Saturday, December 08, 2012
Sports News

Millsap scores 20 as Jazz rout Raptors 131-99

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[December 08, 2012]  SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Paul Millsap scored 20 points, Enes Kanter had 18 in his first career start and the Utah Jazz hit 13 3-pointers to rout the Toronto Raptors 131-99 on Friday night.

Gordon Hayward added 17 points off the bench as Utah improved to 8-1 at home. Marvin Williams, Randy Foye and DeMarre Carroll all made three 3-pointers for the Jazz, who finished 13 for 23 from beyond the arc.

The Jazz hit five 3s in a 3 1/2-minute span of the second quarter to build a 14-point lead after trailing by as many as 10 early. They hit seven more in the second half and led by as many as 34 in the game, a stark contrast to the triple-overtime thriller the Jazz won on Nov. 12 in Toronto.

Kanter started at center for the Jazz with Al Jefferson still bothered by back spasms.

Andrea Bargnani led Toronto with 20 points and eight rebounds. DeMar DeRozan added 17 points while Amir Johnson scored 10 off the bench. The Raptors (4-16) fell to 1-12 on the road.

Utah had eight players score in double figures, including Mo Williams, who had 11 points and 10 assists.

The Jazz entered the game averaging 6.6 3-pointers per game but hit five in 3 1/2 minutes during the second quarter to build their big lead.

Carroll hit a pair from beyond the arc, while Mo Williams, Marvin Williams and Hayward also connected from long range as the Jazz surged ahead 56-42 with 3:15 left in the first half.

At 6-foot-8, Millsap was the tallest player in the group on the floor when the Jazz took command, their small lineup the answer with Jefferson missing a rare game.

Hayward started 0 for 3 after going 0 for 6 in Wednesday's victory over Orlando, but he had a nine-point second quarter with three assists and a steal as Utah took a 63-52 lead into the break.

Foye opened the second half with another 3 to keep the Jazz rolling.

Early on it was all Toronto as the Raptors went on an 11-0 run in the first quarter, with Mickael Pietrus hitting a pair of 3-pointers to get Toronto going. He finished with 13 points.

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The Jazz climbed back in the game by pushing the pace and forcing the Raptors into turnovers. Marvin Williams' dunk after a steal gave Utah a 34-33 lead with 8:35 left in the second quarter.

From there the Jazz closed the half on a 29-19 run.

The Jazz shot nearly 54 percent in the second quarter. And with 3 minutes left in the third, they already had surpassed the total they put up in an 87-81 victory over Orlando on Wednesday.

In that game the Jazz had a big lead and nearly blew it.

They made sure this one wouldn't get away, not with the last two meetings against Toronto going into overtime. The Jazz defeated the Raptors in triple overtime on Nov. 12 to give Utah its first road victory of the season. Last season, the Jazz lost their only meeting with the Raptors, 111-106, in double overtime on Jan. 25.

After Toronto scored the first two baskets of the fourth, Utah scored the next 14 to take a 112-80 lead, the highlight a high-flying jam by the NBA's reigning slam dunk champion, Jeremy Evans, off Jamaal Tinsley's assist .

NOTES: Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin took time to visit Utah State's Danny Berger, who collapsed Tuesday during basketball practice and had to be revived by a trainer. Berger, 22, is recovering at a Salt Lake City area hospital and was upgraded to fair condition. "He's part of Utah. We're Utah," said Corbin, who also has a son who plays college basketball. "He's a kid that's had a tough time in Utah. We feel his pain. If I could say anything encouraging to him and fight his way through it, that's what it's about. I was just trying to support the kid." ... Nine-year-old Samantha Gordon, who rushed for more than 2,000 yards and 35 touchdowns in a Utah Gremlin League to earn her own spot on a Wheaties box recently, was in attendance with the rest of her Herriman team. ... Toronto G Jose Calderon appeared in his 500th game in a Raptors uniform.

[Associated Press; By LYNN DeBRUIN]

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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