The second team more than did its job, though, in setting the stage for a final act by Deron Williams as the Jazz beat the Sacramento Kings 99-94. It was the Kings' seventh consecutive loss at Arco Arena and 10th in their last 11 games overall.

"I think that was the first time ever for that crew to be out there, but it worked out tonight," Korver said. "The guys stepped up at the end of the game, made some shots, got some stops, and it's a big win, we'll take it."

After a sluggish first half, Williams pulled his right hip flexor on a drive to open the third quarter. But he came through in the last 3:06, hitting Almond and Millsap for layups, driving for a layup of his own and pulling up for a 17-footer with 32.9 seconds left.

Williams used a Millsap screen and hit the shot over Brad Miller to give the Jazz a 93-90 lead. He was back to his old self in more ways than one, barking at a group of Kings fans who had been giving him the business all game.

As out of it as Williams felt mentally at the start - he had only two points and two assists at halftime - he finished with 14 points and seven assists in his fourth game back from a sprained ankle.

"I'm used to being able to get by people, and it's like I get discouraged when I can't and just do dumb things," Williams said. "I think that fourth quarter, especially at the end of the game, was great for my confidence because I went to the basket one time, exploded.

"I've got to just start the games like that, being aggressive, and get back into my regular mode."

The Jazz's second team, meanwhile, outscored Sacramento 32-21 in the 12:57 they played together. Almond finished with a career-best 12 points in 26 minutes and played the entire fourth quarter ahead of Ronnie Brewer and C.J. Miles.

Almond hit a three-pointer plus another jumper in the second quarter and blocked Donte Green and Mikki Moore at the rim. He came back in the fourth to finish a three-point play, cut for the layup with 3:06 left and slow Kevin Martin (22 points) down the stretch.

Even though the Jazz declined the option in his contract for the 2009-10 season, Almond hasn't stopped contributing in the month since. Asked about his future, Almond said, "I got a future regardless, but where that's at, who knows?"

"You can't really control how things happen over the course of a season," Almond added. "You just play it out regardless of what your contract situation is or any of that. You just go hard and the chips will fall where they may."

The Jazz overcame a night in which they committed 25 turnovers, 11 in the first quarter and 18 in the first half, and improved to 4-5 on the road. Afterward, Sloan joked that he didn't hold his breath, but he did a lot of praying with his second team on the floor.

"Those kids deserve a chance to play," Sloan said. "If you've ever been there yourself, like I was a young player and I wanted those opportunities, and when you get them, you've got to try to take advantage of them, and I thought they did pretty well with it tonight."

Koufos fouled out with six points and five rebounds in 22 minutes, while Price posted eight points and four assists in 18 minutes. Korver led the Jazz with 15 points and hit a three-pointer as part of an 11-0 run early in the fourth quarter.

"It wasn't a very pretty game," Sloan said, "but the bottom line from our standpoint is to try to win it, because we're trying to hang in there as much as we can being a little bit short-handed."

rsiler@sltrib.com

Storylines

* IN BRIEF: With a lift from their second team, the Jazz sent Sacramento to its seventh consecutive home loss.

* KEY MOMENT: Deron Williams hits a dagger of a jumper with 32.9 seconds left to give the Jazz a 93-90 lead.

* KEY STAT: The Jazz's second team outscored the Kings 32-21 in the 13 minutes they played together.