Utah Jazz win third-straight with victory over the New Orleans Hornets
The Utah Jazz (11-5) won their third-straight game with a 105-87 victory over the New Orleans Hornets (11-3). For the Hornets, who opened the season with eight straight wins, they have
now dropped two straight for the first time all season.
Deron Williams, 4-for-5 from deep, led his team with 26 points, 11 assists, and five steals while Al Jefferson had a solid double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Paul Millsap, enjoying
the best season of his career, had 17 points and seven rebounds while Andrei Kirilenko struggled from the field, going 0-for-6. Starter Raja Bell chipped in with nine points while Francisco Elson and Ronnie Price had eight points each off the bench.
Hornets’ point guard Chris Paul had 17 points, nine assists, and five steals while David West chipped in with 15 points and five rebounds. Emeka Okafor led his team in rebounding, grabbing
10 boards to go along with seven points while Marco Belinelli and Trevor Ariza had 10 and nine points, respectively. Willie Green led all bench scorers with 13 points while Jason Smith added in six off the bench.
Scoring the last six points for the Jazz in the first quarter, Williams helped them to a slim 31-30 lead heading into the second frame. And it was the Utah bench players who went on a
13-4 run to begin the second quarter, building Utah’s lead to 44-34. The Jazz would take a 61-51 lead into the break.
After a close third quarter, the Hornets cut the lead to five points early in the fourth but the combination of Williams and Jefferson down the stretch was too much to handle. Williams
had seven points in the final quarter while Jefferson had 10 to help the Jazz outscore the Hornets 25-15 in the final frame for the win.
What they said
Last night’s game featured a battle between Paul and Williams, two of the best point guards in the game. Jefferson told reporters after the game it was fun to just be a part of it. "I've
always followed that matchup. To be a part of it and see it up-close-and-personal is amazing. They know each other well, have been playing against each other a long time. To see D-Will step his game up to a whole 'other level tonight was just fun to watch."
Williams said he always enjoys playing against his good friend Paul. "We always have fun playing against each other. We are good friends off the court. But on the court we always like
to battle."
Paul said even though the point guard battle attracts most of the
attention, basketball remains a team game. "It's always the New Orleans Hornets versus the Utah Jazz. We [him and Williams] have not played a one-on-one game since we've been in this league. It was a collective [win] for them. They executed and we didn't."
Tags: