Utah Jazz bench coming up huge

One guy had a double-double, another chipped in with 11 assists and three steals — and don't forget the player who hit 5-of-7 shots or the workhorse who added nine points and seven rebounds.

Oh yeah, and those were just the reserves.

A thousand wins with the Utah Jazz might have come quite a bit sooner for coach Jerry Sloan if he always had a loaded bench like this.

Friday night's 104-97 win over Oklahoma City was just another example of why Sloan and company were so openly excited about their team's depth — which will only get deeper when injured point guard Deron Williams returns — coming into his 21st season as Utah's bench boss.

"We know that we have a very deep team," said backup point guard Brevin Knight. "We've got guys that are ready to play, that have the ability to play, so when we get out on the floor we're going to produce.

"We know coming off that bench," he added, "we've got to bring a spark."

They brought a can of gasoline and some matches for this festive occasion.

Sixth-man Andrei Kirilenko scored 16 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, had a couple of blocked shots and ignited a game-clinching 13-2 run toward the end of the fourth quarter.

"Andrei was awfully big tonight in that stretch," Sloan said. "Andrei kept us alive with his play. He got some big rebounds. He made some terrific passes for easy baskets."

Knight, who continues to demand playing time with his steady play, had his first double-digit assist outing (11) since joining the Jazz and also had some timely steals.

"Brevin Knight had a terrific run," Sloan said. "He just did what he was supposed to do, got his hands on the basketball ... those kind of things really help you have a chance."

Kyle Korver, who's recovering from a mildly sprained right wrist, also gave Utah a helpful hot touch with a 5-for-7 shooting night for 13 points. His 3-pointer with 4 1/2-1/2 minutes remaining put the Jazz, whose 29-point halftime lead was whittled down to single digits, up by 15 and made the arena erupt in elation.

While those three all finished the game as the closers on the court — along with Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur — backup power forward Paul Millsap also had his moments in Utah's early 21-0 run while scoring nine points with seven rebounds in another solid effort.

"We've had different guys step up," Korver said. "We've talked all preseason, all training camp, about our depth, and we're showing that."

All the better that their performances helped Utah improve to 5-0 and came in Sloan's historic win.

"It's amazing. A thousand is a big number ... a thousand wins is unheard of," Korver said. "It says a lot about him as a person and a coach."

---

E-mail: jody@desnews.com