Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbooks) - Carlos Boozer scored 32 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Utah Jazz to a 117-93 rout of the
Sacramento Kings at EnergySolutions Arena.
Andrei Kirilenko added 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Jazz, who have won four straight. Ronnie Brewer had 13 points and Mehmet Okur and Gordan Giricek each had 12 points for Utah, which improved to 6-2 this season.
Johnny Salmons had 22 points and Kevin Martin tallied 21 for the Kings, who never led in the game and trailed by double digits for virtually the entire contest. Francisco Garcia added 19 points for Sacramento, which has dropped five of seven games so far this season.
Utah never trailed in the game, scoring the first six points. Then, ahead 12-11, the Jazz scored 24 of the quarter's final 31 points to take a 35-18 lead into the second. Boozer scored 15 points in the first 12 minutes.
In the second, Giricek's three-pointer gave Utah its first 20-point lead, 48-26, and the Jazz cruised into the break with a 65-42 advantage.
The Kings started to make it a game in the third quarter, using a 9-2 run to draw within 12 points. Martin hit a pair of treys during the surge, the final coming at the 3:57 mark to make it a 77-65 game, and Sacramento went into the fourth down 89-76.
Then, in the fourth, Garcia cut the deficit to 93-82 with a jumper, but the Kings failed to get any closer. Mikki Moore missed a jumper at the 9:24 mark that would have cut the deficit to single digits and Utah capitalized, scoring 19 of the next 23 points to take control and coast to the final buzzer.
Game Notes
Utah improved to 4-1 at home...This was the final game of a two-game homestand for the Jazz, who embark on a three-game road trip...Sacramento fell to 0-4 on the road...The Kings end a two-game road trip in Minnesota on Wednesday night...Sacramento hit 14-of-19 free throws and 9-of-19 three-pointers...Utah hit 31-of-37 free throws and only 4-of-11 from beyond the arc...The Jazz outboarded the Kings 41-32.
