Okur equals game of former Piston mate

For much of Monday night's first real test of the Utah Jazz's mettle — a game against a good team that was frantic at the end — former Detroit Piston Mehmet Okur was matched up against his old teammate and friend, the volatile Rasheed Wallace.

Wallace is quicker, more experienced and an established NBA difference-maker.

But on Monday, Okur really wasn't far behind.

Wallace had 25 points and 12 boards with four blocked shots, Okur 23 points and 10 rebounds with three assists and the most important block of the game.

"Memo better. We won the game," said Jazzman Andrei Kirilenko after first Okur and then he got a piece of a Richard Hamilton layup attempt with one second left and then watched the rebound drift out of their reach as time ran out on a 103-101 Jazz win in the Delta Center to run their record to 4-0.

Detroit coach Flip Saunders said Wallace got the Pistons back in a game the Jazz led by 10 at the start of the fourth quarter. "He got aggressive. We went to him. He dominated."

But Okur's team hung on, with a lot of help from him.

"Yeah, he did a few shots second half," Okur said of Wallace, who had one first-half technical foul for a mild gesture. "He was on fire. I tried to guard him, push him out of the lane, and he made some good plays and tough shots. I tried to ... make him shoot over my hand."

Okur was aggressive, too, said teammate Derek Fisher. "He came alive in the second half, and he attacked the basket and was getting to the free-throw line and made strong plays down the stretch — got some rebounds, blocked some shots. That's what we need from our big guys, and he did that tonight."

"Especially second half," said Okur, "I tried to get to the free-throw line, make a couple plays, tried to make them foul me."

After the Pistons went ahead 96-95, Okur made a driving layup that resulted in a Detroit technical foul and gave the Jazz a one-point lead that stretched to three with his resultant free throw and the technical free throw by Fisher.

Wallace then was blocked on a layup by Kirilenko, and Okur got the board. With :56 left, Okur hit another jumper, then made two free throws 22 seconds later for Utah's two final points.

When Tayshaun Prince stole the ball and sent Hamilton in for the layin that would have tied the game with a second left, Okur was already on defense, as was Kirilenko.