Williams had a first-round knockout in his matchup with Chris Paul, sending the Hornets guard to the bench with two fouls less than six minutes in, and turned the second half into his own highlight hour in finishing with 29 points and 11 assists.
The Jazz also broke a 12-year-old franchise record by connecting on 14 of 22 three-pointers. Kyle Korver hit six of them - one shy of his career-high - including four in a breathless 2-minute, 16-second stretch to open the second quarter.
It was more than enough for the Jazz to extend their NBA-best winning streak to nine games and win for the 15th time in 17 games. The Jazz's streak is their longest since March 2000 and the question now is if they can win out heading into next week's All-Star break.
They routed a 32-15 Hornets team that brought the Western Conference's second-best record to EnergySolutions Arena. Paul finished with just six points, nearly 15 below his season average, and played only 27 minutes because of foul trouble.
Whether he would admit it or not, Williams clearly took his All-Star snub personally. Carlos Boozer said Williams took the court Monday with something to prove to the league and conference coaches that passed him over for the second consecutive year.
It was never more evident than when Williams beat Paul on a drive early in the third quarter and hammered home a dunk that Tyson Chandler wisely chose not to contest. C.J. Miles said it was the hardest he'd ever seen Williams dunk in his career.
"Willie sent a message tonight,'' Boozer said. "He may not say it to y'all, but I'm going to say it to y'all. He came out and wanted to prove to you guys that he should be in the All-Star Game."
Williams hit 11 of 13 shots, including 3 of 4 three-pointers, scored 22 points in the second half, registered his eighth straight double-double and said he wasn't giving up hope that he'd be chosen as an injury replacement for the Feb. 17 game in New Orleans.
"You never know what's going to happen,'' Williams said. "A lot of guys sat out last year, so if I keep playing, there could be a chance. That's what I'm doing, trying to get my team some more wins."
Williams also nearly fouled out Paul over the course of the game. Paul went to the bench only 5:39 in after picking up one foul for holding Williams on an inbounds play and a second personal as Williams posted him up inside.
"I think that was the key to the game because they're definitely a different team with him out,'' Williams said. Paul was called for another three fouls in only 5:17 in the third quarter and sat for nearly 12 minutes before returning.
The Jazz broke open the game in the second quarter by hitting five three-pointers in a 15-4 run. Hard to believe, but the Jazz ranked last in the league in made three-pointers before Korver's arrival in a December trade, averaging just 3.6 a game.
The Jazz set franchise records Monday with seven in the second quarter, eight in the first half and 14 for the game. Their previous best was 13 in a December 1995 game against Denver. Mehmet Okur had four three-pointers and Miles hit one.
Korver finished in 20 points and was asked if he wanted in the All-Star three-point shootout. "I got to get my stuff, man, I got to go home,'' said Korver, who still has closets to clean out in Philadelphia. "They haven't asked me anyway."
If the Jazz can avenge last month's loss to the Nuggets on Wednesday in Denver, they could have a chance at taking a 13-game winning streak into the All-Star break. "We're playing our best basketball right now,'' Williams said.
rsiler@sltrib.com
