Jazz get boost from bench to rout Grizzlies


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MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Carlos Boozer had 24 points and 16 rebounds, and reserve Matt Harpring added 25 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a 104-88 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.

Boozer shot 12-of-16 from the field and Harpring was 7-of-12, helping Utah overcome early shooting woes and finish the game at 54 percent.

Pau Gasol led Memphis with 28 points and 13 rebounds. But he had only six points after halftime, missing six of his seven shots.

Mike Miller added 17 points for Memphis, while Hakim Warrick finished with 13.

Utah, which trailed by as many as 16 in the first half, pulled even in the third, and put together a 33-10 run spanning the third and fourth quarters to build the lead to 95-77. From there, Utah maintained the advantage for its ninth win in the last 11 outings.

Meanwhile, Memphis dropped its second straight and has lost five of six.

Mehmet Okur scored 16 points for the Jazz, while Deron Williams finished with 14 points and 10 assists.

Utah missed its first six shots and didn't make its first field goal until Boozer's layup with five minutes gone in the opening quarter. That helped Memphis open a 10-0 lead, which the Grizzlies eventually extended to 16 points.

Memphis led 49-44 at the half as Gasol already had 22 points and nine rebounds. The Grizzlies held a double-digit advantage through much of the first half before back-to-back baskets by Okur in the final 30 seconds, including a 3-pointer.

Harpring provided a spark off the Utah bench, scoring 15 points, while Boozer hit his first four shots en route to 12 points before intermission. But Derek Fisher, Williams and Okur together missed their first 12 shots in the game.

Meanwhile, Memphis continued to feed Gasol, running much of the offense through its leading scorer. He shot 7-of-10 in the half.

The Jazz stayed within a basket through the early minutes of the second half thanks to Okur's better shooting. He was limited to five points in the first half, but hit his first four shots after the break and scored 11 in the third period. His 20-footer with 3:02 left in the third pulled the Jazz even at 67.

Harpring followed with a pair of free throws to give Utah its first lead of the game, and the Jazz used that as part of a 15-4 run to close the period and build a 77-71 lead entering the fourth.

Game notes: Boozer's minutes are still somewhat limited after he missed eight games with a left leg injury. Utah coach Jerry Sloan said he hoped his leading scorer's time would increase from the seven minutes a quarter Boozer played in Monday's loss to the Lakers. Boozer played 36 minutes against Memphis. ... Williams was back in the starting lineup for Utah after missing Monday's game with a strained left groin that has nagged him since he was injured in the Rookie Challenge game during All-Star weekend. ... Memphis was without F Brian Cardinal, who had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Tuesday, and is out for the season. ... Memphis G Chucky Atkins left the game late in the first with a sprained right ankle. He did not return. ... The Jazz are now 28-3 when the lead entering the fourth, including 12-0 on the road. ... Jazz F Andrei Kirilenko recorded his 600th career steal in the first half.

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