Jazz-Warriors Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Feb 02 2012 3:03AM

With nearly one-third of their 66-game season complete, the Utah Jazz have played a league-low six road games.

Their schedule is about to start balancing out.

Beginning a stretch of 14 of 20 on the road, Utah goes for the season sweep in Oakland in Thursday night's matchup with the Golden State Warriors.

Despite Wednesday's 107-105 loss to the Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Clippers, the Jazz (12-8) have been outstanding at home, winning 10 of 14.

Utah, though, has just two victories outside Salt Lake City, losing four times on the road by at least 15 points.

The Jazz won their first road game of the season on Jan. 7, 88-87 over the Warriors as Gordon Hayward, who finished with a team-best 18 points, hit the go-ahead free throw with 11 seconds left.

Utah will face a Golden State team trying to build off Tuesday's 93-90 victory over Sacramento. Sticking with his reserves for nearly all of the fourth quarter, coach Mark Jackson's gamble to leave Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry on the bench paid off as Brandon Rush finished with four 3-pointers and carried the Warriors (7-12) in the final 12 minutes with 15 of his season-high 20 points.

"Anytime you've got some home-run hitters in that starting lineup, it's a tough decision because you know what you're going to get offensively," Jackson said.

But that really hasn't been the case lately with Ellis - the team leader with 20.8 points per game. He's scored 29 total points on 27.9 percent shooting over the last three games.

Ellis, though, made a career-high 16 free throws and finished with 32 points last month versus Utah.

The Jazz will also have to keep an eye on Rush, who has made 15 of 19 3-point attempts over the last seven games. He's the NBA's most accurate long range shooter at 59.3 percent.

"I think I'm getting better looks," said Rush, who hit four 3s and scored 14 points on Jan. 7. "... (My) confidence is high."

Jazz backup point guard Earl Watson, Rush's former Indiana Pacers teammate, will make the trip to Oakland, but he is doubtful after suffering a severely sprained left ankle on Wednesday.

That could put even more pressure on Devin Harris, who is dealing with a sore left hamstring.

Jazz shooting guard Raja Bell is questionable after missing two games with a strained right adductor.

If he can't go, Hayward will likely start in his spot, with Josh Howard rounding out the frontcourt with Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson, who had team highs with 27 points and 12 boards on Wednesday after sitting one game with an inflamed right ankle.

Jefferson had 15 points and grabbed eight boards last month in Oakland.

Warriors forward David Lee scored 13 points and finished with 15 rebounds in that contest. Lee, though, has 17 total boards in the last three games as Golden State has been outrebounded by an average of 15.7 during this stretch.

Curry was out with a sprained right ankle the last time Utah was in town. He poured in a team-best 47 total points in the Jazz's previous two visits.

Curry, Ellis lead Warriors past Jazz 119-101

Posted Feb 03 2012 2:10AM

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Monta Ellis didn't seem too impressed with Golden State's best offensive performance of the season.

It was the Warriors defense which had Ellis grinning in the locker room afterward - and had coach Mark Jackson propping up his backcourt as one of the top tandems in the NBA.

Ellis scored 33 points, Stephen Curry added 29 points and a season-high 12 assists and Golden State capped its longest homestand of the season with a 119-101 win over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night.

"We can do that every night but it comes down to us getting stops on the defensive end and getting out and running like we normally do," Ellis said. "We did a nice job boxing out, getting rebounds and getting out and running, getting into transition and playing Warrior basketball."

Curry and Ellis, who were on the bench for most of the fourth quarter in Tuesday's win over Sacramento when coach Mark Jackson played mainly reserves, didn't get much of a rest against the Jazz while leading the Warriors to their highest point total of the season.

The two played nearly 40 minutes each and combined with David Lee for 85 points.

"At their best, I'd put them up against anybody in the game," Jackson said. "We know what they're capable of doing. The challenge to them is not to tease us."

Ellis scored 16 of his points in the third, including the final five of a 15-6 run to close out the period.

He added five in the fourth before he and Curry left to a standing ovation from the Oracle Arena crowd.

That was in stark contrast to the win over Sacramento when Ellis, Curry and center Andris Biedrins sat on the bench for almost all of the fourth quarter. Ellis didn't talk to reporters following the game and Jackson's only comments were in support of his bench.

If there was any lingering issue between the two, Ellis didn't show it. He went 13 of 21 from the floor and added four assists.

"It was a great feeling," Ellis said. "We were having fun, making plays for each other and helping each other out on the defensive end."

Curry also had a solid night shooting, going 10 of 14. He and Ellis also had three steals apiece.

Lee added 23 points and 14 rebounds for the Warriors. Golden State has won two straight since losing the first four games on its six-game homestand.

Paul Milsap had 15 points and 11 rebounds for Utah.

The Jazz played without starting point guard Devin Harris, who was a late scratch due to a strained left hamstring, and backup Earl Watson (sprained left ankle). both were hurt in Wednesday's loss to the Clippers.

"We've got to stay together and fight with the ones we have healthy," Utah coach Tyrone Corbin said. "We didn't really get into our offensive sets, and then on defense they beat us on the boards, beat us to the loose balls and just out-hustled us.

Utah, coming off a 107-105 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, trailed by five with 5 minutes remaining in the half but pulled even after Jefferson powered through the lane for a dunk that tied the score at 46-46. Curry then made an 18-footer with five-tenths of a second left to give the Warriors a two-point halftime lead.

NOTES: Jamaal Tinsley, who was out of the NBA entirely in 2011, tried to pick up the slack in his first start since Nov. 30, 2009. He had four assists in the first quarter, scored six straight points in the second to help the Jazz stick close and finished with nine points, 13 assists and six rebounds. ... Corbin knew Watson would be unavailable but didn't learn Harris would be out until less than an hour before tip-off. ... Golden State, which lost to Utah 88-87 on Jan. 7, shot 46.9 percent for the game.

Notebook: Warriors 119, Jazz 101

By Steve R. Waterhouse, for NBA.com
Posted Friday February 3, 2012 2:07AM

THE FACTS: Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry combined on a 62-point effort as the Warriors scored a season high in points to beat the Jazz 119-101. Ellis' 33-point effort included a season-high 17 in the third quarter. He shot 13 of 21 and has five 30-plus point games this season -- two against the Jazz. Curry added 29 on a 10-for-14 effort and dished out a season-high 12 assists.

QUOTEABLE: "They are a dynamic backcourt that can score. And at their best, I would put them up against anybody in the game. We know what they're capable of."
-- Warriors coach Mark Jackson on the play of Ellis and Curry.

THE STAT: The Warriors limited their turnovers to a season-low eight, tying Tuesday's total in a win over Sacramento. They also helped themselves on the glass with 22 offensive rebounds that led to 28 second-chance points.

TURNING POINT: The Warriors closed out the third quarter with a 13-2 run and opened the fourth with a 5-0 run that turned a 75-all tie into a 93-77 lead.

NOTEABLE: The Warriors closed out this six-game homestand with a 3-3 mark. ... After a rough start, David Lee played a big factor in the second half with 17 points. Lee was 2 of 12 in the first half with six points. He finished with a 9-for-23, 23-point, 14-rebound effort. ... Andris Biedrins grabbed eight rebounds in the first quarter -- a team-high this season. He finished with nine boards and played a season-high 28 minutes. Though, he was the only starter who didn't score a point. ... Jamaal Tinsley, who started for injured Devin Harris, scored nine points and dished out 13 assists for the Jazz. ... Gordon Hayward led Utah with 21 points and Al Jefferson and Josh Howard scored 19 apiece.

HOT: Dorell Wright (13 points), Lee, Ellis and Curry combined on a 62.5-percent shooting effort in a 40-point third quarter. The Warriors scored 71 points in the second half -- tied for the most in a half by any team this season.

QUOTEABLE II: "We really, in the second half, separated ourselves offensively. We executed, we took care of the basketball, we limited their second-chance opportunities and we defended. It was a thing of beauty -- unselfish basketball. You look at David (Lee) struggling early on shooting the basketball, but he continued to battle. I couldn't be more satisfied with the effort collectively."
-- Jackson.

IN THE ARENA: In addition to Warriors owners Peter Guber and Joe Lacob was self-help author and motivational speaker Tony Robbins.

UP NEXT: For the Jazz, Saturday vs. Los Angeles Lakers, Monday @ New York, Tuesday @ Indiana. For the Warriors, Saturday @ Sacramento, Tuesday vs. Oklahoma City, Thursday @ Denver.

• Jazz: --
• Warriors: Brown, Wright

• Jazz: Corbin, Millsap
• Warriors: Tyler

• Lead Changes: 13
• Times Tied: 11

• Arena: ORACLE Arena, Oakland, CA
• Officials: #49 Tom Washington, #30 John Goble, #34 Kevin Cutler
• Attendance: 18123
• Duration: 2:06