Warriors-Jazz Preview

By KATE HEDLIN
Posted Mar 17 2012 2:21AM

The Utah Jazz have been playing more consistently at home recently, but for their next game at EnergySolutions Arena, they'll be without their leading scorer.

Al Jefferson will be away Saturday night when the Jazz, seeking their fifth straight home win, face the Golden State Warriors.

Jefferson will also miss Utah's game Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers following the death of his grandmother earlier this week. His absence leaves the Jazz without their leading scorer (19 ppg) and rebounder (9.4 rpg).

Utah (21-22) is in must-win mode, sitting 11th in the Western Conference - 2 1/2 games behind Houston and Denver for the final two playoff spots. The Jazz have won two of three and six of 10 overall, but haven't been able to win more than two in a row since the middle of January.

They won 111-105 in overtime at home over Minnesota on Thursday, when Gordon Hayward's season-high 26 points led six Utah players in double figures. Paul Millsap missed a potential game-winning layup at the end of regulation, but added 16 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high eight steals.

"I don't want to be sitting there next summer, thinking of games like this and saying, 'I wish I would have done this or that.' We're going to put it all on the line," Millsap said.

The Jazz now will try to move above .500 for the first time since they were 15-14 on Feb. 17. They are 2-1 this season when Jefferson has not played.

Golden State (18-23) is in transition after trading leading scorer Monta Ellis earlier this week, but that doesn't mean the Jazz can afford to take it easy Saturday.

"We can't afford to relax against anybody with guys out," Utah coach Tyrone Corbin said. "We've got to continue to understand who we are, continue to fight and create a tempo. To take anybody lightly is a mistake."

The Warriors won their first game after trading of Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown to Milwaukee, but have since lost two straight while allowing an average of 112.5 points. They failed to recover from scoring 12 points in the first quarter against the Bucks on Friday, losing 120-98. David Lee scored 22 points and Klay Thompson added 19 in the defeat.

The Bucks never trailed in the game, led by as many as 30 points and outrebounded the Warriors 54-35, grabbing 16 offensive boards.

"We took all the punches and threw none. For the first time in a while we didn't make the team that we played against feel us. They did whatever they wanted to do. It was an embarrassing effort," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "They destroyed us. They treated us like we were their little brothers. Any way you look to define being thoroughly outplayed and physically beaten up, we made a case for it."

The Warriors and Jazz have split two meetings so far this season, both at Golden State.

Favors leads Jazz past Warriors 99-92

Posted Mar 18 2012 1:13AM

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Derrick Favors took advantage of his opportunity when the game was on the line.

"Most coaches will tell you need to just play your game and don't try to do anything you can't do. But when it got down to crunch time, I told myself, `I'm going to try and win this game,"' Favors said.

The 20-year-old power forward has rarely been on the court when a game is tight at the finish, but he made the most of his opportunity Saturday night.

Starting for Al Jefferson, Favors had career highs with 23 points and 17 rebounds to help the Utah Jazz edge the Golden State Warriors 99-92 in overtime.

"Coach (Ty Corbin) trusted me enough at the end of the game to keep me in, so I couldn't let him down," Favors said.

Jefferson, Utah's leading scorer and rebounder, was attending his grandmother's funeral in Mississippi.

Favors scored four of the first six points in overtime and the Jazz earned their sixth straight home win, and second straight in overtime.

"In overtime, they had home-court advantage and just overwhelmed us," said David Lee, who had 18 points but missed his last five field goal attempts often trying to shoot over Favors.

Favors, whose previous scoring high was 20 points before he came to Utah from New Jersey in the trade for Deron Williams last season, made a three-point play and a block in the closing seconds of regulation to send the game to overtime.

Nate Robinson scored 19 points and Klay Thompson added 17 points for the Warriors.

Favors also went 9 of 9 from the free throw line to set another career mark. "That was a relief to see all of those go down," Favors said.

Paul Millsap scored 13 points and Gordon Hayward had 12 and the Jazz overcame 41.6 percent shooting with a 65-40 rebounding advantage.

"It's great offense when you can execute your plays and you take a shot and then get a second shot. It shows a lot of hustle," Corbin said of his team, which reached .500 at 22-22.

Richard Jefferson, in his first game since coming to the Warriors, played 38 minutes and had nine points on 2-of-14 shooting.

"There were some shots that I could have knocked down, but you win as a team and you lose as a team," Jefferson said.

Robinson made two free throws with 1:31 left in regulation and, after a jumper by Devin Harris, hit a pull-up 3-pointer with 32.4 seconds remaining for an 87-84 lead.

Favors answered with a dunk while getting fouled off a pick-and-roll pass from Harris. His free throw tied the game at 87-87 with 27.8 seconds to go.

"We've been wanting him to pick-and-roll like that all year long and he finished like he needs to on that play," Harris said. "He played an incredible game."

Favors blocked Robinson's driving attempt with 7.9 seconds left before Harris' last-second jumper glanced off the rim to force the Jazz into overtime for the second straight game.

"The frustrating thing is that we had the opportunity to close out the game. We needed one stop and we couldn't get it done. It's disappointing," Golden State coach Mark Jackson said.

The Jazz half-court offense often sputtered without Jefferson - the team's first option who will also miss the game against the Lakers on Sunday - until Favors wore down the Warriors with his rebounding tenacity.

Reserve center Enes Kanter grabbed 13 rebounds and the Jazz had 20 offensive rebounds.

"You could get five point guards who want to go get the rebound and they won't give up that many rebounds," Jackson said.

Golden State is also transitioning to an offense without Monta Ellis, who averaged 21.9 points per game before his trade to Milwaukee. The Warriors made 14 of 41 shots after halftime and had 25 3-point attempts, making just six.

Stephen Curry, who averages 14.7 points and 5.3 assists, did not dress for the fourth straight game because of a sprained right ankle. Even with all that, the Warriors were ahead several times late in the fourth quarter.

Leading 82-80, Golden State's Dorrell Wright stole the ball and was headed for an easy basket at the other end. Hayward hustled from behind and blocked the shot.

The lanky Jazz forward took the ball downcourt and dunked in traffic to tie the game and electrify the crowd.

"We need to take advantage of the opportunities we get as young guys," Favors said as he, Hayward and Alec Burks - all 21 years old or younger - played all of the fourth quarter and overtime.

NOTES: The Jazz played in their road green uniforms in honor of St. Patrick's Day. ... Robinson's leaning 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer initially counted, but was ruled too late after a video review. ... Jazz starting guard Raja Bell sat out with a strained left adductor that has hampered him all season and top reserve Earl Watson was inactive because of his severely sprained ankle.

Notebook: Jazz 99, Warriors 92

Posted Sunday March 18, 2012 12:24AM

By Andrew Aragon, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Promise and potential are two commonly used words when analysts describe Derrick Favors. There was no looking to the future on Saturday night, as he was outstanding in the here-and-now.

The Utah second-year forward/center had 23 points and a career-high 17 rebounds to lead the Jazz to a 99-92 overtime win over the Golden State Warriors. He helped force an extra period by converting a three-point play after a high-flying dunk, and then scored four of his points in overtime.

Four other players scored in double figures for the Jazz, who needed to find a way to pick up the scoring slack because of the absence of leading scorer and rebounder Al Jefferson. He attended his grandmother's funeral in Mississippi on Friday and was not with the team. Paul Millsap and Jamaal Tinsley each had 13 points for Utah.

Nate Robinson led Golden State with 19 points.

QUOTABLE: "Offensively, he was really patient. He made the right moves, made that little jump shot at the free-throw line (that gave the Jazz an 89-87 lead early in overtime). It was great growth for him and a great shot for him to make."
-- Jazz head coach Tyrone Corbin on the offensive night for Favors, who played his usual solid game defensively and on the boards.

THE STAT: When the Utah Jazz outrebound opponents at home, they usually win. And on Saturday night, they blistered the Warriors on the boards. They had a 65-40 advantage over Golden State. Favors (17), Millsap (12) and rookie Enes Kanter (13) outrebounded the Warriors by themselves.

TURNING POINT: Overtime was no contest. The Jazz scored the first six points of the extra period, as Favors sank a 15-foot jumper and a layup. After a couple of free throws by Robinson, Millsap helped the Jazz blow the game open by making three straight baskets. Golden State shot 16.7 percent in overtime, while Utah made 6 of 9 shots.

HOT: Millsap was brisk from the outside for much of the game, but warmed up late in the contest. He shot 4-for-7 in the fourth quarter and overtime after a 2-for-11 start. David Lee dominated in the first half and early moments of the second. He made eight of his first 10 attempts, using both hands to create his own shots while hitting baskets off the glass.

NOT: Richard Jefferson made his debut for the Warriors after they acquired him in a trade with the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday. After a promising start -- he made his first two shots -- Jefferson missed 12 straight attempts. He finished with nine points and seven rebounds. Lee, after his phenomenal start, missed his last five shots, and a big reason for that was Favors' defense on him.

QUOTABLE II: "We had an opportunity to win this ballgame up three and we didn't close it out. Situations like that, worst-case scenario there should be a guy forced to take two free throws. You can't give him a basket and the foul. Better off even letting him go and dunk it. Just a bad play."
-- Golden State head coach Mark Jackson on the three-point play by Favors late in the game. The Warriors led 87-84 before Favors was fouled by Andris Biedrins as he dunked and made the free throw to tie the game with 27.8 seconds left.

FANTASY WATCH: Robinson has been a quality fantasy fill-in the last few games and could continue to be so with the uncertain status of Stephen Curry. He scored in double figures for the fourth straight game on Saturday, while also contributing four assists and three rebounds.

ROOKIE WATCH: Klay Thompson made his fifth start of the season and was impressive for the Warriors. He made two baskets during an 11-2 run in the fourth quarter and finished with 17 points, nearly doubling his season average. Charles Jenkins contributed for Golden State with six points in the fourth quarter. Kanter helped filled Jefferson's void on the glass, as his 13 rebounds were a career-high.

NOTABLE: Golden State's schedule gets increasingly difficult after Saturday's defeat. The Warriors don't have two consecutive days off the rest of the season.

UP NEXT: For the Warriors, Monday vs. Timberwolves, Wednesday @ New Orleans, Thursday @ Houston. For the Jazz, Sunday @ L.A. Lakers, Tuesday vs. Thunder, Thursday @ Sacramento.

• Warriors: Bogut
• Jazz: Jefferson, Watson

• Warriors: --
• Jazz: --

• Lead Changes: 12
• Times Tied: 10

• Arena: EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
• Officials: #41 Ken Mauer, #47 Bennie Adams, #77 Karl Lane
• Attendance: 17854
• Duration: 2:15