Millsap leads Jazz past Raptors

SALT LAKE CITY(AP) Paul Millsap got his usual double-double and added a career high in assists.Millsap
had 17 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, and the Jazz beat Toronto
114-87 on Friday night in interim coach Jay Triano's Raptors debut.Millsap
also had three blocked shots in his seventh straight double-double,
filling in nicely as All-Star Carlos Boozer recovers from a thigh
injury."His play has just been outstanding,'' Utah coach Jerry
Sloan said. "The way he played tonight - going after the ball
relentlessly, finding rebounds, doing whatever he has to do - it's
really been fun to watch. I can't say enough about him.''Mehmet Okur led Utah with 21 points on 9-for-13 shooting.Matt
Harpring had 14 points and seven rebounds in his first game after
missing five because of a back injury, and Deron Williams had 14 points
and five assists to help the Jazz beat the Raptors for the seventh
straight time.Utah had lost two straight at home - half as many as last season's total."I'd
like to see the energy that we saw tonight,'' Sloan said. "Our fans
booed us the last two games we lost in this building. They want to see
them compete, and I think they have a right to.''Chris Bosh had
18 points and 11 rebounds for Toronto, playing its first game since
coach Sam Mitchell was fired the day after a 132-93 loss at Denver on
Wednesday night.Toronto didn't fare any better under Triano,
Mitchell's former assistant who had all of one practice to try to
reroute the Raptors."We have been through a lot in the last
couple of days, trying to relearn things. I think until it becomes a
natural thing for us to just flow, we are going to look a little
lethargic like that,'' said Triano, the first Canadian head coach in
NBA history. "They were trying to do what we asked them to, so I
applaud that.''The Raptors committed 23 turnovers and were
outrebounded 52-38, including just three offensive rebounds and lost
their third straight."We're going to be all right,'' said Jose
Calderon, who had 10 points and eight assists for Toronto. "For
moments, it was OK. Everybody was feeling comfortable with the new
things, but we need a little bit more time.''The Jazz were
without Boozer for the ninth straight game, but outscored the Raptors
in all four quarters and got an obvious lift from the return of
Harpring and Andrei Kirilenko, who had missed two games with an ankle
injury. Kirilenko had seven points, six assists, five rebounds and two
blocks.Millsap has had a double-double in every game since
scoring 21 and grabbing 10 boards against Chicago on Nov. 24. He had
never had more than five assists before Friday."Once I got going
and started running, it felt good,'' Millsap said. "In college, I
didn't pass too much. I had to try to take advantage of guys. I think
this might be my career high in assists - ever.''After falling behind 6-0, the Jazz pulled away with a 17-0 run and led 33-23 entering the second period.Utah
led 64-48 at halftime, then opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer
by C.J. Miles, a putback by Paul Millsap and a jumper by Okur for a
71-48 lead. Toronto didn't score in the period until Bosh tipped in a
rebound with 9:41 to remaining. Miles ended the period with a
left-handed, underhand layup while crossing the lane and the Jazz led
91-67 after three."We ran our offense. The only times we really
get in trouble is when we kind of get one-on-one,'' Harpring said. "If
we don't just take the first shot, trust the offense and cut and move,
we can get so many layups.''Notes: Millsap's previous high for
assists was five. ... Millsap had only three career starts entering the
season. ... Kirilenko had six of Utah's 31 assists. ... The Raptors
shot 23.5 percent (4-for-17) on 3-pointers.