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Okur, Jazz make gigantic comeback to stun Hawks

Dec 21, 2006 - 6:05 AM ATLANTA (Ticker) -- The Utah Jazz have beaten the Atlanta Hawks eight straight times, but none of the previous seven have been any wackier than Wednesday's game.

Mehmet Okur scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Jazz recovered from a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit and stunned the Atlanta Hawks, 112-106.

Derek Fisher had 18 points, including 11 in the final period, and Deron Williams added 13 and nine assists for the Jazz, who trailed, 93-72, to start the final period.

"This is a huge win for us," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. "Anytime you win on the road, it's a big win, but to come back from this large of a deficit, that makes you feel even better. This win kind of dropped out of the sky."

Carlos Boozer scored 13 points and Andre Kirilenko added 12 for Utah, which cut a 21-point deficit to 10 in the first 2 minutes, 41 seconds of the final period.

Trailing, 98-88, with 7:41 left, Utah went on a 13-3 run, capped by a layup by Fisher, to tie the game at 101-101 with 2:55 remaining.

"It seemed like it was one of those nights where things were not normal," Fisher said. "Good teams figure out ways to win."

The Jazz then outscored Atlanta, 11-5, to pull off the stunning comeback.

"We didn't give up, we stayed hungry," Okur said. "That's the main thing."

Okur, who shot 11-of-17 from the field, scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, including two 3-pointers for Utah, which shot 56 percent (39-of-70) from the field, and missed just three of 14 attempts in the final period.

"I always have a lot of confidence in my shot," Okur said. "My teammates just keep telling me to shoot the ball and I have a lot of confidence and I feel good out there."

The Hawks exploded for a season-high 39 points in the third quarter to build the 21-point advantage. Joe Johnson and Josh Smith each scored 12 points in the period for Atlanta, which made 11-of-15 shots and took advantage of seven Utah turnovers.

Johnson finished with 27 points and Smith added 23 for the Hawks, who made just five field goals in the final period.

"It doesn't surprise me what happened," Johnson said. "We're very inexperienced. In the fourth quarter we're not home. I told Tyronn Lue before the fourth quarter started, that coming into the fourth period, you never know what to expect. Just that quickly, we lost the lead."

"Utah went on a run," Smith said. "When they hit us, we backed down. We're supposed to be able to take the blow and give another blow. This has never, never happened to me. It's kind of frustrating."

Rookie Shelden Williams had 14 points off the bench and Speedy Claxton added 12 and eight assists for Atlanta, which has lost two straight and six of its last seven games.

"We were solid again until we got into the fourth quarter and then all (heck) broke loose," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "We're playing not to win. Everybody's second guessing themselves. We let it slip away."