Utah Jazz: Boozer a monster in Jazz season opener

Now that's a way to start off a contract season — or a potential one, at least.

Carlos Boozer, who can opt out of his deal with Utah at the end of this season, had a powerful performance in helping to carry the Jazz to an ugly-but-satisfying 98-94 victory over the Denver Nuggets in the NBA season-opener Wednesday night at EnergySolutions Arena.

Boozer said many times during fall camp that he wouldn't talk about possibly becoming a free agent next summer, but it would seem games like his 25-point, 14-rebound season debut can only help pad his resume, the Jazz's record and his bank account.

It was also a performance that could help fans forget last spring's playoff struggles and remind many that he can be a dominant NBA force despite his limited role with Team USA over this summer.

Boozer was just glad to get the season off to a winning start in a rough-and-tumble game between what he called a couple of "scrappy" squads. And he was thrilled to get on the court again, too.

"I just love playing. I don't care where it is. It could be pick-up, rec league, practice, NBA opener, I just love to play, man," Boozer said. "It's exciting to be out there. I've got a bunch of great teammates I'm playing with."

The feeling was mutual after Wednesday's game.

"He was wanting that ball, wasn't he? He really was," said Jazz backup shooting guard Kyle Korver. "That's what you want out of your star power forward. ... He had a monster game."

Korver didn't mean it this way, but that could have multiple meanings. It was monstrous in a dominant way and in a scary way. Boozer played both strong and occasionally sloppily as he put extra pressure on himself to lead the Jazz to a win with his favorite playmaker, Deron Williams, sitting on the bench in dress clothes.

At times, he put the Jazz squarely on his strong shoulders, like in the first half when he had 14 points and seven rebounds.

Other times, though — specifically during a couple of possessions down the stretch with the game up for grabs — Boozer looked like he might've needed some extra Stick 'Em on his slippery hands as he bobbled the ball twice late.

Even after the scary monster moments, though, Boozer responded with some good monster plays, including stuffing Nene after a turnover and calling timeout while scrambling with Kenyon Martin on another occasion when the ball slipped away from him. He also hit three of four free throws down the stretch his team desperately needed after blowing a 14-point lead.

Though obviously pleased with Boozer's scoring output on 11-for-18 shooting, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan also thought his All-Star could have handled the extra inside pressure that was thrown at him and done a good job dishing the ball to teammates on double teams. Boozer conceded that he needs to "work on some stuff," but he wasn't complaining about how the win looked.

"It's our division rival, so you know it's going to be a little ugly out there," he said. "It can't be pretty all the time, but a win is a win, baby. We'll take it every day of the week."

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