RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) _ The wear and tear of 48 minutes of pressing defense and fast-break offense showed in the Boston Celtics' 93-92 NBA exhibition loss to the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.

The Celtics blew a 12-point halftime lead, losing on Byron Russell's free throw with 56 seconds left in the game.

"We need to be able to sustain the pace for both halves of the ball game," said Celtics coach Rick Pitino, who returned to Rupp Arena for the second time since leaving Kentucky in 1997 to take over the Celtics.

"This is a new pace for everybody in basketball," Pitino said. "If we can sustain the pace we had in the first half, we will have more success. When we slow down and play under the influence of fatigue, we lose."

Russell and Jeff Hornacek led the Jazz (3-3) with 17 points each. Hornacek had 13 points in the second half, while Russell had 10. Olden Polynice had nine rebounds and 11 points for the Jazz.

Dana Barros led the Celtics (2-3) with 22 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field, while Paul Pierce had 14 points and Vitaly Potapenko grabbed 10 rebounds.

An announced crowd of 10,123 filled less than half the seats at Rupp Arena to see Pitino and a number of his former players in action. The Celtics have three former Wildcats on their roster: Walter McCarty, Antoine Walker and Wayne Turner, who sat out with a contusion of his right big toe.

"This isn't the first time we've been back, but we certainly enjoy coming back to town," he said. "I'm sure it's very exciting for the players who lived in the area to get to come back and play."

Former Kentucky forward Scott Padgett, who was the first-round draft pick of the Jazz in June, had four rebounds and scored five points, all in the second half.

"I think I did well the second half," Padgett said. "The first half, I don't know, I was a little antsy."

The Celtics led throughout the first half, building their margin to 12 at halftime after Barros hit three straight shots, including two 3-pointers, to close the second quarter.

"I thought the first half was great," Pitino said. "I thought it was a tale of two halves."

Utah whittled away in the third quarter, as Padgett scored all his points on consecutive baskets and the Jazz took the lead on two free throws by Torraye Braggs with 4:06 left in the quarter.

Utah took a 92-90 lead on a 3-pointer by Pete Chilcutt with 2:32 left.

Kenny Anderson tied it with a drive and layup before Russell put the Jazz ahead for good. Anderson then missed a 12-foot jumper, with Russell grabbing the rebound.

At the other end, Chilcutt missed a 3-pointer but the Jazz got the offensive rebound and Jacque Vaughn ran out the clock while evading the Celtics' attempts to foul.

Utah has two remaining preseason games, at home against Indiana, and against the Los Angeles Lakers in Anaheim, Calif., before they open the regular season at home Nov. 2 against the Lakers.

The Celtics play Atlanta in Biloxi, Miss., at home against Washington and against the Wizards at Springfield, Mass., before opening Nov. 2 at Toronto.

NOTES: Turner, trying to make the Celtics as a rookie free agent, did not dress and sat behind the Celtics' bench with current Kentucky center Jamaal Magloire. ... Though the Jazz were designated the home team, the Celtics arrived in Lexington first, on Thursday, and Pitino installed his team in the home locker room at Rupp Arena. ... Utah forward Karl Malone is out with a lower back strain and did not make the trip.