Utah Jazz get home win against the New Jersey Nets
The Utah Jazz (8-4) got past the New Jersey Nets (4-7) with a 98-88 victory on Wednesday 17 November at the EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.
In a game where all five of Utah’s starters scored at least 15 points and none of their reserves scored more than two, the Jazz were led by their point guard Deron Williams, who finished
with 23 points and eight assists, going 12-for-13 from the free throw line. Paul Millsap, enjoying his most productive season of his career, finished with 19 points and a team-high 15 rebounds while Al Jefferson had 16 points, pulling down nine boards. Andrei
Kirilenko and Raja Bell chipped in with 15 points apiece with Kirilenko registering a game-high four blocks.
Second-year player Anthony Morrow led the Nets with 24 points and seven rebounds while point guard Devin Harris finished with 19 points and eight assists. Kris Humphries, coming over from
the Dallas Mavericks over the off-season, scored eight points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Brook Lopez, who fouled out late in the game, had 17 points and eight rebounds while Travis Outlaw, just 1-for-12 from the field, finished with three points and seven rebounds.
Jordan Farmar led all bench scorers with seven points.
Neither team seemed to have it going last night, with the Jazz shooting 40 per cent on the night while the Nets made only 38 per cent of their attempts. Both teams were cold from three-point
range as well with the Nets going 4-for-21 while the Jazz went only 1-for-12.
The game was close until the final quarter, with the Jazz holding a 53-47 lead at the break. Up by seven points entering the final quarter, the Nets made a run, getting to within five
points late in the game. The shot of the night was probably a 16-foot jumper by Bell with just over two minutes remaining to give the Jazz a 93-86 lead. Utah would hold on from there for the win.
What they said
The Jazz recorded 19 assists on the night compared to 11 for the Nets. Players said sharing the ball is part of who they are.
"We shared the ball and it was moving a lot," said Millsap. "Not just one guy or two guys were pounding the ball. Guys were moving and setting screens and making things happen on offense
like they are supposed to."
Kirilenko said nobody is selfish on the Jazz.
"Everybody played very unselfish and moved the ball fast, getting that extra pass to the open shooter. I liked it. In the perfect game, everybody scores lots of points."
Utah coach Jerry Sloan praised the Nets for their ability to stay in the game.
"We had to have a pretty good game to be able to beat them," he said. "I thought they stayed in there. They're well-coached and they did everything they could to get in the game.”
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