Jazz hold off Sonics

SEATTLE — By rights, the Jazz should have been exhausted.

Playing on the road for the eighth time in its 13-game-old season, and playing for the fourth time in five nights, Utah had every reason to roll over and let one get away Tuesday night.

Instead, the resurgent Jazz — winners now of two straight after losing five in a row — held on to beat Seattle 93-87 Tuesday night at Key Arena.

"We were really excited about playing — and that was good, because you've seen our team when we're not excited about playing," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "For the fourth game in five days they didn't show any fatigue, and that was big."

Utah, however, did not make things easy on itself.

The Jazz allowed the 5-6 Sonics to trim a 13-point Utah advantage to as few as three when Reggie Evans, using the rebound of his second straight missed free throw, scored inside to make it 86-83 with just more than a minute-and-a-half remaining.

The Jazz, though, had an answer.

It came, fittingly, from big man Mehmet Okur, who has offered one positive response after another as Utah has fought to open the season 6-7 despite a plethora of injuries.

Okur, who finished with a team-high 24 points and who had taken team-high scoring honors seven times this season, hit a 3-pointer to put Utah back up 89-83.

"Memo hit a huge shot," Sloan said.

The Sonics weren't done, however.

Seattle season-scoring leader Ray Allen, averaging 24.8 points coming into the game, followed a Rashard Lewis baseline layup with two free throws to make it 89-87 with 45.4 seconds left.

On Utah's next possession, though, the Jazz caught a break.

Guard Milt Palacio drove the lane and missed. Utah big man Jarron Collins pulled down the rebound and kicked a pass out to Devin Brown, but his trey try missed the mark. Seattle's Reggie Evans pulled down the rebound of Brown's miss, but Sonics forward Nick Collison was called for a loose-ball foul, allowing Collins to go to the line and make two freebies to put the Jazz ahead 91-87 with 19.5 seconds left.

After an Allen 3-point attempt rimmed out, Brown sealed the Jazz victory with two more free throws.

"I was proud of our guys not to back away and fade away," Sloan said. "A year ago we probably would have backed down."