Jazz-Warriors Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Jan 07 2012 2:42AM

Although he is sometimes labeled as selfish, Golden State's Monta Ellis has developed into one of the league's premier scorers over the past few seasons.

He hasn't looked like one, however, against the Utah Jazz on the Warriors' home floor.

Ellis hopes for better luck against the Jazz at Oracle Arena in 2012 in their first meeting of the season Saturday night.

Ellis has finished in the top eight in scoring each of the previous two seasons, and is off to another strong start, averaging a team-high 22.8 points for Golden State (2-5). He finished with 18 points, 10 assists and five steals Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers, but it wasn't enough as the Warriors fell 97-90, their fourth straight defeat.

Golden State was playing without guard Stephen Curry, who sprained his right ankle in Wednesday's six-point loss to San Antonio, and his status for this game is uncertain.

Although Ellis is fully capable of taking over games offensively - like he did against the Spurs, scoring 38 - he has struggled mightily to find his shooting touch lately against Utah at Oracle Arena.

Ellis is averaging 11.3 points on 23.9 percent shooting in four home games against the Jazz over the previous two seasons. In the other 76 home games he has played since 2009-10, Ellis is averaging 26.8 points on 45.8 percent from the field.

With Ellis combining for 25 points on 10 of 31 shooting at home against the Jazz last season, Curry picked up the scoring slack, totaling 47 points to lead the Warriors to a pair of wins. Golden State, which lost both home games to Utah in 2009-10, took three of four in last season's series.

The Jazz (4-3) head to the Bay Area after defeating Memphis 94-85 on Friday to cap a perfect three-game homestand. Al Jefferson had 20 points and nine rebounds and Paul Millsap scored 14 on 7 of 9 shooting for Utah, which forced 20 turnovers and limited the Grizzlies to 38 second-half points. The Jazz also blocked 10 shots, raising their NBA-leading average to 7.9 per game.

"I thought our defense was about as good as I've seen it from one to five," coach Ty Corbin said. "The stuff we did on the defensive end was really encouraging."

Corbin will likely be even more encouraged if his team can carry that success to the road.

While the Jazz have won all four of their games in Salt Lake City, they've been outscored by an average of 19.0 points in losing their three road games. They're surrendering an average of 105.7 points on the road compared to 86.8 at home.

Utah could have better luck defensively against the Warriors, who are averaging 90.3 points under first-year coach Mark Jackson, fifth-worst in the league.

The Jazz hope to take advantage of Golden State's offensive struggles and notch a fourth straight victory for the first time since a seven-game run from Nov. 20-Dec. 1, 2010.

"Everything is going the right direction. I feel like we're just scratching the surface," guard Earl Watson said. "The positive energy on the team is just amazing."

Hayward's late free throw lifts Jazz over Warriors

By ANTONIO GONZALEZ
Posted Jan 08 2012 2:14AM

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Gordon Hayward took the pass from Devin Harris, glanced up at the clock and decided not to wait.

With the game tied and time ticking down from 14.9 seconds, Hayward showed the kind of aggressiveness that had been missing this young season, sprinting up court and drawing a foul on Brandon Rush on a layup attempt between two defenders.

Music to the Jazz's ears.

Hayward made a go-ahead free throw with 11 seconds remaining to cap a breakout game for the former Butler sensation, lifting the Utah Jazz past the Golden State Warriors 88-87 on Saturday night for their fourth straight victory.

"I think I got it, I looked at the clock and realized we were tied, so I was going to push it and see what I could get," Hayward said. "There's not much better of a look that you can get than a fast-break layup. I just tried to push it and find something."

After a slow start this season, the lanky forward seemed to finally find his rhythm.

Hayward finished with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists, and Al Jefferson added 15 points and eight rebounds for a Jazz team that relied on its defense with an off night shooting at just 39.5 percent. The Warriors shot 41.4 percent.

"When we got down, we didn't break at all," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. "The guys kept encouraging each other, `Come on, man, we right in there.'

"It was just great to be a part of."

Monta Ellis had 32 points and six assists before an all-advised past that led to Hayward's free throw and missed a running bank shot at the buzzer to send Golden State to its fifth straight loss. Stephen Curry and starting center Andris Biedrins sat out for the second straight game with sprained right ankles for the Warriors

In a season that started out with so much promise under the new ownership's reconstruction, Golden State is suddenly 2-6 and in last place in the Western Conference under rookie coach Mark Jackson.

"The great teams think, `What's going to happen now to win this game?"' Jackson said. "The teams that have a history of losing think, `What's going to happen that's been happening that's going to cause us to lose?'

"We've got to turn it and make things happen."

An otherwise strong defensive game turned into an offensive outpouring late.

Golden State built a six-point lead in the fourth quarter with a 9-4 run to start the period capped by Brandon Rush's 3-pointer. A series of turnovers and fouls put the Jazz in prime position to pounce, taking an 81-79 lead on Hayward's free throws with 4:50 remaining in what became a back-and-forth finish.

After Ellis jumped in the air for a pass that was picked off by Harris, Hayward received the ball and raced up court to draw a foul on Rush at the rim. He made the first free throw to put Utah up 88-87, and the Warriors took over with 9.9 seconds to play after rebounding Hayward's miss on the second.

Jackson called timeout and put the ball in Ellis' hands at half court.

Defended by brief one-time Warriors teammate Raja Bell, Ellis let the clock drain down and moved to his right, sending a shot that banked off the glass, touched the back rim and missed. He was 16 for 17 from the free-throw line, the most he has ever made in his career.

"It was a great shot, I'll take it any day," Ellis said. "I just didn't knock it down. Move on from it."

Said Bell: "You play the percentages, you try to take his right-hand drive away and hope that size will affect his shot and make him lean back a little bit. He missed one. Really, I didn't have a whole lot to do with it other than taking his angle away and making him shoot a tough one."

The wounded Warriors shook up the home team's plans again.

Curry will be examined in Charlotte on Monday night by Dr. Bob Anderson, who performed surgery on the point guard's troublesome ankle May 25, while Biedrins is expected back sooner.

The Jazz exploited Golden State's weaknesses in a hurry.

Utah sliced through the paint past backup center Kwame Brown for easy buckets almost at will, and the Warriors' undersized Nate Robinson-Ellis combo proved passive on defense.

The Jazz created endless passing lanes that led to several uncontested shots, getting off to an 18-6 start highlighted by Hayward's 3-pointer in the first quarter. The Warriors trimmed that cushion to five early in the second quarter behind a pair of 3-pointers by Robinson, with the 5-foot-9 guard flicking three fingers on both hands after each and waving his arms to the crowd.

After switching to a zone defense and pushing the tempo, a dazzling displaying of acrobaic layups and fadeaway jumpers by Ellis put Golden State in front for the first time in the final minute of the half. He finished with 10 points in the period - and 18 in the half - to give the Warriors a 46-45 lead at the break.

NOTES: Jazz reserve F Jeremy Evans sat out with a stomach virus. ... Rookie Charles Jenkins started in Curry's place but played only 9:51, while Robinson logged 27:16 off the bench. ... Golden State's crowd of 19,596 was its fourth sellout in five home games this season.

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Follow Antonio Gonzalez at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP

Notebook: Jazz 88, Warriors 87

By Geoff Lepper, for NBA.com
Posted Sunday January 8, 2012 2:38AM

THE FACTS: Gordon Hayward scored 18 points, including a go-ahead free throw with 11 seconds left, and the Utah Jazz pulled out their first road victory of the season, 88-87 against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. Utah survived a game-high 32 points from Golden State's Monta Ellis, whose fadeaway 12-footer at the buzzer drew iron but elicited no joy for the sellout crowd of 19,596 at Oracle Arena. Al Jefferson had 15 points, eight rebounds and three steals for the Jazz, who erased a seven-point deficit in the final 7:45.

QUOTABLE: "It feels great to get this first win on the road. . . . When we got down, we didn't break at all. The guys kept encouraging each other, 'Come on, we right in there.' It was just great to be a part of."
-- Utah coach Tyrone Corbin

THE STAT: The Jazz shot just 39.5 percent from the floor and allowed the Warriors to go 36.8 percent from the 3-point arc. But Utah converted 17 Golden State turnovers into 25 points -- including Hayward's free throw at the 11-second mark, a play that began with Raja Bell forcing a bad pass from Ellis and the Jazz turning it into a fastbreak at the other end. Hayward was fouled and converted one of two to break an 87-all tie for the last of six lead changes on the night.

TURNING POINT: The Warriors were leading 87-85 with less than two minutes to go when Klay Thompson came up with a critical steal off a poor Hayward pass. Golden State's first-round pick raced downcourt in a 2-on-1 break with Ellis at his side. But Thompson missed Ellis' signal to throw a lob pass, instead lasering the ball into the midsection of an airborne Ellis. Ellis tried to recover but missed a twisting 5-footer; Golden State wouldn't score again.

QUOTABLE II: "It was a relief. . . . Finally pulled one out on the road after getting blown out in the other one. So I think it's telltale that we got the win on a defensive stop. That's what coach has been harping on us for, playing better defense."
-- Hayward

HOT: Ellis bore the brunt of dragging the Warriors' offense in the absence of point guard Stephen Curry, and that translated to a never-ending parade to the foul line. Ellis went 16-for-17 to set a career high in made free throws.

GOOD MOVE: After allowing the Jazz to shoot 50 percent well into the second quarter, the Warriors' coaching staff switched things up with a 2-3 zone that dared the Jazz -- who came in ranked 26th in the league on 3-point shooting, at 26.8 percent -- to make open long-range jumpers. Utah went 18-for-53 the rest of the way (34.0 percent) from the floor and almost lost their fourth road game in as many tries because of it.

BETTER MOVE: Bell sat on the bench for most of the fourth quarter, but after Ellis blew by Josh Howard for a back-to-back hoops to give Golden State an 85-81 lead, Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin made his move. Bell came in and helped make life tough for Ellis on his final two possessions, even though the Warriors' leading scorer still felt he had a good look at the buzzer.

QUOTABLE III: "I told the guys, 'You think that the game was won or lost with Monta Ellis' runner, but that's not real basketball.' We didn't execute two 2-on-1 fast breaks. We didn't close out possessions defensively by gang rebounding. We allowed them second-shot opportunities. We made mistakes. We turned the basketball over. Give us one of those plays back, and we win the ballgame. Those are winning plays, and so many players seem to ignore those plays because the one that is shown is the runner in the lane. We lost the game before that."
-- Warriors coach Mark Jackson

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Nate Robinson, playing in his second game with the Warriors, continues to make a big impact with Curry gone. Robinson provided 11 points and five assists in 27 minutes Saturday.

ROOKIE WATCH: Utah's Enes Kanter latched onto seven rebounds in just 14 minutes. He also added six points and two blocks.

NOTABLE: Warriors center Andris Biedrins did not dress because of a sprained right ankle and toe. Kwame Brown started in his place and had eight points and seven rebounds in 31 minutes. . . . Golden State's David Lee had his third double-double of the season with 13 points and a season-high 15 boards. . . . Utah's Derrick Favors was the Jazz's biggest weapon off the bench, with 12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. . . . Brandon Rush went 4-for-6 from beyond the arc to tally 14 points for the Warriors.

UP NEXT: For the Warriors, Tuesday vs. Miami, Thursday vs. Orlando, Saturday @ Charlotte. For the Jazz, Tuesday vs. Cleveland, Wednesday vs. Lakers, Saturday vs. New Jersey.

• Jazz: Evans
• Warriors: Curry, Wright

• Jazz: Millsap
• Warriors: --

• Lead Changes: 6
• Times Tied: 11

• Arena: ORACLE Arena, Oakland, CA
• Officials: #13 Monty McCutchen, #12 Violet Palmer, #58 Josh Tiven
• Attendance: 19596
• Duration: 2:14