Utah works overtime for first away win of season
TORONTO - Agence France-Presse
Utah Jazz player Al Jefferson (L) celebrates with Randy Foye after the power forward scored his game-tying shot that sent the game into overtime. REUTERS photo
The Utah Jazz needed three overtime periods on Nov. 12 but finally locked up their first road win of the NBA season, 140-133 over the Toronto Raptors.Jazz center Al Jefferson hit game-tying shots to send the contest to a first extra period and then a second. He scored 24 points and pulled down 17 rebounds, while Paul Millsap scored a season-high 34 points for a Jazz team that had lost their first four road games.
“It took us a long time, but we finally got it going,” said Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin. “Guys did a great job of hanging in there, fighting and scratching.”
DeMar DeRozan matched his career-high with 37 points, but Toronto were outscored 15-8 in the last overtime.
Spanish Jose Calderon scored 20 points with 17 assists for the Raptors. Regular starters Kyle Lowry and Landry Fields missed the game due to injuries.
“They went out there short-handed, but the guys played hard and left it all on the floor,” said Toronto coach Dwane Casey.
Leading 87-82 to start the fourth, the Raptors stretched their lead to 11 points five minutes into the quarter.
Utah clawed back, and Jefferson hit the second three-pointer of his NBA career with 2.2 seconds remaining to tie the game.
The Jazz, who hadn’t led the entire game, went ahead after scoring the first four points of the extra period to take a 108-104 lead. But Toronto battled back to tie and regained the lead at 115-113 after DeRozan’s dunk with 23.3 seconds left in the first overtime. Utah responded with a hook shot by Jefferson.
In the second overtime, John Lucas III drained a three-pointer for Toronto with 7.9 seconds left to tie the game at 125-125. Williams then got to the basket but could not score and the game went into a third overtime.
Jefferson’s jump shot with 30 seconds left finally put the game out of Toronto’s reach.
