Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah – John Amaechi scored nine of his 19 points in the fourth quarter as the Utah Jazz blew a 24-point first-half lead but held on to beat the Seattle SuperSonics 103-98 in an exhibition game Thursday night.
Donyell Marshall and Bryon Russell each scored 12 for the Jazz while John Crotty had 10 and Russian rookie Andrei Kirilenko had 10, including eight in the final period.
The Sonics had 12 turnovers in the first half and trailed 59-35 late in the second quarter. But they slowed the Jazz in the second half with a zone and tied it at 86 when Jerome James dunked with 4:31 remaining.
Kirilenko hit a free throw and Amaechi scored twice, using a fake to get James off his feet. Amaechi put in the easy layup to give Utah a 91-86 lead with 3:20 to play.
That was the start of a 13-0 spurt, with Kirilenko scoring seven, to put it out of reach. It also marked Amaechi’s best effort of the preseason. He hit 6-of-8 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.
Gary Payton scored 20 to lead Seattle while James, a journeyman who’s fighting for a roster spot, scored 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Rashard Lewis scored 15 before fouling out with 2:39 to play.
Karl Malone returned to the Utah lineup after missing a four-game road trip. The team said he was in Louisiana with his hospitalized mother. He scored eight points on 2-of-10 shooting.
The Sonics didn’t have Vin Baker, who skipped the team’s two-game road trip after injuring his back in practice this week. He is expected to return for next week’s season opener against San Antonio.
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