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Boozer scores 32 points as Jazz rally again

Nov 23, 2006 - 6:06 AM SACRAMENTO, California (Ticker) -- Carlos Boozer and the Utah Jazz are making comebacks a regular thing.

Boozer scored 32 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and Deron Williams added 20 and 13 assists as the Jazz rallied from a double-digit deficit for the third straight game to post a 110-101 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

Matt Harpring and Derek Fisher both contributed 16 points off the bench for Utah (11-1), which extended its winning streak to seven games.

"I think it says a lot," said Fisher of the late rally. "I've been in a lot of those situations where it's real easy to not really quit but to get to a point that you don't feel you can win so you just kind of start going through the motions.

"I think it says a lot about our team that we had enough guys out there tonight that believed we could still win this game. I think that's the only way we were able to do it."

In their two previous contests against Phoenix and Toronto, the Jazz fell into 16-point holes before digging themselves out and continuing their run.

"It's a bad habit. We've got to break it," Boozer said about falling behind early. "We can't keep relying on having to come back. As the season goes along, teams aren't going to let us come back. When you get down by that many, usually the game is over. We've got to break that habit. We've got to play like we did in the second half from the very beginning."

Utah fell behind Sacramento, 58-37, with 11:27 to go in the third quarter. Entering the final period, the Jazz trailed, 84-71, before putting together a 39-point fourth quarter and handing the Kings their second straight home loss.

"That was a (heck) of a game for us to come back from 21 down on the road against one of the most veteran teams in the league," Boozer said. "I'm really proud of my teammates for fighting and hanging in there. Now we can go enjoy our Thanksgiving."

The comeback was complete with 1:45 left on a 3-pointer by Mehmet Okur that provided a 101-99 edge. Boozer added a dunk for a three-point play on the ensuing possession, extending the margin with 61 seconds remaining. Those two plays highlighted a 14-2 closing burst.

"That was the biggest play," said Boozer of Okur's 3-pointer. "They collapsed a little bit. Nobody ran out to him. I think he had about three seconds to line it up. That was the biggest play because it gave us the lead by two. And all of the sudden, it was like the weight had been lifted off our shoulders. That was a big-time play."

"They run a lot of pick the pickers, where the guy setting the pick normally pops back," Kings guard Ronnie Price said. "(Okur) sets a lot of screens and when you have so many guys cutting, guys get mixed up with switches and matchups and sometimes it leaves guys wide open and that's what happened. His shot went in. It hurt."

Kevin Martin scored 24 points and Ron Artest added 19 and four steals for the Kings, who committed 17 turnovers. Mike Bibby scored 12 points before leaving in the third quarter due to a left thigh bruise.

"We had the NBA's best team right now down in our building with plenty of opportunities to close the deal," Price said. "When you play good basketball for such a long period of time and then you slack off at the end, it hurts."

Price, who had 16 points, took over the point-guard duties when Bibby departed. A 6-2 guard, he converted an unbelievable left-handed dunk for a three-point play over Boozer that sent the Arco Arena crowd into a frenzy in the third quarter.

"It (the dunk) would have been better in a win," Price said. "I went for it earlier in the year and (Erick) Dampier blocked that same dunk. I was jumping up and just hoping that Boozer didn't jump with me. It went in and the referee made the call."