SLIDESHOW: Utah Jazz vs Indiana Pacers
SALT LAKE CITY -- Looking sharp is one thing.
Staying sharp, well, that's something else.
Hours before Friday's Utah Jazz-Indiana Pacers game tipped off, Utah players admitted they couldn't wait to get out on the court wearing throwback green uniforms like the ones initially worn by the Jazz during the 1979-80 season.
Minutes after the game ended with Utah taking a hard-fought 96-87 victory, they admitted they didn't always play as nicely as they looked.
"It's a game of runs," Jazz All-Star Carlos Boozer said. "You're not going to win too many games by 20 points in the NBA. I've played a lot of games and seen a lot of games and very few (do you) win by 20 or more."
For a while, it looked like Utah (11-7) might do exactly that.
Wearing the new, old-look uniforms, the Jazz broke out to a huge lead early on and appeared to be well in control after going up by 19 in the first quarter.
However, the young Pacers (6-11) quickly battled back and made a game of it the rest of the way.
"During the second half it looked like we thought the game was going to be easy," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "They came right back and played hard and we had to grind it out."
A month ago, this was the kind of game the Jazz would have found a way to lose. But given their level of play lately, they insisted they never had a doubt.
"We did a good job of holding our composure, staying confidence, executing and getting stops when we needed to," Boozer said.
Friday's win was Utah's fourth in a row and the Jazz's seventh in eight chances.
They completed a long, six-game homestand with a record of 5-1, their only loss coming to Oklahoma City on Nov. 24.
Boozer led the way on Friday, scoring a season-high 35 points to go along with 13 rebounds. It was his third consecutive double-double and 12th since the season began in October.
Mehmet Okur added 13 points and eight rebounds, and rookie Wesley Matthews added a season-high 18 points, plus five rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot.
Deron Williams also recorded a double-double, notching 11 points and 13 assists, as did Paul Millsap, who finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Boozer was aggressive from the beginning. He made it a point to slash to the basket and was often rewarded with easy baskets after a slick pass from one of his teammates.
And when the Pacers clogged the middle, the 6-foot-9 power forward knocked down open jump shots.
"For me, if I've got a lane I'm going to take it," he said. "If I have a jumpshot I'm going to take it. My teammates are confident in me and I'm just doing what they present me with."
After hitting 52 percent of their shots in the first quarter, the Jazz managed only 37 percent after halftime.
The Pacers were led by forward Danny Granger, who finished with 26 points and center Troy Murphy, who added 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Indiana outscored the Jazz 26-22 in the third quarter and tied them at 17 apiece in the fourth.
Utah was held scoreless for nearly three minutes to start the fourth quarter and the Pacers got within four points at 82-78. But Boozer scored on a thee-point play and later added a slashing left-handed basket to put the game out of reach.
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