Everyone contributes as Jazz gets back in it

Tenacious from the start, Utah’s Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer gave the home fans exactly what they expected in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals.

Once their teammates got into the act, the Jazz gave the crowd what it really wanted, a 109-83 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night that changed the outlook of the series.

Williams had 31 points and eight assists, and Boozer had 27 points and 12 rebounds, but it was the emergence of their supporting cast in the second half that helped the Jazz enjoy the kind of rout the Spurs had in the first two games -- and then some. The 26-point margin of defeat was San Antonio’s worst of the season.

“To be down against this team 2-zip and then come back and have to do whatever you have to do to win, I thought our guys were able to do that,” Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. “Hopefully it gets their confidence up.”

Derek Fisher, Andrei Kirilenko, Jarron Collins and Gordon Giricek all made significant contributions during a 12-3 run in the third quarter that put Utah ahead for good. Paul Millsap added some key baskets in the fourth quarter, and the Jazz improved to 7-0 at home this postseason and 3-0 against the Spurs in Salt Lake City this season.

“There were no night-and-day differences in terms of game plan or strategies, but we were a more active team,” said Fisher, who scored 11 points, two more than he had in the previous two games combined. “It just feels good to get a win. It verifies and solidifies the thoughts that our team has always carried -- that we can beat this team. But until you do it, it’s hard to continue to tell yourself that.”

Mehmet Okur was about the only Utah player whose shot didn’t return, but he contributed with his defense against Tim Duncan, who got into foul trouble early and never recovered.

Although he didn’t foul out, Duncan played tentatively and wound up with 16 points and eight rebounds. He also had eight turnovers as his run of 20-point, 10-rebound games ended at 11 in a row.

Tony Parker led the Spurs with 25 points and seven assists.

“It’s tough to get going and to stay aggressive when you have fouls like that,” Duncan said. “They just played a better game than us for a long time. They were aggressive, they were physical, their guys shot well. They had a lot of things happening for them.”