Utah Jazz: Dynamite start

Fireworks, glow sticks and streamers were fine before the start.

But the Jazz's 2008-09 NBA regular-season opener Wednesday night may have been most suitably viewed in the same fashion as revamped player introductions were made at EnergySolutions Arena:

In the dark.

Utah's 98-94 victory over the Denver Nuggets was, after all, more than a little scary at times.

"It wasn't pretty," said point guard Ronnie Price, the Utah Valley State product who got a start in place of injured 2008 Olympic gold-medal winner Deron Williams.

"But we won the game," Price added, "and that's the important thing."

So never mind that the Jazz squandered what had been a 14-point lead in the third quarter.

Forget that they almost lost to a Denver team playing without All-Star Carmelo Anthony, who was suspended for disciplinary reasons.

And overlook the fact it took a controversial lane-violation call on a Kyle Korver free-throw miss with 12.5 seconds remaining to help seal the deal.

Focus instead, the Jazz say, on the reality that they did what was needed to claim a sixth consecutive season-opening victory.

"Whatever it takes to win, man," said All-Star Carlos Boozer, whose 25-point, 14-rebound double-double helped lift Jerry Sloan to his 996th victory as head coach of the Jazz. "I mean, we're gonna have some ugly plays.

"Look, man: All that pretty stuff doesn't win championships. It's the dirty stuff that wins it," Boozer added. "I think you guys saw that last year. I saw it last year, watching Boston. They were scrappy. They were getting deflections, they were diving for loose balls. They did stuff that wins championships, and that's what we have to do — night in, and night out."

Especially with Williams absent.

And the Jazz certainly did their fair share of it Wednesday.

After a dunk by Nene fell despite Boozer's hard foul and the Denver big man hit the free throw that followed, the Nuggets — who had tied the game at 82 midway through the fourth, only to have the Jazz answer with two free throws from Korver, a follow dunk by new Utah sixth man/former All-Star starter Andrei Kirilenko and two more freebies from double-double center Mehmet Okur — were within one at 89-88 with 1:05 remaining.