Kirilenko's triple-double lifts Jazz (AP) Updated: 2006-01-18 14:53
SALT LAKE CITY - Andrei Kirilenko had Utah's first triple-double since 1999
and the Jazz ended a two-game losing streak by beating the Toronto Raptors
111-98 Tuesday night.
 Toronto Raptors
guard Jalen Rose (5) slips between Utah Jazz guard Devin Brown, left, and
forward Andrei Kirilenko, of Russia, during the second quarter of their
NBA game Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006, in Salt Lake City.
[Reuters] | Kirilenko finished with 18 points, 16 rebounds and
11 assists for the Jazz's first triple since Karl Malone's 29 points, 12 boards
and 10 assists May 4, 1999, against the Los Angeles Clippers. Kirilenko also had
four blocks to go with his first career triple-double.
Mehmet Okur had 29 points, seven assists and six rebounds and Devin Brown
scored 15, giving Kirilenko his 10th assist on a layup in the fourth quarter.
Chris Bosh led the Raptors with 27 and Jalen Rose scored 16 for Toronto,
which had won two straight and seven of nine.
The Raptors allowed 33 points in the third quarter, including 10 by
Kirilenko, and never recovered as they opened a five-game road trip with a loss.
Utah lost at the Clippers on Monday to fall back to even at 19-19 and started
sluggish on Tuesday. But in the second half, Kirilenko started scoring to go
along with everything else he was doing.
By the start of the fourth quarter, Kirilenko was one rebound and two assists
short of the triple double and quickly pulled down two boards to get even
closer. Toronto was keeping the score just close enough that Utah coach Jerry
Sloan left Kirilenko and the other starters in the game and Kirilenko finally
got the triple with a few minutes to go.
Kirilenko tapped the ball in the corner to keep it from going out of bounds,
then he got to the loose ball before anyone else could and passed it underneath
to Brown for a layup that put the Jazz ahead 103-87 with about 3:40 left in the
game.
Kirilenko pumped his fist after Brown's shot bounced in and the fans gave him
a loud round of applause when his triple-double was shown on the big-screen
monitor.
By then, there wasn't much left to cheer about as Utah had the game all but
won. But Sloan added some excitement when he got a technical with 1:21 remaining
for berating official Michael Smith.
Sloan told Smith to keep calling technicals, then Utah's assistants pulled
him back to the Jazz bench before he could get ejected.
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