SLIDESHOW: Utah Jazz vs. Houston Rockets NBA basketball
SALT LAKE CITY -- Nobody motivates Deron Williams like the man himself.
Coming off a substandard 4-for-16 performance Friday against Sacramento, the Jazz All-Star played with a nasty disposition and a full head of steam on Saturday. He hit eight of his first nine shots and scored 20 points in the first quarter as Utah completed a high-flying 133-110 victory over the Houston Rockets at EnergySolutions Arena.
"There was a lot of motivation," Williams said. "I wasn't really happy with how I played (against the Kings). I feel like if I would have just had a decent effort we would have had a chance to win. I wanted to come out and set the tone tonight."
He certainly did that. Williams played like a man possessed in the first quarter, scoring 20 points on 8-for-9 shooting.
For good measure, he added six assists, four rebounds and a blocked shot.
"I've been a little passive to start games, and it kind of hurts me," Williams said. "Then, it takes me a while to get into a groove. I pass up a lot of open shots, a lot of those 15-foot jumpers that are normally my best shot. I told myself today I wasn't going to pass any of those up."
In putting up 133 points, the Jazz (38-21) amassed their highest point total since November of 2007.
All five starters reached double digits, as did reserve Paul Millsap, who scored 18 points.
After Williams' 35, Utah got 18 apiece from Carlos Boozer and Wesley Matthews and 17 from slumping center Mehmet Okur.
As a team, the Jazz shot a sizzling 65 percent from the field and hit a season-high 14 3-pointers.
Those numbers were a far cry from what they put up against the Kings: 40 percent shooting from the field, 5-for-21 from behind the 3-point line.
"Tonight we came out with a great effort," Boozer said. "We scored a lot points and played great, great, great defense and rebounded. It was fun. We let one slip away (in Sacramento). That happens in the NBA. It was a nice job to bounce back."
The Jazz and Rockets (29-29) kept things tight in the first quarter. Williams did his best to set the tone, but Houston wouldn't go away, hitting 57 percent from the field.
Guard Kevin Martin came close to matching Williams' effort. He went 5-for-6 from the field and had 16 points.
In the second quarter, Williams picked up two quick fouls in just over a minute and was banished to the bench for the remained of the half.
He had 23 points and seven assists at the break.
The Jazz played the final 5:11 of the first half with neither Williams nor Boozer. Both were in foul trouble. But even so, Utah went ahead by as many as 13 down the stretch.
Martin led the Rockets with 21 points at the break.
Martin, recently acquired from the Sacramento Kings, led his team with 32 points. Point guard Aaron Brooks added 19 and rookie Chase Budinger had 14.
"We needed this, it was a tough loss last night," Williams said. "Good teams should win. We let one slip, but we were able to come back home and make it right."
The Jazz finished the month of February with a record of 10-3.
GAME 59 Jazz 133, Rockets 110
* BEST PLAY: With 9:36 left in the second quarter, Mehmet Okur misses a free throw that would have given him a three-point play. With the Jazz defense looking a bit lax, Houston's Garrett Temple grabs the long rebound and beats everyone to the other end where he throws down a dunk.
* BEST LINE: Deron Williams goes off for 35 points on 13-for-17 shooting. He also adds 13 assists.
* KEY STAT: Williams sets the tone early, scoring 20 points in the first quarter.
* GOING GREEN: The Jazz are 8-1 this season when wearing their green "throwback" uniforms. Their only loss in the vintage-looking gear came Dec. 9, vs. the Lakers.
* SIDELINE MOMENT: When he leaves the game late in the first quarter, Williams receives an ovation from the crowd. The admiration only increases when he goes to the bench for good with 3:23 left in the fourth.
* UP NEXT: The Jazz hit the road to face the L.A. Clippers on Monday and the Phoenix Suns on Thursday. They return home to host the Clippers on Saturday.
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