Utah pulls out triple-overtime win at Toronto

TORONTO -- The second 3-pointer of Al Jefferson's NBA career bounced tantalizingly before dropping through the rim. It was the start of something big for the Utah Jazz.

Jefferson was 1-for-25 from beyond the arc in his nine-year career when he made a 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation Monday to tie the game against the Toronto Raptors at 104-104, forcing overtime.

After three overtimes, the Jazz came away with a 140-133 victory before 18,230 at Air Canada Centre.

Utah (4-4) earned its first road win of the season, while Toronto (1-6) took its fourth loss in a row.

"I knew we needed a 3, and I think Mo (Williams) wound up getting in trouble, he passed it to me, and I gave it to Randy (Foye), and Randy tried to draw the foul, and he just got it to me, and I just set my feet and let it go," Jefferson said. "Even though the ball wanted to tease me for a while, it finally dropped. I knew then if I hit a 3 to send it to overtime, we've got to go win it."

There was still lots of work to be done.

The Raptors got a big 3-pointer from John Lucas in the final seconds of the second overtime to tie the game 125-125 and force the third overtime.

Utah eventually began to pull away in the last overtime. Paul Millsap, who finished with a team-high 34 points, hit a 3-pointer to give Utah a 134-130 lead with 2:15 to play in the final overtime. Gordon Hayward's driving layup extended the advantage to six points with 1:33 left, and Jefferson's jumper in the final minute put the game away.

Jefferson finished with 24 points, and Foye scored 20. Millsap had all three of his 3-pointers in overtime.

The Raptors led by 11 with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter.

"They went up by 11, and we just stayed together," Foye said. "We said to each other to keep grinding it out."

Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said of the late 3-pointers, "It's good to see. I mean, they were timely shots for us. The one by Al to send it into overtime was huge for us, and Paul made one in the corner to get us going."

DeMar DeRozan topped the Raptors with 37 points, while Jose Calderon and Linas Kleiza had 20 each. Andrea Bargnani scored 19 for Toronto.

"We were short-handed, but guys came back and fought," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "They left it on the floor. They executed down the stretch. It did not go our way, but our guys fought. I thought DeMar had a heck of a game."

Millsap scored Utah's first six points of the second overtime, including a 3-pointer that put the Jazz ahead 121-118.

After DeRozan cut the lead to one with 1:47 to play in the second overtime, Williams restored the three-point edge before DeRozan hit two free throws to make it a one-point game with 12 seconds remaining.

Williams made two free throws with 11 seconds to play, and Utah led by three. However, Lucas tied the game again with 7.5 seconds left on a 24-footer, and when Williams was stopped driving for the basket, the game went to a third overtime. It was the first triple overtime at home for the Raptors since 2001 against Sacramento.

Bargnani made two free throws with 52 seconds left in the first overtime to tie the game 113-113.

After a turnover by Utah, DeRozan made a driving slam dunk with 23 seconds to play in the initial overtime to put the Raptors ahead 115-113. On the next Utah possession, Jefferson tied it on a hook shot with 19 seconds left.

Toronto had a chance, but DeRozan missed a shot at the buzzer to force a second overtime.

"It was tough because we needed one and couldn't finish," Calderon said. "We had a few chances to win the game, but (the Jazz) were good down the stretch. We played well, too. We just didn't make the shots they did."

DeRozan said, "A couple of times we had it, but the ball didn't bounce our way. Shots didn't go in like we wanted them. It's just frustrating."

NOTES: The Raptors were without Kyle Lowry (sprained right ankle), Landry Fields (right hand-wrist) and Alan Anderson (sprained left foot). ... The Jazz was without Earl Watson (right knee rehab). ... Williams was back in the lineup for Utah after missing Saturday's win over Phoenix with a strained right adductor picked up in Friday's loss at Denver. ... The Raptors' worst start after seven games was 0-7 in 2005-06. ... The Raptors visit the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday. ... The Jazz visit the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.