Bucks-Jazz Preview

By KATE HEDLIN
Posted Jan 03 2012 1:49AM

After missing the Utah Jazz's home opener last week, Al Jefferson has looked solid in his first two games back.

Jefferson and the Jazz seek to win their 10th consecutive home meeting with the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.

While Utah (2-3) is rebuilding after a losing season around young talent like Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter, veterans such as Jefferson remain the biggest contributors for now.

Jefferson is averaging 16.5 points and 8.0 rebounds through his first four games of 2011-12. After sitting out Friday's home opener - a 102-99 win over Philadelphia - with an inflamed right ankle, he had 21 points and 11 rebounds in a loss at San Antonio on Saturday and 22 points and six boards in a 94-90 win over New Orleans on Monday.

Both of Utah's victories have come at home, while it's dropped its three road games by an average of 19.0 points.

With Jefferson drawing plenty of attention from opposing defenses, Devin Harris took advantage in the win over the Hornets, finishing with 19 points and five assists.

"With Al playing the way he's playing, he's going to command a double team," Harris said. "And you'll get open shots on the weak side. Playing through him is working for us."

Harris had 19 points in the victory over the 76ers as well, but he's averaged 7.7 points while shooting 36.4 percent on the road.

The Jazz would seem to have an excellent chance to improve to 3-0 at home against Milwaukee (2-2), which has dropped its last nine visits to Utah and 11 of 13 overall in the series.

The Bucks are also 0-2 on the road overall this season after losing 91-86 at Denver on Monday. Milwaukee led by six points after three quarters but got outscored 23-12 in a horrendous fourth, shooting 5 of 22 over the final 12 minutes.

Point guard Brandon Jennings, who came in averaging 22.7 points, finished with 12. He also had a season-high six turnovers and a season-low three assists.

It was a disappointing effort to begin a five-game road trip for the Bucks, who have struggled to protect leads in all four of their games. They blew a 14-point advantage in their season opener, a 96-95 loss to Charlotte on Dec. 26.

It didn't help Monday that the Bucks were without starting shooting guard Mike Dunleavy, who didn't make the trip to Denver because of an undisclosed illness. Carlos Delfino started in his place and finished with 14 points and nine rebounds.

"We didn't play very well. We kind of threw the ball all over the place," coach Scott Skiles said. "We gave ourselves a chance but we missed layups and we missed open shots."

Milwaukee gets an off day Wednesday before concluding its road trip with three games in four nights.

Jefferson scores 26 in Jazz's 85-73 win over Bucks

Posted Jan 04 2012 12:52AM

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) When Utah's Al Jefferson was told Andrew Bogut was a surprise scratch from the Milwaukee Bucks' lineup on Tuesday, he replied with just two words: "Thank God!"

Jefferson has often struggled against the Australian center, but took advantage of Bogut's absence with 26 points and 10 rebounds in the Jazz's 85-73 victory over the Bucks.

"I looked at it like I had a good opportunity to get going. I wanted to be more active," Jefferson said.

After shooting 2 for 16 in the season opener, Jefferson has steadily improved to again take his place as the centerpiece of Utah's offense.

"I've been a scorer all my life. That's why I didn't panic after that first game," he said. "My teammates have kept their trust in me and kept getting the ball into me."

Paul Millsap had 13 points and 12 rebounds and Gordon Hayward added 12 points for the Jazz. Hayward scored five points on back-to-back possessions and Millsap added a jumper on the next offensive set to clinch the game with 1:07 to play.

"They gambled a little bit and overextended themselves and I was able to take advantage of it," Hayward said.

Drew Gooden had 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Bucks but didn't have the inside presence of Bogut as the Jazz had plenty of point-blank looks at the basket. Bogut missed the game due to personal matters and Mike Dunleavy was out with groin pain.

"It's tough," Gooden said. "We can't win scoring 70-80 points."

The Bucks also won't win many games unless they shoot better. Led by Brandon Jennings' 4-for-19 performance, the Bucks were just 31 percent and had 10 shots blocked by the Jazz, including a career-best five by Derrick Favors.

"Derrick was superman out there with his five blocks. He did a great job converging on shots inside," Utah coach Ty Corbin said.

The game marked the third back-to-back set of the compressed season for the Jazz. They lost the back end of the other two, but were playing at home on consecutive nights for the first time since 2008 and improved to 3-0 in Energy Solutions Arena.

"When we bring the energy and the crowd gets behind us, it's just kind of a snowball effect and we're able to create a run," Hayward said.

The Jazz experienced injury problems of their own with Josh Howard and Devin Harris. With 1:53 left in the first quarter, Howard went to locker room with left quad strain and did not return. Harris left the game with 6:37 left in the third period with a strained left calf and also missed the rest of the contest.

Millsap limped off the court midway through the fourth quarter but returned to help the Jazz close out the Bucks. The injuries forced the Jazz to play rookie Alec Burks a season-high 28 minutes and showed some odd combinations Corbin hadn't played before.

"With our team, we're going to have to use everybody and Burks maximized his time," Corbin said after Burks finished with nine points and six assists.

The Bucks couldn't hit open jumpers and had little luck driving into the paint. Stephen Jackson was the only other Milwaukee player in double figures with 16 points but shot 5 for 17.

"It was a big deal for us to get stops. We know we can score, but we need to stop people," Favors said.

The Jazz, who lead the league in blocked shots, took advantage of Bogut's absence early to get 30 points in the paint in the first half and block nine Bucks shots on their way to a 43-34 halftime edge. Poor free-throw shooting and 14 first-half turnovers were all that kept the Bucks within striking distance.

Utah finished with 24 turnovers, but was in front since midway through the first quarter.

NOTES: Though Jefferson was relieved not to oppose him in this game, he wished Bogut the best in whatever personal matters he's facing. . Former Milwaukee coach and current University of Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak was in attendance. . Milwaukee's last win in Salt Lake City was October 30, 2001, when Ray Allen had 32 points. . The Bucks set a season low in a half with just 34 points in the first two periods and Milwaukee finished 2 for 21 from beyond the arc.

Notebook: Jazz 85, Bucks 73

By Andrew Aragon, for NBA.com
Posted Wednesday January 4, 2012 12:27AM

THE FACTS: Al Jefferson took advantage of Andrew Bogut's absence, scoring a season-high 26 points with 10 rebounds to lead the Utah Jazz to an 85-73 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.

Paul Millsap also had a double-double for the Jazz with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Derrick Favors had five of Utah's season-high 12 blocked shots.

Bogut missed the game for personal reasons. Drew Gooden started in his place and scored a team-high 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. The Bucks were also without Mike Dunleavy (groin pain) and Beno Udrih (left shoulder sprain) because of injuries.

QUOTABLE: "Derrick Favors was the one who set the tone and came in off the bench and got like five blocked shots in one quarter. He set the tone and everybody got active. That's what it's going to take to win games."
-- Jazz center Al Jefferson deflecting kudos for Utah's victory to Favors.

THE STAT: You won't win many games in the NBA shooting the ball the way the Bucks did on Tuesday night. They shot 30.5 percent overall and 9.5 percent from 3-point range.

TURNING POINT: The Bucks went through several scoring droughts, but none were more costly than a near-eight minute stretch in the fourth quarter. Milwaukee made four free throws and no baskets during a 7:41 span. The Bucks, despite a horrendous shooting night, were in striking distance, trailing 62-57 early in the fourth quarter before going ice cold. The Jazz pulled away, taking a 74-63 lead while the Bucks threw up bricks.

QUOTABLE II: "Six games in eight days are tough. Everyone's tired, but they came out with a great energy at the end of the game. These kinds of games are tough. (The Bucks) had a couple guys out of their lineup and you think it's going to be easy, but they hung around and we had a ballgame. Our guys did a great job."
-- Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin on his team wrapping up a rough stretch of six games in eight days. Utah now has two days off before facing Memphis on Friday.

HOT: Millsap, a fan favorite who briefly left the game in the fourth quarter with a knee injury, shot 6-for-7. Gordon Hayward shot 5-for-7 and scored 12 points. Gooden was one of few bright spots for the Bucks, as he shot an efficient 12-for-20 and gave Milwaukee a much-needed inside presence.

NOT: Pick a Buck. Almost any Buck. Brandon Jennings shot 4-for-19. Carlos Delfino was 0-for-7. Ersan Ilyasova was like the guy in a pick-up game who won't stop shooting and starts getting glares from his teammates. When he got pulled out of the game with 4:21 left in the first quarter, he led Milwaukee in shots attempted. The problem was, he was just 1-for-5 at the time, and he finished shooting 2-for-9. For the Jazz, C.J. Miles struggled from the field, shooting 3-for-11.

GOOD MOVE: Corbin's substitutions are one of the more entertaining aspects of Jazz games. It's the antithesis of everyone in the building knowing exactly when Jerry Sloan would substitute for John Stockton and Karl Malone. Corbin started the fourth quarter with journeyman Jamaal Tinsley running the point, rookies Alec Burks and Enes Kanter, Favors and Miles. He replaced Kanter with Jefferson less than two minutes into the fourth, and the Jazz then held the Bucks without a basket for nearly eight minutes.

ROOKIE WATCH: Burks' shooting line was Bucks-like at 1-for-6, but he had arguably the most productive game of his career. He played 27 minutes and scored seven of his nine points from the free-throw line while dishing six assists. Kanter continues to provide the Jazz with hustle plays when his number is called. He had five points and five rebounds in 12 minutes. For the Bucks, Jon Leuer went scoreless, shooting 0-for-4 in eight minutes.

NOTABLE: The Jazz lost two players to injury in Tuesday's game. Josh Howard suffered a left quad strain in the first quarter and did not return. Devin Harris strained his left calf in the third quarter and was done for the day. Both players are listed as day-to-day. Utah has defeated Milwaukee 10 straight times at home. The Bucks' 73 points were a season low.

UP NEXT: For the Bucks, Thursday at Sacramento, Saturday at L.A. Clippers, Sunday at Phoenix. For the Jazz, Friday vs. Grizzlies, Saturday @ Golden State, Tuesday vs. Cavaliers.

• Bucks: Harris, Hobson
• Jazz: --

• Bucks: Jackson
• Jazz: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
• Officials: #71 Rodney Mott, #55 Bill Kennedy, #72 JT Orr
• Attendance: 17756
• Duration: 2:07