Jazz hope homestand can get them above .500

On Sunday, Mehmet Okur dropped in 28 points and added eight rebounds to lead Utah past the Portland Trail Blazers, 98-93, at the Rose Garden. Okur shot 12- of-18 from the floor for Utah, which snapped a three-game skid.

Matt Harpring finished with 20 points and hit a clutch three-pointer down the stretch in the win over the Blazers for Utah, while Gordan Giricek contributed 15 points in the victory.

Utah is just 2-6 at the Delta Center this season. The Jazz, who are 7-10 on the season, will also host Atlanta, Seattle, Detroit and Portland on the current homestand.

Forward Andrei Kirilenko returned to the lineup on November 29th after missing seven games with an ankle injury. Kirilenko is still getting his game legs back, as he has averaged 8.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in the three contests he has played since returning to the court. The Jazz were 2-5 without the former All-Star in the lineup.

Rookie point guard Deron Williams, who was the third overall pick in the 2005 draft, has made an impact early on. He is averaging 13.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and a team-best 4.7 assists this season. Williams has started nine of Utah’s first 17 games.

The Jazz have scored 100 or more points twice this season. They have allowed more than 90 points in nine contests.