DALLAS — Andrei Kirilenko wants more touches, wants to feel like a more-integral part of the Jazz offense.
Kirilenko got what he wanted in a big way Friday, scoring a team-high 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field in Utah's 105-104 win over New Orleans/Oklahoma City.
Afterward, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan — who embraced public requests for more of the ball made last week by Kirilenko — clearly was pleased by what he saw on both ends of the floor.
The NBA's second-leading shot-blocker behind Denver's Marcus Camby this season also swatted seven shots, pulled down nine rebounds, dished six assists and made one steal.
"He prevented a lot of things from happening," Sloan said. "And he had some terrific plays for us on the offensive end . . . We gave him the ball a little bit more, and I thought he responded pretty well. And that's all we're looking for."
Kirilenko particularly stepped up his game in the late going, impressing Hornets coach Byron Scott as well after scoring nine of his points on 3-of-3 field shooting, recording three of his rebounds and making three of his blocks in the fourth quarter alone.
His biggest swat: One from behind on Hornets point guard Chris Paul with less than four seconds remaining to help preserve the win.
"He's one of the best defensive players in this league," Scott told The Oklahoman newspaper with regard to Kirilenko, who is emerging as a legit candidate for the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award. "He always comes from the weak side. He's always helping.
"If he doesn't block seven shots like (Friday), he's going to change five or six more. He's just very disruptive on the defensive end."
TOUGH CALL: Last word on the Jazz taking University of Illinois point guard rookie Deron Williams at No. 3 overall in last June's NBA Draft, one spot before Wake Forest product Paul — runaway favorite for Rookie of the Year honors — went No. 4 to New Orleans/Oklahoma City.
For today, at least.
"Chris Paul is a terrific player. You don't realize what a difficult decision we had to make," Sloan said after Friday's win. "I mean, it was not like we didn't like Chris Paul. But we like Deron, and we had to make a decision on somebody.
"We like both of them. And they're both going to be very, very good players in this league. The test of time will be four or five years."
T.O., BABY: Asked why he didn't call a timeout when the Jazz fell behind by double digits in Friday's opening quarter, Sloan shared his philosophy on the subject for those not already in the know.
"I'm not a customary timeout guy," he said. "I don't hand my kids, or my players, candy. I mean, what am I gonna tell them? I'll (only) run the same play.
"I'm probably one of the worst at calling timeouts," the Jazz coach added. "I don't call them very often. Because how are you gonna learn? . . . That's always what I was taught."
There may be another reason, too, behind Sloan's propensity for shunning timeouts: "We had a great player like (now-retired point) John Stockton. We didn't have to call a timeout. And I think Deron (Williams) has some of those qualities of knowing what you want to do — you call a play, and run it."
ALUMNI UPDATE: Ex-Jazz guard Kirk Snyder of the Hornets recently lost his starting job and is playing less frequently down the stretch for Scott, who seems a bit frustrated by the play from one of Utah's 2004 first-round draft choices.
"I know Kirk," Scott told The Oklahoman. "He'll do some good things, then he'll do two or three things you can't stand. He wants to go 1-on-1."
Snyder shot 5-of-7 from the field, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range and a terrifically athletic dunk over Kirilenko, on Friday. He also, however, committed a foul on Williams that led to Williams' game-winning free throws with 18 seconds remaining.
HE SAID IT: Hornets power forward David West, who had a game-high 31 points Friday, told The Oklahoman how he had so much offensive success against Jazz defenders Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur: "They're bigger guys, heavier guys. I was able to use my quickness, my moves, to pull them away from the basket."
E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com