Jazz outruns Bucks, Williams scores game-high 33 points

Deron Williams delivered, big-time. Jazz defense was a fourth-quarter reality. And coach Jerry Sloan's club actually got to the free-throw line, with decided frequency.

No wonder Utah pulled away in the final quarter like it did Monday night, outscoring Milwaukee 27-15 over the last 12 minutes of a 98-87 victory over the Bucks that marked the Jazz's fourth consecutive win overall and their sixth straight at EnergySolutions Arena.

After all, as power forward Paul Millsap said, "We need all those parts to win a game."

And oh, did the Jazz (22-17) ever get all three Monday.

Williams — playing despite a killer head cold, back spasms from a game ago and an assortment of other usual-for-this-time-of-the-season aches and pains — scored a game-high 33 points and dished out another 10 assists for his 18th double-double of the season.

Fourteen of those 33 points came in the fourth quarter, when the Jazz — down one heading into the period — watched their third-season point guard take over.

Williams hit the jumper that put Utah ahead to stay, a 20-footer with 10 minutes and 27 seconds remaining that made it 73-72. His steal of an errant Michael Redd pass with 6:26 to go led to a layup of his own on the other end, pushing the Jazz's lead to eight. And that advantage peaked at 13 twice in the final minute, both times when Williams knocked down a free throw.

Williams finished 16-of-20 from the line, attempting more freebies than all of the Bucks combined — they took just 18 — and establishing personal career highs for both attempts and makes.

"He was the engine of our team," small forward Andrei Kirilenko said.

"He was in every part of the (game) — defensively, offensively, passing, running the floor, finish(ing) attacks," Kirilenko added. "That's why we like him."

What the Jazz may have enjoyed even more, though, was how they clamped down defensively down the stretch.

Milwaukee went scoreless for the first 5:01 of the final quarter, and 0-for-9 from the field to open the period until ex-Jazz guard Mo Williams got a 3-pointer to fall with 4:35 left.

The 15-23 Bucks — losers now of three straight overall, and six in a row to the Jazz dating back to 2001 — hit just 11.1 percent in the fourth.

One key to the quarter was keeping guard Michael Redd, who dropped 57 points on Utah early last season, at bay. Redd finished with 16 points, and shot 0-for-5 in the fourth.