Jazz romp past Spurs

SALT LAKE CITY – Back in the comfort of home, the Utah Jazz found some things they didn’t have the first two games of the Western Conference finals: Confidence, defense and scorers other than Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams.

Williams and Boozer still led the way, but it was the play of their teammates that carried Utah past San Antonio 109-83 on Saturday night, and cut the Spurs lead in the series to 2-1.

Williams had 31 points and eight assists and Boozer had 27 points and 12 rebounds, keeping the Jazz perfect at home this postseason – 7-0 – and making them 3-0 against the Spurs in Salt Lake City this season.

Tim Duncan got in foul trouble early and never recovered. Although he didn’t foul out, he 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.

Utah’s win means there will be no sweep, and that this may yet turn into a competitive series after two lopsided games in San Antonio. The loud Jazz fans in their “Think Blue” T-shirts can now start dreaming of their team being the first to overcome a 2-0 deficit in the Western Conference finals. Why not? They’ve already dug out of such a hole once this postseason, against Houston in the first round.