Utah Jazz throw back Pacers for win

If their throwback green uniforms weren't enough to confuse the Indiana Pacers, Carlos Boozer was.

Boozer scored a season-high 35 points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds Friday night to lead Utah past the Pacers 96-87 at EnergySolutions Arena, giving the Jazz their fourth straight win and seventh in the last eight games.

It was the 12th double-double of the season for Boozer, who has scored more than 20 points in six straight games and nine of his last 10.

"My teammates are confident in me," the two-time NBA All-Star power forward said.

"I'm just doing what they present me with," added Boozer, who had 12 of his points and seven of his boards in the first quarter alone. "It's not about me, though. It's about our team. We're doing a great job of sharing the ball, we're getting good stops on the defensive end."

The 11-7 Jazz certainly needed a few stops in the fourth quarter, when Indiana — which never led — twice cut what had been an early 19-point Utah advantage of 22-3 to four.

But coach Jerry Sloan's club — which also got a 13-assist, 11-point double-double from point guard Deron Williams, a 12-rebound and 11-point double-double off the bench from forward Paul Millsap and a season-high 18 points from rookie Wesley Matthews — buckled down when it had to.

The Jazz got some separation after a Mike Dunleavy layup made it 84-80 with just under six minutes to go.

The 6-11 Pacers also had Utah's lead back down to five following a T.J. Ford layup with 1:54 left, but Williams — who dished five of his assists in the first quarter — answered with a 20-foot jumper and that was that.

"We knew they were going to make a run, and we knew they were going to get out and push the ball and shoot themselves back into the game," Millsap said. "When they do that, you have to stand strong as a team, run your offense and play good defense."

The Jazz did all that, averting what could have been disaster and allowing themselves to end a season-long six game homestand at 5-1.

"I've seen that happen a few times — you think the game's gonna be easy, and the team you're playing comes right back," Sloan said.

Even one like Indiana, which has lost four straight and 7 of 8.