Okur leads Jazz over Blazers
posted 12:11 am Thu November 06, 2008
- (Sports Network) - Mehmet Okur had 22 points and nine to lead Utah in a 103-96 triumph over Portland, which gave Jazz coach Jerry Sloan his 999th win with the franchise.
Stay on top of breaking news! Sign up for ABC 7 News e-mail alerts.
Sloan is now just one victory shy from becoming the first coach in NBA history to win 1,000 games with one team. He can attain that mark Friday night when the Jazz host Oklahoma City.
Carlos Boozer added 20 points and eight boards for the Jazz, who moved to 4-0 on the year. Andrei Kirilenko had 17 points and Ronnie Brewer scored 16 in the win.

Brandon Roy had 18 points and six assists for the Trail Blazers, who lost their second straight game. LaMarcus Aldridge also had 18 points and Steve Blake 16 in defeat. Joel Przybilla hauled in 16 rebounds in a losing effort.
Still down three with 54.9 ticks left, Portland inbounded the ball and Roy drove down the lane and dropped in a finger roll to make it 97-96.
Utah answered with a Boozer bucket with 29.2 seconds left. After a Portland timeout, the Blazers inbounded to Roy, who drove towards the lane but threw a pass to Rudy Fernandez on the wing for a three, which caromed off the iron. Boozer hauled in the rebound and was fouled before hitting both shots for a 101-96 lead with 19.8 seconds left.
Blake missed a jumper on Portland's next possession, which all but sealed the Blazers' fate.
The clubs played to a 23-23 tie after the first quarter, but the Blazers opened a 52-45 lead at the half.
A Boozer jumper cut Utah's deficit to five points, but the Blazers outscored the Jazz 7-2 to take a 10-point lead, 75-65, with 2:58 showing on the clock.
Not to be outdone, Utah ended the third quarter on a 9-3 run to pull within 78-74 heading into the final frame. Brewer sparked the surge with a three- pointer, then added four more points, before Kirilenko connected on a dunk.
Brevin Knight stole the ball from Aldridge and passed to Paul Millsap, who slammed it home to make it 78-76 early in the fourth.
The Jazz tied the game at 80 after an Okur jumper and two from the stripe by Kirilenko with 8:54 left to play.
Both teams traded baskets before Kirilenko hit 1-of-2 from the line and Okur drained a three. Travis Outlaw, though, nailed a three at the other end to make it a one-point game, 86-85, with a shade under six minutes left in regulation.
Okur and Kirilenko both went 2-for-2 from the line to open up a five-point Utah lead.
The teams traded baskets and as Roy drove the lane he was fouled by Brewer. He hit both shots to make it 95-92.
Game Notes
Utah star guard Deron Williams did not play due to an ankle injury...The Blazers continued to toil without center Greg Oden, who is sidelined for two to four weeks with a sprained right foot, and forward Martell Webster, who is out after undergoing left foot surgery...Fernandez had 14 points...Portland went 10-of-19 from three-point range.
Copyright 2008 The Sports Network
All rights reserved
ABC 7 News to leave comments on news stories.