Jazz Clinch, End Hornets' Home Streak

[April 09, 2008]  NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Mehmet Okur had 22 points and 17 rebounds to help the Utah Jazz clinch the Northwest Division and snap the New Orleans Hornets' 11-game home winning streak, 77-66 on Tuesday night.

Deron Williams had 16 assists and outplayed Chris Paul as the Jazz took a 20-point lead early in the fourth quarter and cruised from there, holding New Orleans to its lowest point total of the season.

Peja Stojakovic scored 15 points for New Orleans, which shot a woeful 3-of-14 on 3-pointers and 37 percent overall as its five-game winning streak came to an end. David West had 14 points.

Paul had a rare off night, finishing with nine assists and only four points on 2-of-11 shooting.

Utah has won four straight games and seven of its last eight. Okur has led the Jazz in scoring in the last three. He scored all but two of his points in the first three quarters on 8-of-16 shooting, with a pair of 3-pointers.

Carlos Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko and Paul Millsap each scored 10 points for Utah, which shot 44 percent and outrebounded New Orleans 47-36.

Paul missed his first seven shots and did not score until he hit a driving floater with 7:50 left in the third quarter. That started a 6-0 run that pulled the Hornets as close as 49-46.

Okur then hit a pair of free throws and later made a 3 during a 19-4 run to close the third quarter.

When Millsap muscled his way in for a tough putback as he was fouled early in the fourth, the Jazz led 70-50.

New Orleans held a 35-34 lead in a seesaw first half after Jannero Pargo's jumper midway through the second quarter. The Hornets failed to score for the rest of the period, however, missing their last 16 shots, and Utah took advantage with a 9-0 run.

Okur, who had 15 points in the first half, scored four during the run and capping it with a 19-foot jumper, giving Utah a 43-35 lead at halftime.

Notes: Utah has won three of four meetings with the Hornets, winning both at home and splitting in New Orleans. ... Attendance was 17,265, the Hornets' 11 sellout in 16 games and 12th of the season, tying the high for sellouts in a season since the team moved to New Orleans. They also had 12 in 2002-03, their first season in New Orleans. The Hornets have one home game left. ... The Hornets' previous season low was 71 in a loss at Utah.

[Associated Press; By BRETT MARTEL]

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