Chris Paul and Deron Williams will forever be linked after going back-to-back in the 2005 draft.
Paul may be headed to his first All-Star game next week, but Williams got the better of the matchup between the young point guards Monday night.
Williams, who went with the No. 3 pick to Utah in that draft, scored 29 points and had 11 assists in Utah’s 110-88 victory over New Orleans on Monday night that extended the Jazz’s winning streak to nine games.
“People are going to compare them as long as they’re in the league,” Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. “There’s nothing you can do about that. But we’re looking for him to be Deron Williams.”
Paul went to the Hornets with fourth pick and the two have been compared ever since.
Williams definitely had the better game Monday. He scored 12 in the third quarter as the Jazz stretched an 11-point lead to as much as 22.
“He came out tonight to send a message and I think that message got sent across,” said Carlos Boozer, who had 19 points and 17 rebounds for the Jazz and is going to the All-Star game in New Orleans.
In other NBA games on Monday it was: Dallas 107, Orlando 98; Denver 105, Portland 103 in overtime; Atlanta 96, Philadelphia 91; Toronto 114, Miami 82; the Los Angeles Clippers 103, New York 94; Houston 92, Minnesota 86; Chicago 118, Seattle 108; and Phoenix 118, Charlotte 104.
Williams had his eighth straight double-double and hit three 3-pointers as the Jazz set a team record by making 14 from beyond the arc. He finished 11-for-13 from the floor, but his defense was just as big as the Jazz turned the meeting of division leaders into a rout.
Williams got Paul into early foul trouble and held him to just six points and six assists.
“I look at it the same way I do anybody else,” Williams said. “It was definitely a big game for us – just because of their record.”
Maverick 107, Magic 98
At Orlando, Josh Howard scored 28 points and the Mavericks overcame Hedo Turkoglu’s triple-double.
Dallas led by as many as 19, but Orlando made it 83-80 on Rashard Lewis’ 3-pointer with 7:15 left. The Magic didn’t score again for almost 5 minutes, and Dallas went on a 10-0 run to put the game away.
Turkoglu had 13 points, a career-high 13 assists and 12 rebounds, and Dwight Howard scored 28. But Howard, the NBA’s rebounding leader averaging 15, had only seven, and Orlando was outrebounded 47-34.
Jason Terry scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and Dirk Nowitzki had 20 points for Dallas.
Nuggets 105, Trail Blazers 103, OT
At Portland, Ore., Allen Iverson made a 14-foot fadeaway jumper with less than a second left in overtime.
Denver led by 17 in the first half but the Trail Blazers battled back.
Carmelo Anthony led the Nuggets with 28 points and 15 rebounds. Iverson finished with 25 points. Brandon Roy had 26 points for the Blazers.
Hawks 96, 76ers 91
At Atlanta, Josh Smith had 19 points, nine assists and nine blocks to help Atlanta come back from a 20-point, first-quarter deficit.
Josh Childress scored 21 points and Joe Johnson added 18 for the Hawks, who led 91-88 before turning the ball over on an offensive foul by rookie Al Horford with 1:20 left. Philadelphia rookie Thaddeus Young missed on the other end, and a basket by Horford pushed the Hawks’ lead to five.
Andre Miller scored 29 points and Andre Iguodala had 22 for the 76ers.
Raptors 114, Heat 82
At Miami, Chris Bosh scored 24 points on 8-for-11 shooting, Andrea Bargnani added 22 and Toronto shot 60 percent.
Anthony Parker scored 18 points for the Raptors, who delivered more indignity to Miami’s season of epic struggle by handing the Heat their biggest loss of the year.
Dorell Wright scored 17 points, and Mark Blount and Dwyane Wade each added 12 for Miami, which has lost 19 of its past 20 overall, 10 of its past 11 at home.
Clippers 103, Knicks 94
At New York, Corey Maggette scored 19 points in his return to the lineup, and the Clippers snapped a nine-game road losing streak.
Chris Kaman, who like Maggette had missed the last four games with the flu, added 15 points and nine rebounds as Los Angeles improved to 1-2 on its seven-game road trip. Cuttino Mobley had 14 points as the Clippers handed the Knicks their sixth straight loss.
The Clippers were coached by assistant Kim Hughes, with Mike Dunleavy staying behind at the team hotel because he was sick. Eddy Curry led the Knicks with 19 points.
Rockets 92, Timberwolves 86
At Minneapolis, Tracy McGrady had 26 points, six rebounds and seven assists to help Houston hang on.
Though McGrady had a season-high seven turnovers, he made shots down the stretch, including the clinching 3-pointer with 30 seconds to go after Al Jefferson led the improving Wolves on an impressive rally. Jefferson had 33 points and 16 rebounds.
Since McGrady came back from his knee injury, Houston has won eight of nine.
Bulls 118, SuperSonics 108
At Seattle, Joe Smith scored 25 points in his first game back after missing three with an injury.
Ben Gordon added 20 points for the Bulls, who won for just the second time in six games.
Wally Szczerbiak led the Sonics with 21 points and rookie Kevin Durant added 20.
Suns 118, Bobcats 104
At Phoenix, Leandro Barbosa scored 30 points and Raja Bell added 24, including a season-high seven 3-pointers, to help Phoenix stay unbeaten against Charlotte.
Barbosa hit five 3-pointers as the Suns improved to 8-0 against the Bobcats since the franchise was established in 2004. Amare Stoudemire added 24 points and Shawn Marion 14.
Jason Richardson scored 25 for the Bobcats, who lost the last four on a five-game trip.
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