They'll have a shot at the dubious mark Sunday night against Detroit. Utah showed the Pistons
- and everyone else - just how effective nosy defense can be against Seattle rookie Kevin Durant.
Utah's Andrei Kirilenko held Durant to 7-for-21 shooting and blocked his attempt at a game-tying shot in the lane with 3 seconds remaining to help the Jazz hold on for a 103-101 win.
"You need to be close to him. I tried to force myself into him, to make contact," said Kirilenko, who was named to the NBA's all-defensive team two seasons ago. "In the next few years, when he gains weight, it will be very hard to stop him. Right now, he's a little thin, and it's easier to hold him."
Carlos Boozer scored the go-ahead basket over Durant with 17.6 seconds left and finished with 27 points
- 22 in the second half.
In Friday night's other NBA games, it was: Cleveland 93, Sacramento 91; the Los Angeles Lakers 107, Minnesota 93; Houston 104, Milwaukee 88; Phoenix 106, Miami 101; San Antonio 97, New Orleans 85; Orlando 112, New York 102; Denver 118, Washington 92; Portland 110, Memphis 98; Toronto 105, Philadelphia 103; Charlotte 96, Indiana 87; and Detroit 103, the Los Angeles Clippers 79.
Meanwhile, in Boston a new Big Three is emerging.
Kevin Garnett had 27 points, 19 rebounds, six assists and three blocks for what is now the NBA's only unbeaten team.
Their 4-0 record is their best opening since 1987-88 when they won their first six games, finished with 52 wins and went on to the Eastern Conference finals, the last time the original Big Three got there.
The winning margins this season have been much greater - 20, 3, 26 and 23 points. In 1987, Boston won its first four games by 17, 1, 9 and 14.
"It's not only Garnett," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "When you throw Ray Allen and Paul Pierce in the mix, you know they've got shooters spaced all around Garnett."
Cavaliers 93, Kings 91
In Sacramento, Calif., LeBron James rallied the Cavaliers with eight points in the final 2:57, and the Cavaliers hung on.
Devin Brown had 20 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who treaded dangerously close to a surprising upset loss until James scored eight of their final 10 points.
Kevin Martin missed a long jumper at the buzzer. Martin, who had 32 points while making 17 free throws for the Kings, couldn't draw a foul 2 seconds earlier despite obvious contact from Cleveland's Drew Gooden.
Lakers 107, Timberwolves 93
In Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant scored 30 points and Lamar Odom had 18 points and 10 rebounds in his season debut.
The Lakers were well-balanced. Andrew Bynum and Chris Mihm each had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Rockets 104, Bucks 88
In Houston, Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian each had their share of highlights in the much-anticipated first matchup of the country's greatest player and its top rising star.
Yao had 28 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Yi had 19 points and nine rebounds.
The game was an enormous event in China, where it started early Saturday morning and was being broadcast on 19 television networks.
Suns 106, Heat 101
In Miami, Steve Nash scored 11 straight points in the fourth quarter and finished with 30 to go with eight assists.
Leandro Barbosa finished with 17 points, Raja Bell scored 16 and Shawn Marion added 17 points and 24 rebounds for Phoenix, which shot 15-for-33 on 3-pointers.
Shaquille O'Neal had season-highs of 25 points and 10 rebounds for Miami, which fell to 0-5. The Heat had a chance to tie it with 9 seconds left, but Ricky Davis' 3-pointer bounced off the rim.
Spurs 97, Hornets 85
