by By Ross Siler The Salt Lake Tribune , The Salt Lake Tribune

The Jazz scored 60 points in the first half, had all five starters in double figures by the end of the third quarter and rolled to a 113-99 victory, a shocking score against one of the NBA's perennially top defensive teams.

It was the most points the Jazz have scored against the Spurs in a regular-season game in the Tim Duncan era, eclipsing a 103-74 victory on Nov. 22, 1997. The Jazz did score 109 points against San Antonio in Game 3 of the 2007 Western Conference finals.

"Are you serious?" Deron Williams said upon hearing the stat. "We did a good job of executing, we stayed within our game plan tonight, we got the stops we needed, we played for 48 minutes."

The Jazz had been held below 100 points in 39 of the previous 40 regular-season games against San Antonio. The Spurs arrived in Utah giving up an average of 94 points on 45.3 percent shooting in their first three games.

Carlos Boozer (27 points, 14 rebounds) and Williams (27 points, nine assists) paced the Jazz . Even undrafted rookie Wesley Matthews got in on the act, scoring 12 points, including a three-point play drive on Richard Jefferson and a three-point jumper.

Matthews' three-pointer with 7.6 seconds left in the third quarter sent the Jazz into the fourth with a 93-80 lead. Remarkably, it was the only three-pointer the Jazz hit all night on their way to 113 points.

Whatever pent-up frustration they felt after discouraging losses to Houston and Dallas this week, the Jazz found a release against the Spurs.

"We played two bad quarters and it cost us dearly," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said, "and if we had done a little better job -- you've got to look at the positive side of it -- we could be in really great shape. So why quit playing now?"

"I'm very happy, because I was in a bad mood the last couple days," Williams said, adding: "It was a good win for us. We needed it for our confidence, I think. We weren't worried about anybody else. We were worried about, internally, our confidence."

The Jazz avoided an early-season three-game losing streak and 1-4 start. With a victory Saturday over Sacramento, the Jazz would take a .500 record on the road for next week's four-game Eastern Conference trip, which includes games at Boston and Cleveland.

The only blemish came as the Jazz saw an end to their streak of 41 consecutive home regular-season sellouts. They announced a crowd of 19,797, having sold out 79 of their previous 80 games prior to Thursday.

The Jazz got off to a blazing start, scoring 32 points on 60 percent shooting in a turnover-free first quarter. Every member of the starting five had at least two field goals and the Jazz closed the quarter on a 20-8 run.

They had opened a 42-27 lead not even four minutes into the second quarter and didn't commit their first turnover until the 9:11 mark of the quarter, when Ronnie Price was called for an offensive foul.

Boozer had an impressive half at both ends of the floor. He totaled 13 points and eight rebounds but also twice tied up Duncan for jump balls, blocked Duncan and poked the ball free from Duncan for a steal.

He kept rolling in the second half, hitting two jumpers along the baseline early in the third quarter as well as another jumper over Antonio McDyess with 2:15 left in the quarter after the Spurs had closed to 84-72. So much for shooting 35.2 percent this season.

Matthews, meanwhile, played 25 minutes, including the entire fourth quarter ahead of Ronnie Brewer. While first-round draft pick Eric Maynor did not play until the final two minutes, Matthews continued to establish himself in the Jazz's rotation.

"I ain't got words for it right now," Matthews said. "I'm just excited ... . To get this win tonight against a team like that, it's just a great feeling."

rsiler@sltrib.com A rare win

? The Spurs swept the Jazz in 08-09

? The Jazz have lost 19 straight in San Antonio, with the last win coming at the Alamo Dome in 1999.

? Utah's 113 points marked the first time in 38 games the Jazz eclipsed 100 against the Spurs.

? Utah hasn't taken the season series from San Antonio since 1997-98. Storylines

IN SHORT ? The Jazz made a statement in front of their fans, scoring 113 points against the Spurs.

KEY STAT ? The Jazz shot 53.0 percent and scored 64 of their 113 points in the paint.

KEY MOMENT ? The Jazz took the lead with a 13-2 run in the first quarter and played from ahead all night.

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