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SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 10 (AP) -- Andrei Kirilenko seemed to be everywhere on the court.

The long-armed Russian had four steals, a blocked shot and numerous other tipped passes and deflections on defense. Kirilenko also tallied 15 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists to fall just shy of his third career triple-double to spark the Utah Jazz over the sloppy Memphis Grizzlies 118-94 Saturday night.

Even his top critic praised Kirilenko.

"We were able to pass the ball extremely well and got our hands on the basketball. Andrei, he's played terrific as of late. He made terrific passes and he's played extremely well,'' Utah coach Jerry Sloan said.

Before the season Kirilenko told a Russian newspaper he couldn't enjoy playing for Sloan and would welcome a trade. Now, he's having a ball.

"It was fun. When we up 15-20 points I even had a smile out there. I usually try not to smile because of the concentration, you know,'' Kirilenko said.

"AK's got a great attitude. He's been working hard and it feels like he's everywhere on the court,'' said Carlos Boozer, who led the Jazz with 31 points.

Deron Williams had 20 points and 13 assists of Utah's 34 assists to lead the Jazz to their third win in a row. The Jazz scored 28 fast break points and outscored the Grizzlies 52-36 in the paint.

Down by 25, the Grizzlies used a small lineup sparked by Michael Conley's slashing drives to make it 100-87 on Casey Jacobsen's 3-pointer with 5:39 remaining.

But the Jazz responded with 10 straight points, including two layups off steals, to put the game away. Gordan Giricek, who had 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting, scored on a fast break to put Utah ahead, 110-87.

"They kept the pressure on us all night. They kept us on our heels. Let's be honest, Utah is a good team and right now they're a better team than we are,'' Jacobsen said.

Rudy Gay led Memphis with 18 points and Pau Gasol had 11 but the Grizzlies could not overcome Utah's precision offense and 25 turnovers which led to 24 Jazz points.

"They forced too many turnovers on us. Turning the ball over just leads to easy fast breaks and layups and put us behind,'' Gasol said.

Ronnie Brewer, who had 10 points, added, "Defense makes our team run. When we're defending well, we're executing on offense and that's what we were doing tonight.''

The Grizzlies made 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions to end the third quarter. Brian Cardinal's deep shot at the buzzer trimmed the Jazz advantage to 89-71.

But the Grizzlies had three turnovers in the first three minutes of the final period and the Jazz scored seven straight points, capped by Giricek's steal and layup to make it 96-71 for Utah.

"I think we helped them control the tempo by turning the ball over-25 turnovers on a night is not going to allow us to have any rhythm offensively and defensively it's the toughest thing to guard because they're off and running,'' Memphis coach Marc Iavaroni said.

In reserve roles, Conley had 10 points and nine assists and Juan Carlos Navarro added 10 points for Memphis. The game was the third in four nights on this road trip for the Grizzlies, who have won just once this season in five contests.

Notes: Utah's Matt Harpring missed the game because of soreness of his right knee, which was surgically repaired during the offseason. He is probable for Monday's game against Sacramento. ... Boozer had seven rebounds, failing to reach 10 rebounds for the first time this season. ... The Jazz were whistled for two separate delay-of-game warnings within 30 seconds of each other, resulting in a technical foul with 6:01 to play. ... Tarence Kinsey and Hakim Warrick were inactive for Memphis.

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PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 9 (AP) -- With a double-digit deficit to make up, the Portland Trail Blazers needed a lift. Brandon Roy and Jarrett Jack gave it to them.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 30 points and 10 rebounds, Roy had 22 points and eight assists and the Blazers rallied to beat Memphis 100-98 Friday night.

Jack had 17 of his 22 points in the second half for Portland, which shot 51 percent and has won two in a row at home after an 0-3 road trip to open the season.

Rudy Gay led the Grizzlies with 31 points. Pau Gasol had all of his 19 in the first half.

Kyle Lowry had 14 points for Memphis, Darko Milicic had 10 rebounds and Mike Miller had nine points and seven rebounds.

For the first half the Blazers seemed to be on their way to their fourth consecutive loss to Memphis at the Rose Garden. But they shut down Gasol, who attempted just one shot in the second half, and Roy keyed an 11-0 third quarter rally that all but erased Memphis' 12-point halftime lead. Roy scored 18 in the second half and Jack hit 5 of 6 shots after halftime.

It was pretty much the way Blazers coach Nate McMillan was hoping.

"We want the ball in the hands of our best player,'' McMillan said. "That's what other teams do. In Denver, the ball is in Carmelo (Anthony)'s hands. The Lakers put the ball in Kobe (Bryant)'s hands, and we want Brandon to have it.''

Defense was the difference in the second half and the Grizzlies withered, making just 13 of 41 shots after shooting 50 percent before halftime.

While Portland blanketed Gasol, the Grizzlies didn't do the same to Aldridge, who so impressed the Blazers as a rookie last year that they traded away Zach Randolph to make room for him at power forward. Aldridge showed his range, scoring both down low and on jumpers several feet past the free-throw line. He shot 12-of-20 and made 6-of-7 free throws.

Gasol made eight of his first nine shots, including two free throws at 7:33 in the second, giving Memphis a 40-27 lead. But the Blazers switched to a double-team and neutralized Gasol, who didn't attempt a shot again until the middle of the fourth.

"They got a flow and we were with our hands down, Gasol said. "We should have done the things we did in the first half.''

Memphis took a 12-point lead into the break. Roy, who had just four points in the first half, woke up and led Portland's rally.

"We showed tonight how we are not going to get down on ourselves when we get behind,'' Aldridge said. "When it gets tough, we're going to get tough.''

After Martell Webster knocked in a 3, Roy fed Channing Frye on the break for layup. He then stole the ball on the next possession, converting a three-point play off a give-and-go with Steve Blake. Soon after Roy found Aldridge on a fastbreak for a three-point play that cut the score to 63-62.

Aldridge gave the Blazers their first lead since the first quarter, scoring to make it 86-84 with 7:17 left in the game. Roy scored twice to make it 93-65, but Gay, who was 13-of-24 and carried the load for Memphis in the second half, responded with an immediate 3-pointer.

Aldridge hit a jumper at the top of the key to give the Blazers a 97-90 lead with 3:11 to go.

"They did a good job of taking the ball out of (Gasol's) hands,'' Memphis coach Marc Iavaroni said. "The pressure was on other guys to make shots and make plays, so it was a good strategy.''

Blake, who replaced Jack as Portland's starting point guard this week, had eight assists for the Blazers. As the Blazers went with a smaller lineup in the second half, the Blazers paired both Blake and Jack in the backcourt.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies' point guard situation seems in flux, too, with Damon Stoudamire playing just 17 minutes, scoring one point and sitting long stretches.

Backup point guard Lowry ran the Grizzlies' offense for much of the game, scoring 14 points in 30 minutes, and Mike Conley Jr., the fourth overall draft pick, had eight points in 17 minutes.

Notes: Forward James Jones is out indefinitely with knee trouble for the Blazers, coach Nate McMillan said. Jones will stay on the active list though, because Josh McRoberts, Greg Oden and Darius Miles are all injured, too. ... Conley and Oden were teammates at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis and Ohio State. ... Portland outscored Memphis 25-15 in the third quarter. The Blazers had scored 15 points in each of its last three third quarters. link

SEATTLE, Nov. 8 (AP) -- Kevin Durant doesn't want to hear that nights like this are as a much a part of the NBA as pick-and-rolls.

The second overall pick in June's draft also wants none of the consensus that his remodeled, learning-on-the-fly SuperSonics are destined for a season like this. After all, he hadn't lost five games in a row in his life - until now.

Rudy Gay warmed from a cold start to score 25 points and determined Kyle Lowry hit a clinching 3-pointer as the Memphis Grizzlies overcame a 14-point deficit in the second half Wednesday night to beat the winless Sonics 105-98, sending Seattle to its worst start in 38 years.

"I hate to lose, basically. I don't care if it's an 82-game season and people say you have to lose - I hate to lose. Period,'' Durant said, in a quiet voice that matched the locker room vibe.

Lowry, who missed five of his first six shots, got a rebound off his missed layup and then swished a 3-pointer with 11.3 seconds remaining to clinch the first win of the season for the Grizzlies, in their first road game.

"I did not want to go into another town with zero victories. And I think the guys felt that way,'' said Memphis coach Marc Iavaroni, the former NBA player and then assistant coach who won his first game as a head man.

Durant, playing for the third time in four nights in a welcome-to-NBA-life stretch, scored a season-low 17 points and was a woeful 3-for-17 from the field for the Sonics, the league's only 0-5 team. After he missed his first four shots, including one that banged off the backboard about six inches to the left and below the rim, coach P.J. Carlesimo sat his franchise cornerstone for 10 minutes.

Durant finally scored midway through the second quarter.

The key to stifling the skinny, 6-foot-9 Durant?

"Getting into his body and try to alter his shot,'' Gay said.

With Seattle trying to rally from a 98-94 deficit with 2:14 left, Durant charged down the lane into Brian Cardinal for a key offensive foul. Durant pounded the floor with his hands and stomped away in protest of the call.

It was perhaps the first sign of outward emotion from the rookie who has been mostly quiet through this opening free fall. The Sonics play Utah, a playoff team last season, at home on Friday in an attempt to avoid tying their franchise-worst start from 1969.

Carlesimo, who called allowing Memphis 21 offensive rebounds "atrocious,'' again stressed patience. Yet he also said the status quo is a no-go.

"We're learning. It's a hard way to learn,'' he said. "We've going to start making some changes, looking at different rotations.''

Durant said fatigue had nothing to do with his night, but his coach thought it did.

"I think the three-in-four had something to do with it, the back-to-back had something to do with it. Some of it was the defense they played,'' Carlesimo said.

"I'm saying this all the time: He's 19. He's five games into his career. There are veterans that have nights like this.''

One night after blowing a 20-point lead and losing at Sacramento, Seattle pulled to 100-98 with 48 seconds left on Durant's fifth and sixth consecutive free throws in the last 2:14. But then they let Lowry get free - twice - on the decisive possession.

Mike Miller added 20 points for Memphis, which is playing three games in four days on its initial trip. The Grizzlies didn't always follow Iavaroni's pregame hope for smarter, simpler play on offense and often ran wildly down the floor into missed shots. But they erased a 14-point deficit early in the second half with a 23-8 run.

Gay, who made just three of his first 12 shots, ended the spurt with a fadeaway that put the Grizzlies ahead 74-73. Consecutive three-point plays by Gay, Pau Gasol and Lowry in the final 1:20 of the third quarter gave Memphis an 87-81 lead entering the final period.

Notes: One night after scoring 32 points in 31 minutes off the bench, Wally Szczerbiak scored just six for Seattle. ... Sonics C Robert Swift started for the second consecutive night, a milestone after a preseason of tendinitis in his surgically repaired right knee that caused him to miss all of last season. "Four (games) in five days is going to be another matter,'' he said with a smile. Then he looked tired, got in early foul trouble and finished with five fouls and four points. ... Grizzlies F-C Stromile Swift missed the game with a sore neck and shoulders. Iavaroni said he is day-to-day. ... Sonics F-C Kurt Thomas, who has yet to play a game this season, got his strained right hamstring tested and learned there is no structural damage.

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Nov. 3 (AP) -- An unbeaten start so far is helping the Indiana Pacers forget about a disappointing last season.

With a 35-47 record, the Pacers missed the playoffs for the first time since 1997, and they are not forgetting about it.

"For a lot of us it's about pride,'' Indiana guard Mike Dunleavy said. "We all felt terrible about the way the season ended. ... This team has a sour taste in its mouth from last year, and I feel like we will keep it with us throughout the season.''

Dunleavy had 27 points and eight rebounds Saturday night to help the Indiana Pacers remain unbeaten with a 121-111 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Dunleavy connected on 11-of-17 from the field as six Pacers finished in double figures. Danny Granger added 23, while Jamaal Tinsley finished with 14 points and seven assists. Jermaine O'Neal scored 13, and Kareem Rush and Ike Diogu chipped in 12 each.

Kyle Lowry led Memphis with a career-high 19 points, and Pau Gasol finished with 18. Mike Miller scored 14 and Rudy Gay finished with 13 in 19 minutes after struggling through foul trouble. Gasol and Miller had 10 rebounds each.

Memphis, which never led in the game, had finally cut into the Pacers' double-digit lead during the latter part of the third period. Indiana scored the first nine points of the fourth to rebuild the advantage to 16.

"Offensively, we felt like: 'Man, they're just pounding us.' We never felt like we had them on their heels. It was always the other way around,'' said Memphis' Casey Jacobsen, who had 12 points.

The Grizzlies had one run left midway through the period when they went on an 11-0 run to get to 105-101. A basket by Dunleavy and a pair of field goals by Diogu put an end to the streak, and Indiana was in front to stay.

"We didn't get back in transition,'' O'Neal said of the Grizzlies run. "Those guys are a pretty fast team. We knew they were going to make a run. When teams make runs, we have to withstand them and play good defense.''

Memphis continually made mistakes to keep from overtaking the Pacers. The Grizzlies' 27 turnovers led to 36 points. Lowry had six of the miscues.

"They deserve some credit for the turnovers,'' Memphis coach Marc Iavaroni said, "but not 27 of them.''

Memphis looked lethargic during the early stages, and the lack of defense allowed Indiana to shoot 64 percent in the half. Dunleavy had 15 points as Indiana built a 72-61 lead at the break.

"That was a little too much,'' Gasol said of the shooting percentage. "We put ourselves in a hole. We fight back, and fight back, and we might cut it to a very close game, but we shouldn't have to do that.''

Notes: The game was the second of a pair of season-opening home games for the Grizzlies. Memphis heads out on the road for 10 days with stops in Seattle, Portland and Utah. ... Pacers F Shawne Williams, who played collegiately at Memphis, didn't get to play in his hometown. Williams was serving the last game of a team-imposed three-game suspension for violating team standards stemming from driving without a license. ... O'Neal was whistled for a technical while sitting on the bench in the third period. ... O'Neal, who missed the opening game of the season recovering from a hyperextended left knee after offseason arthroscopic surgery, said he is improving. "I'm still not where I need to be,'' the Pacers center said. "Hopefully, next game I'm not limited to 25 minutes like the doctor put me at for the first two games. ...I don't see this 25-minute-a-game-thing going too much longer.'' ... Dunleavy got a split upper lip in Friday night's game against Miami that required 12 stitches. Saturday, the lip took another shot, sending him to the locker room shortly before halftime. "I've got a fat lip, a real fat lip, and that's how it's going to be for awhile,'' he said.