Auburn Hills, MI (Sports Network) - Deron Williams paced a balanced attack with 18 points and 12 assists, and the Utah Jazz trounced the Detroit Pistons, 115-104, at the Palace at Auburn Hills.

Mehmet Okur and Paul Millsap each added 18 points for Utah, which secured its fifth consecutive winning season with its 42nd win and its 21st winning campaign in 22 seasons under head coach Jerry Sloan. Kyle Korver and Wesley Matthews each had 14 points, while Andrei Kirilenko and Carlos Boozer both finished with 11.

Boozer also had 12 rebounds, while Millsap had nine, as the Jazz beat the Pistons for the 10th consecutive time dating back to the 2004-05 season.

Charlie Villanueva paced the Detroit attack with 19 points, and Richard Hamilton put up 16 in the defeat, the Pistons' seventh in eight games. Will Bynum had 14, Jonas Jerebko 13 and Tayshaun Prince and Ben Gordon each had 11.

Jason Maxiell provided 10 points and 11 boards for the Pistons.

Detroit held a 29-28 lead after one quarter, but Utah dominated the Pistons, 35-14, in the second.

The Jazz began the frame on a 14-0 run, as Korver, Ronnie Price and Millsap each hit a pair of shots. Millsap's basket with eight minutes until halftime made it 42-29, and the margin escalated to 20, 61-41, on a pair of Okur free throws with 1 1/2 minutes left.

The halftime score was 63-43.

Detroit made a late run in the third to cut its deficit to as small as 11, but Utah still went to the fourth with an 87-74 advantage.

Okur and Korver hit back-to-back three-pointers early in the fourth to make it a 93-76 contest, and the outcome was never in doubt down the stretch.

Utah improved to 2-0 on a four-game trip that will take it to Milwaukee and Oklahoma City...Detroit guard Rodney Stuckey was cleared to exercise Wednesday after a scary collapse in last week's loss to Cleveland...The Jazz improved to 17-14 on the road, while Detroit fell to 15-18 at home...The Pistons' last win in this series came on March 13, 2005...Utah has won four straight overall...The Pistons clinched their second straight losing campaign after going to the Eastern Conference finals in six of the previous seven seasons.

Just to update you on the latest: Free-agent running back LaDaininan Tomlinson dined Wednesday night with Minnesota officials and at least one player in downtown Minneapolis. Tomlinson also spoke with several media outlets, including the Star Tribune and WCCO.

He told the Star Tribune that he understands the role he would have with the Vikings and could "possibly" sign Thursday if all goes well. He said he has "heard what I like to hear" and that one of his agents made the trip with him. Tomlinson has a second visit lined up with another team but wouldn't identify it.

Meanwhile, he told WCCO that it would be a "blast" to play with quarterback Brett Favre and said he is confident he would coexist well with starting tailback Adrian Peterson.

"I definitely can," Tomlinson said. "I would be coming here for him. He's in the prime of his career. I've done what he's trying to do, except win a championship."

We'll keep you updated Thursday as warranted.

As Notre Dame reeled off season-saving win after season-saving win without injured star Luke Harangody to close the regular season, a once-unthinkable question surfaced in the minds of fans of the Fighting Irish.

Could Notre Dame actually be better without Harangody?

We now know the answer to that question is an emphatic "no" after watching Harangody lead the Irish to their biggest win of the season on Wednesday night. In just his second game back from a bone bruise in his right knee. Harangody came off the bench to score 20 points and grab 10 boards in 24 minutes, propelling Notre Dame to a 68-56 victory over Seton Hall that removed any remaining doubt that the Irish are at-large-worthy. 

If this victory brought sweet relief for Notre Dame, it will mean four anxious days for Seton Hall. The Pirates played their way into at-large consideration largely by winning the games they were supposed to this season, but they needed another marquee victory over a team like the Irish to feel comfortable at all about their chances. 

Seton Hall seemed to have a great chance to get that victory until Harangody checked into the game four minutes into the first half with tentative-looking Notre Dame already down 9-2. The senior ignited the Irish with his scoring, rebounding and hustle, posting 15 points and nine rebounds before the break to help give his team a 28-21 lead that it never relinquished.

With the Irish now safely in the field, take a few seconds to reflect on what they've done to get there.

After a Feb. 17 loss to Louisville, Notre Dame had an injured star, a 6-8 record in Big East play and no marquee wins besides a home victory over West Virginia in early January. Now the Irish have rattled off wins over Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Connecticut, Marquette and Seton Hall, a five-game win streak impressive enough that it might vault the Irish all the way to an eight or nine seed.

You can credit coach Mike Brey for slowing down the tempo, getting his team to work for better shots and better masking Notre Dame's defensive inadequacies. You can credit Harangody's co-stars Tim Abromaitis, Ben Hansbrough and Carleton Scott for shouldering more of the scoring load now that they couldn't simply stand around after dumping it inside. 

Just don't attribute Notre Dame's success to Harangody's absence. We learned today that with a healthy Harangody and an improved supporting cast, the Irish are more dangerous than ever.