INQUIRER Sports

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- Russian Andrei Kirilenko scored 23 points on nine-of-10 shooting to power the Utah Jazz to a 97-91 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday in a rematch of last year's playoff semifinal.

The Jazz, one of the top five scoring teams this season, won their fifth consecutive game.

Carlos Boozer added 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists as the Jazz won their fifth game in a row.

Kyle Korver's backbreaking three-pointer with 48 seconds remaining all but sealed the victory for the Jazz as they held off the Spurs' inevitable fourth-quarter rally.

But it wasn't Utah's numerous scoring options that kept the pressure on the reigning champions.

Instead, the Jazz made their plays on the defensive end, picking up 15 steals and forcing San Antonio into 19 turnovers overall.

Despite playing from behind for the length of the game, the Spurs battled to within three points with a chance to pull even midway through the third period.

But the Jazz forced turnovers on three straight possessions for San Antonio.

Monday's victory was Utah's third straight home win over San Antonio in the regular season.

Tim Duncan added 26 points for the Spurs, while leading scorer Tony Parker was limited to just five.