Jazz beat short-handed Grizzlies for 8th straight win

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Carlos Boozer had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz extended their winning streak to eight games Saturday night with a 110-91 victory over the new-look Memphis Grizzlies.

The Jazz have won 12 of their last 13 and sit atop the Western Conference's Northwest Division. Memphis lost its third consecutive game, and Grizzlies fans got a glimpse of what the rest of the season might be like without team leader Pau Gasol, who was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.

Six players finished in double figures for the Jazz, who built the lead to 27 in the fourth quarter and were in control the entire game.

Deron Williams had 16 points and 11 assists, and Mehmet Okur added 15 points and 13 rebounds. Ronnie Brewer scored 16 points, Kyle Korver had 14 and Matt Harpring 12.

Rudy Gay led Memphis with 15 points, but was 5-of-15 from the field. Mike Miller and Hakim Warrick scored 14 points apiece, while Darko Milicic finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Juan Carlos Navarro had 11 points for the Grizzlies.

Memphis was short-handed because the team is in transition following Friday's trade with the Lakers. None of the three players obtained from Los Angeles -- Javaris Crittenton, Kwame Brown and Aaron McKie -- dressed for the game, although Crittenton did participate in pregame warmups.

That left Memphis with only nine players in uniform, and by the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies were out of gas. Turnovers were the biggest problem for Memphis, which had 23 miscues, including six apiece by Miller and Gay.

The Grizzlies got out to a sloppy start, committing four turnovers in the first 2 minutes, giving Utah an early lead it never relinquished. Utah carried a 53-40 lead into the break.

Memphis had nine turnovers and shot 38 percent in the half, missing all but one of its nine shots outside the arc. Meanwhile, the Jazz shot 50 percent from 3-point range to help build their halftime lead.

The Grizzlies whittled a 15-point deficit to seven before the Jazz answered with 12 straight points, starting a 20-3 spurt that build the margin to 83-59 entering the fourth.

Memphis continued to have trouble holding onto the ball, committing 10 turnovers in the third period alone.

Notes:

The hall outside the FedExForum media area used to be covered with pictures of Grizzlies players. After the recent trades and releases, there are about a dozen blank spaces in the gallery where team officials removed pictures of Pau Gasol and other departed Grizzlies. ... Memphis F Stromile Swift was still on the roster, but not at the game. He is reportedly headed to the New Jersey Nets on Monday for Jason Collins. ... Utah G Jason Hart missed his fifth game with lower back inflammation. ... With Gasol's departure, Miller is the leading Memphis rebounder with a 6.8 average. ... Rufus of the Charlotte Bobcats acted as the replacement mascot for the Grizzlies on Saturday night. Eric McMahon, who dresses as the team's regular mascot, is being treated for Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Various NBA teams are sending their mascots to Memphis homes games this season -- the team or the mascot covering the travel expense -- to fill in for McMahon.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APTV-02-02-08 2040MST

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