Williams Leads Charge As Jazz Take Control Early, Ease Past Raptors 113-87

Deron Williams led a balanced attack with 18 points, 16 assists and eight rebounds as the Utah Jazz trounced the Toronto Raptors 113-87 Wednesday night.

Carlos Boozer added 18 points and 11 rebounds while Mehmet Okur and rookie Wesley Matthews had 16 points apiece for the red-hot Jazz (47-25), who earned their third straight win. Seven Jazz players finished with at least 12 points.

Chris Bosh celebrated his 26th birthday with a 20-point performance for the Raptors (35-35), who lost ground to the Charlotte Bobcats in the race for seventh place in the Eastern Conference. The Bobcats upended the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-95, extending their lead over Toronto to 1 1/2 games.

Antoine Wright had 10 of his 15 points in the second quarter for the Raptors, while Andrea Bargnani added 12 and Jose Calderon 10.

On a night where both teams donned retro jerseys, Williams and Boozer channelled their inner John Stockton and Karl Malone to make easy work of the Raptors, beating them for the 10th straight time.

Williams used his deft court vision to find teammates for uncontested layups or open threes, or to slash to the hoop himself. Boozer excelled down low using an array of layups, putbacks and short hook shots. And like Stockton and Malone, Utah’s current dynamic duo didn’t hesitate to use the occasional pick-and-roll to befuddle the Raptors, who looked mostly flat in front of a testy Air Canada Centre crowd.

Up 18 entering the second half, the Jazz were content to trade baskets with the Raptors for the majority of the third quarter. A C.J. Miles three-pointer off a Williams feed extended the lead to 23, and Utah was up 87-67 after three.

Toronto closed to within 13 early in the fourth quarter, but a Boozer teardrop – on Williams’ 14th assist of the game – ignited a 7-0 Utah run that put the game out of reach, sending fans scurrying for the exits.

Raptors coach Jay Triano knew his team would be in tough against a team that entered Wednesday having gone 27-8 over its previous 35 games. Triano said the Jazz had improved greatly since the last time the teams faced off, a 104-91 Utah triumph back on Nov. 18.

“Early in the year, they were just getting organized and understanding the system,” Triano said before the game. “Now they seem very polished and very disciplined with what they’re doing on both ends of the floor, and obviously the record shows.”

Their play early in Wednesday’s game was a good indication, too. Williams and Boozer combined to score eight of Utah’s first 10 points – two coming on a slick Williams cross-over that left Calderon standing still – as the Jazz broke out to an eight-point lead.

Boozer continued to shine in the first, converting a pick-and-roll with Williams before finding a cutting Matthews for an easy layup later in the quarter. Boozer’s 10 points – along with a 7-for-21 shooting effort from Toronto – helped Utah enjoy a 33-17 advantage after one, bringing out the ACC boo birds.

A Kyle Korver layup extended the Utah lead to 20 before Toronto showed some life, as Reggie Evans capped a 9-0 run with a putback of a Turkoglu miss. The Jazz saw their lead shrink to nine before taking control again, as consecutive baskets from Williams in the final minute of the half gave Utah a 61-43 edge at the break.