From Deseret News archives:
Back in the saddle Korver's late three helps Jazz vault back into first place
They did it in fine fashion, too, getting 23 points apiece from Andrei Kirilenko and Carlos Boozer, and a huge-3-pointer from Kyle Korver.
They knocked off the defending NBA champs, fending off a furious fourth-quarter comeback bid it was a two-point game with less than two minutes remaining to do it.
What was perhaps most satisfying for the 27-18 Jazz in their 97-91 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, however, is where it leaves them this morning.
That is atop the NBA's Northwest Division standings, and back holding a postseason playoff position as one of the Western Conference's top eight teams for the first time in what seems like forever.
"It's been a long time," Boozer said.
It has.
More than a month, in fact.
Yet here the Jazz are, positioned among the West's playoff qualifiers for the first time since Dec. 18 back when they were in the midst of losing 9-of-10 on the road that month.
For now.
Of course, it's only by half a game.
And the flip side to that is the Jazz also are only half a game from being out of the playoffs.
On Monday, however, all seemed half-full in a relieved albeit guarded Utah locker room.
"It feels good to be back in that spot," said point guard Deron Williams, whose 14-assist, 11-point double-double trumped his 3-of-12 shooting from the field on a night when everyone else and their brother seemed to be knocking down shots.
The Jazz's most proficient shooting came from Kirilenko, who hit a career-best 9-of-10 from the field including his final eight shots en route to matching Boozer for team-high scoring honors.
Boozer converted another 10-of-18 from the floor.
Perhaps no shot, though, was more clutch than the one Korver made with 48.1 seconds remaining.
San Antonio, which never did lead, cut what had been a 14-point Jazz advantage late in the third quarter to just two when two-time NBA MVP Tim Duncan turned on Boozer and sank an eight-footer, making it 91-89 with 1:30 left.
On the way back down the floor, Spurs sub Ime Udoka picked up a terrifically ill-timed technical foul his second of the night, resulting in an ejection for mouthing off to referee Jimmy Clark.
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