But Williams — who had a double-double by halftime Sunday — has another big fan in Detroit's Chauncey Billups, also a USA Basketball teammate during the offseason.

According to Sunday's Detroit Free Press, Billups "said he considers Williams the up-and-coming point guard who most fits his mold as a scorer and distributor."

"There were times I just talked to him about situations on the court, me and Jason as well," Billups told the newspaper. "He's one of the bright young stars in the league."

Said Williams of Billups: "(He's) definitely one of those guys I look up to."

MISC.: Jazz television play-by-play Craig Bolerjack missed his scheduled flight after calling Tennessee's four-overtime college-football victory at Kentucky on Saturday night but caught an early flight from Cincinnati on Sunday and made it to suburban Detroit in the knick of time to get on the Jazz bus for Sunday's early afternoon game. Said Bolerjack of a game he said had "the most bizarre combination of oddities" of any he's ever called: "I knew by the third overtime I was going to miss the flight." ... Rookie Morris Almond again was inactive for the Jazz ... Contrary to the probable starters listed in their pregame notes, the Utah Flash — D-League affiliate of the Jazz — wound up starting Jazz-assigned center Kyrylo Fesenko in their season-opening win Saturday night at Anaheim. Fesenko finished with 11 points, five rebounds, five fouls and two blocks while logging 20 minutes in the opener.

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E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com