Jazz-76ers Preview

By TOM CASTRO
Posted Mar 08 2012 4:34PM

Evan Turner helped the struggling Philadelphia 76ers earn what they hope was a key victory their last time out. They may need a similar performance from him if they want to end their struggles against the Utah Jazz.

The Sixers' new starting shooting guard looks to build on arguably the best performance of his career when his team, seeking its first back-to-back wins in nearly a month, tries to begin turning around a long run of futility against the Jazz on Friday night.

Philadelphia (23-17) routed Boston 103-71 on Wednesday behind 26 points and nine rebounds from Turner, who made his second straight start after coming off the bench all season. Coach Doug Collins said Turner, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 draft, would remain a starter for the long haul.

"Evan is a great leader," Collins said. "He worked his tail off to be a better basketball player in the offseason and he was when he came back. When he didn't start, I know a part of him said 'I should be.' But he didn't say anything. Evan has extreme confidence. He thinks he's the best player on this team."

Turner had plenty of help Wednesday, as six 76ers scored in double figures. Philadelphia, which came in having lost eight of 10, increased its Atlantic Division lead over the Celtics to two games.

"I'm just trying to build off this and enjoy the moment," Turner said. "I'm not saying 'I told you so.'"

Philadelphia last won two in a row Feb. 11-13, and its history against Utah suggests that drought could continue Friday. The Jazz have won 35 of the last 44 meetings and eight of nine, taking the first matchup of the season 102-99 on Dec. 30 at Salt Lake City.

Turner went 0 for 5 from the field and didn't score in that game, and Philadelphia lost despite having five players score in double figures, led by Jrue Holliday with 22 and Louis Williams with 20. Williams, though, missed a potential tying shot with 5.9 seconds left and a 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

Derrick Favors had a career-high 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while Paul Millsap scored 14 points with 14 rebounds for Utah, which heads into the rematch having won two in a row and four of five.

Like the Sixers, the Jazz (19-19) also have a player coming off a dominant game, as Al Jefferson had 31 points, nine rebounds and five assists in a 99-93 victory over Charlotte on Wednesday.

Utah, 2-1 on its five-game road trip, outscored the Bobcats 54-36 in the paint and outrebounded them 43-34.

"Al was doing a good job of passing the ball tonight," coach Tyrone Corbin said. "We need to touch that thing inside before we take our jump shots. That's who we are. We go through him and need him to make the right plays. ... We know if they come and double him we want to make sure we space the floor and make the right plays."

The Jazz have given up 95.2 points per game in the last five after allowing 102.5 during a four-game losing streak that preceded their current surge.

Williams, Young lift 76ers past Jazz, 104-91

Posted Mar 10 2012 1:34AM

PHILADELPHIA (AP) The Philadelphia 76ers are getting healthy at the right time.

Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young scored 21 points each, lifting the Philadelphia 76ers past the Utah Jazz 104-91 on Friday night.

Evan Turner had 16 points and 12 rebounds, Jrue Holiday also scored 16 points, and Andre Iguodala added 10 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for the Sixers, who followed Wednesday's 32-point victory over the Boston Celtics with another impressive performance.

Young returned with a strong effort following a one-game absence with an upper respiratory illness.

"The other day, I couldn't even get out of bed," said Young, who shot 8 for 17 and also had six rebounds. "Even (Thursday), I didn't feel all that well and was congested. I felt much better and had good energy out there."

So did Turner, who was especially impressive in his third consecutive start. Two nights ago, he scored a career-high 26 points and added nine rebounds. Against the Jazz, he kept the momentum going with another steady floor game.

"Evan is such a versatile player," forward Elton Brand said. "He's such a threat out there on the court."

The Sixers got off to a 20-9 start thanks in large part to a deep bench. It had been depleted with a rash of injuries, but only center Spencer Hawes remains out with a strained left Achilles. Hawes is hoping to be back by the middle of next week.

Philadelphia is 12-2 with Hawes in the lineup.

"It means a lot," Brand said of being healthy. "It's good to have just about a full group back. You can see what it means."

Paul Millsap had 15 points to lead the Jazz while Derrick Favors and Al Jefferson added 14 each. Gordon Hayward had 13 and Devin Harris 10 as Utah snapped a two-game winning streak.

The Sixers led 78-68 after the third quarter and increased their advantage to 89-74 midway through the fourth. Holiday scored the Sixers' first seven points in the fourth and Williams took control from there with six points in the quarter.

"This was one of the most complete games Lou has played," Sixers coach Doug Collins said.

Utah never got closer than eight the rest of the way.

"We've got to let this go," Millsap said. "We can't feel sorry for ourselves."

The Jazz had climbed back to .500 by winning two of the first three on a five-game road trip that concludes Saturday at Chicago.

Unlike the previous two games - a 109-99 win at Cleveland and a 99-93 victory at Charlotte - the Jazz could never get into an offensive rhythm against the Sixers. Utah shot 41 percent, including 3 for 11 from 3-point territory.

"We didn't make any jump shots," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. "They weren't falling."

The Sixers shot 51 percent from the field in the first half and took a 49-47 lead at halftime.

NOTES: Utah assistant coach Jeff Hornacek received a technical foul with 5:11 left in the third quarter. ... Sixers director of statistical information Harvey Pollack celebrated his 90th birthday and was honored by the team during the game. Pollack has been with the league since its inaugural 1946-47 season, and he wrote the "100" sign held by Wilt Chamberlain following his record-setting 100-point performance against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962.

Notebook: Sixers 104, Jazz 91

Posted Friday March 9, 2012 10:38PM

By Andy Jasner, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams scored 21 points each to lead five players in double figures as the Philadelphia 76ers cruised to a 104-91 victory over the Utah Jazz Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Evan Turner scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, Jrue Holiday had 16 points and Andre Iguodala chipped in with 10 for the Sixers, who improved to 24-17 and remained in first place in the Atlantic Division.

Paul Millsap paced the Jazz (19-20) with 15 points while Al Jefferson and Derrick Favors scored 14 points each. Gordon Hayward added 13 and Devin Harris 10 for Utah, which had won two in a row on the road.

QUOTABLE: "It's a great win for us. We have some momentum and now we have to keep building on it."
-- Sixers forward Elton Brand.

THE STAT: Since allowing an opposing player to score 33 or more points in consecutive games, the Sixers haven't allowed an opposing player to score more than 16 in back-to-back wins over the Boston Celtics and the Jazz.

TURNING POINT: Earlier in the season, the Sixers had been relinquishing leads. They have reversed the trend in recent games. Philadelphia led 78-68 after the third quarter and quickly pushed it to 15 in the fourth.

HOT: Iguodala knocked down all five of his shots. More importantly, he played within the offense with terrific shot selection throughout the game.

NOT: Josh Howard missed all six shots in 21 minutes. He was never a factor for the Jazz.

QUOTABLE II: "I really think we locked in defensively."
-- Holiday.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Iguodala was stellar once again with 10 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.

INSIDE THE ARENA: There was a large crowd of 18,512 for Friday's matchup with the Jazz. During the game, the fans gave a huge ovation to Harvey Pollack. Pollack, the Sixers' director of statistical information, is celebrating his 90th birthday. Pollack began working in the league in its inaugural season in 1946-47. He is famously known for writing the "100" sign held by the late Wilt Chamberlain when he scored 100 points against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962.

QUOTABLE III: "They are just physical. They had their hands on us. They took us out of our rhythm a little bit. They made the guys on the wings catch the ball one or two steps out. We started getting it into the paint and they really did a good job of funneling to the ball."
-- Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin on the Sixers' defense.

GOOD MOVE: Not only did Turner receive his third straight start, but he played the point for long stretches, which allowed Holiday to play off the ball. The strategy worked and especially helped in the halfcourt offense.

BAD MOVE: The Jazz didn't go inside enough to Jefferson, who leads the team in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots. Jefferson could have had more opportunities, but simply didn't get the ball enough or get to the free throw line enough.

ROOKIE WATCH: Jazz guard Alec Burks scored six points while center Enes Kanter was scoreless. For the Sixers, Nikola Vucevic had six points and five rebounds while Lavoy Allen was scoreless in a brief stint for less than a minute.

NOTABLE: Jazz assistant coach Jeff Hornacek was whistled for a technical foul with 5:11 remaining in the third quarter. ... Turner has three double-doubles this season, one more than last season. ... Over the last six games, Iguodala has 41 assists with just six turnovers.

NEXT: For the Jazz, Saturday @ Chicago, Monday vs. Detroit, Wednesday @ Phoenix. For the Sixers, Sunday @ New York, Wednesday @ Indiana, Friday vs. Miami.

• Jazz: Carroll
• 76ers: Hawes

• Jazz: Hornacek
• 76ers: --

• Lead Changes: 9
• Times Tied: 9

• Arena: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
• Officials: #14 Ed Malloy, #34 Kevin Cutler, #38 Michael Smith
• Attendance: 18512
• Duration: 2:05