Utah Jazz post a costly victory over Bucks

It wasn't enough that Andrei Kirilenko scored 16 points, or made five steals, or blocked four shots.

The Jazz forward was so inspired by, and simultaneously deflated by, a 105-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night that he also dropped this little beauty:

"I don't know how to translate, but in ancient time there was one marshal, or general," Kirilenko said. "His name was (Pyrrhus). He had a huge army, and every time they'd be losing people.

"He'd see target, and not have anybody to fight."

It's called a Pyrrhic victory — one that comes at quite a cost — and it's a reference to King Pyrrhus of Epirus, whose army suffered irreplaceable casualties while defeating the Romans during the Pyrrhic War at Heroically in 280 BC and Asculum in 279 BC.

For the Jazz, it meant beating the Bucks and improving to 8-4 on a night both starting point guard Deron Williams (sprained ankle) and veteran reserve point Brevin Knight (strained groin) were out — and, on the same evening starting center Mehmet Okur returned from a five-game absence, having All-Star power forward Carlos Boozer go down to injury as well.

"It's good to keep winning, but we need to stop losing people," Kirilenko said. "It's not good."

Boozer exited in the fourth quarter and did not return due to what the Jazz are calling a strained left quadriceps muscle.

There was no immediate word as to just how long Boozer might be out.

"I just came down on it straight-legged, and I hyperextended it a little bit," he said. "We'll get an MRI (today) and see what it is."

Asked about the extent of the injury, Boozer responded, "No, I don't think it's very serious. ... We'll see how it feels tomorrow, and get an MRI in the morning."

Boozer did, however, walk out of the Jazz locker room quite stiffly, and he was taken to his car on a golf cart.

He left only after posting a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double in 34 minutes.

The Jazz also got a season-high 25 points from C.J. Miles, a career high-matching 16 points from Ronnie Price and 12 from Ronnie Brewer.

With Williams and Knight out at the same time for the first time this season, Price wound up logging 40 and helping the Jazz get off to an early 16-point lead.

But with Utah coming up dry on its last two possessions of the first half and first five of the second half, helping Milwaukee build what eventually grew to a 10-point advantage, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan issued a challenge.