Lakers are latest Jazz victim

Even with the season less than one-sixth compete, the Jazz already have purchased newspaper advertisements encouraging fans to secure playoff tickets for the spring.

And why not?

They keep selling themselves as postseason material, and their latest pitch to prove it did nothing to suggest otherwise.

Trailing by nine points late in the third quarter Friday night, Utah rallied yet again — this time to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 114-108, extending their winning streak to eight straight, improving their NBA-best record to 12-1 and polishing their PowerPoint presentation regarding the playoffs.

"We keep telling you guys we want to be playing April, May and June," starting power forward Carlos Boozer said after scoring a game-high 31 points. "So, we're not thinking about our success now. We want success later."

They got it Friday anyway, thanks in large part not only to Boozer's league-leading 11th double-double in 13 games — he also had a game-high 16 rebounds — but also the efforts of point guard Deron Williams, back-in-the-lineup small forward Andrei Kirilenko, center Mehmet Okur and a bench with three scorers (ex-Laker Derek Fisher, Matt Harpring and Gordan Giricek) in double-figures.

Williams scored seven of the Jazz's last nine points in the final one minute and 26 seconds, including a 20-foot jumper — made after he recovered Laker point guard Smush Parker's block of his earlier shot — that put the Jazz up 107-104.

Laker Lamar Odom answered after a timeout with a drive to the basket, a hip-wiggling shimmy and the free throw that followed to tie it at 107, but Williams responded right back with a 3-pointer from behind Okur's screen.

One missed Odom layup later, Williams hit two free throws to make it 112-107 with 38.8 seconds remaining. And after the Lakers got back to within four with an Odom free throw, Boozer scored with the rebound of a failed trey try by Okur.

With that, the Jazz improved to 7-0 at home and — coupled with Friday's loss by New Orleans/Oklahoma City to Minnesota — became the last team standing that still has not lost in its own cozy confines.

"I'm happy to play here," Kirilenko said.

And the Jazz — also still undefeated in Western Conference play — had to be happy to have him back.

Rather than try to play playmaker, the 2004 All-Star instead focused on what he does best.