and that he has looked at trade possibilities over the last month but nothing has made sense yet

    Jeremy Jacobs and Charlie Jacobs, Bruins Owners

    The Jacobs talk to Dale and Kevin Paul Dupont about how significant it is for their team to be a part of the NHL's big day, as well as how important the fans are in making this event special. Jeremy and Charlie also discuss how outdoor games could be expanded in the future and what impact the Olympic Games may have on their franchise.

  • +Red Sox
    -

    12-6 Laser Show with Dustin Pedroia

    Dustin joins Mut and Bradford for his weekly appearance on the Laser Show. Dustin talks to the guys about getting closer to re-joining his teammates at spring training, what he has done to make Marco Scutaro feel comfortable with the Red Sox, and where he would prefer to bat in the lineup.

    1-30 Laser Show With Dustin Pedroia

    Dustin makes his weekly appearance with Mut on the Laser Show. Dustin talks about getting ready to re-join his teammates in Spring Training and continuing his off-season conditioning program. Dustin also talks about returning to his hometown to speak to a group of students, and what his advice is for young ballplayers.

    Mike Timlin, Former Red Sox Pitcher

    Mike joined Michael and Lou to talk about his role as narrator of the new film "Touching the Game: Alaska", all the major league players who played in the Alaska Baseball League, what's new in his life after his playing career, going to a major league game as a fan, and if he has closed the door on any possible return to the game

Weei Writers