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There had been remarkable comebacks and major letdowns. Brilliant individual play and selfless teamwork bordered by battles with inconsistency and focus. But out of everything the Jazz had accomplished, overcome and endured this season, one accomplishment had yet to be attained: 48 full minutes of real, true basketball.

Utah downed the New Orleans Hornets 105-87 Wednesday night at EnergySolutions Arena before a crowd of 19,237. And the Jazz came very close to accomplishing the feat.

Displaying some of its sharpest execution of the year, Utah led by at least five points after the 10-minute, 41-second mark during the second quarter. The Jazz (11-5) then trampled the Hornets (11-3) during the final period, outscoring New Orleans 25-15 and again turning a raucous ESA into a serious home-court advantage.

"I thought we played pretty hard all night long," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said.

Utah dished out 27 assists on 40 made field goals while committing just 12 turnovers. The Jazz shot 48.8 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent behind the 3-point line, and again were perfect (19-for-19) at the free-throw line. And a team that had severely struggled to rebound the ball during its last five contests held its own on the boards, edging New Orleans 38-36.

"It shows what we can do when we just play," Jazz forward C.J. Miles said. "That's the biggest thing we've got to keep doing, is just keep playing hard."

Deron Williams scored a game-high 26 points and knocked down 4 of his 5 3-point attempts to lead Utah. He added a game-high 11 assists, five steals and three rebounds.

"It was a collective effort tonight," Williams said. "We got it from everybody. We were balance."

Al Jefferson scored 23 points and tied for the game high with 10 rebounds to aid Utah, which had eight players scored at least six points.

Chris Paul topped the Hornets with 17 points, nine assists and five steals.

"They were scoring every time down," Paul said. "We were soft, obviously. They put it to us."

The marquee outside ESA read "Williams versus Paul" prior to tipoff. Point guard against point guard. All-Star, Olympic athlete and face of the franchise vs. a highly similar counterpart.

The matchup easily delivered on its promise, as the duo did everything from trade handshake greetings to smoke each other every time an opportunity arrived.

But Williams was the most charged and won the battle. He pumped a fist when he gained a momentary edge; he snapped a towel, punched the air and loudly growled when the Paul-led Hornets made a brief third-quarter run to pull within 67-62 with 7:11 remaining in the period.

"We always have fun playing each other," Williams said. "We are good friends off the court. But on the court, we always like to battle."

The Jazz's leader entered the contest dealing with heavy legs and a banged-up body. He had hit just 7 of his last 27 shots while appearing worn down during Utah's previous two games.

But there was a stage set up on the floor of the arena Wednesday. And Williams did not just step on top of it — he leaped toward the center and embraced the light.

Williams is 12-3 all time vs. Paul. The duo were selected with the Nos. 3 and 4 overall picks during the 2005 NBA Draft.

"We're very happy to have Deron, and he's done a great job," Sloan said.

But it was not just the Williams Show. For Utah to play 48 minutes of ball, it took the entire team. All 10 Utah players who took the court delivered while facing a Hornets squad that was one of the hottest teams in the league prior to tipoff. And some of the largest contributions came from reserves who earned the least amount of minutes: Earl Watson, Ronnie Price, Francisco Elson and Miles.

"It's getting to the point where [Ronnie and I] complement each other so well, people use our names in the same sentence," Watson said.

A hard, leaping block by Miles and ensuing length-of-the-court drive for a layup by Watson midway through the fourth quarter best captured Utah's relentless attack. The Jazz were electric. And they consistently buzzed.

"When we run our stuff and we're committed, we're tough," Utah guard Raja Bell said.

bsmith@sltrib.comTwitter: tribjazz —

Jazz 105, Hornets 87

R In short • Led by Deron Williams' game-high 26 points, the Jazz knock off the Hornets 107-85 Wednesday night at home.

Key stat • Utah dishes out 27 assists on 40 made field goals while committing 12 turnovers.

Key moment • The Jazz use a 10-0 run during the second quarter to take a 61-51 halftime advantage.