Suns-Jazz Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Nov 10 2012 1:08PM

While the Utah Jazz have had a rough go at it on the road, they've gone unbeaten at home.

The Jazz are hoping to see that continue Saturday night when they host the Phoenix Suns, who have picked up the pace following a slow start.

Utah (2-4) saw its road woes continue Friday in a 104-84 loss at Denver, dropping to 0-4 as the visiting team. The Jazz were outrebounded 53-45 and limited to a season-worst 36.8 percent shooting.

"It wasn't our best outing," said Gordon Hayward, who scored a team-high 15 points. "We've got to figure out this road thing. This was a tough one for us. I think we've got to put it behind us."

Utah has to be looking forward to getting back home. The Jazz, who beat Dallas 113-94 in their season opener and the Los Angeles Lakers 95-86 on Wednesday, have proven significantly better defensively on their own court than on the road, where they've posted a 46.4 opponent field-goal percentage compared to 35.8 as host - the lowest mark in the league.

The Jazz opened 5-0 at home in 2011-12, but will likely need a better effort from Al Jefferson going forward if they hope to have a shot at matching that record. The formidable big man was held to four points on 1-of-9 shooting Friday and is putting up just 11.8 per game - a far cry from his average of 19.2 last season.

Utah will really need a better effort from Jefferson if leading scorer Mo Williams can't play. The veteran guard, averaging 16.8 points, strained his right abductor muscle during the third quarter Friday and his status for this game is uncertain.

The Jazz had dropped seven straight matchups in this series by an average of 9.2 points before recording a 100-88 victory April 24. Paul Millsap had 26 points and 15 boards in that game while Jefferson added 18 and 16 as the Jazz outrebounded the Suns 56-42.

Phoenix (3-3) got back to .500 on Friday after escaping with a 107-105 victory over Cleveland. Goran Dragic had a season-high 26 points while Shannon Brown scored 22 off the bench for the Suns, who trailed by as many as 26 points early in the second quarter before storming back.

"In the end we got it done, but I don't want the long faces," said coach Alvin Gentry, whose team forced a season-best 21 turnovers. "I want us to believe that if we get ourselves in trouble we can bail ourselves out by coming up with stops and running on stops and not on trading baskets."

Phoenix may want to think about getting Brown even more looks. The seven-year veteran, who scored 24 points Wednesday in a 117-110 win at Charlotte, has averaged 21.3 over his last three games while shooting 11 of 18 (61.1 percent) from 3-point range.

"I've always been a scorer," said Brown, who had never posted back-to-back 20-point efforts. "I didn't get to this league because of anything else. I do whatever it takes for this team to win."

Brown, though, hasn't scored more than 12 points in 14 career matchups against the Jazz. Dragic scored a career-high 32 in a 124-115 loss at Utah on Jan. 25, 2010.

While the Suns managed to hold off the Bobcats earlier this week, they've lost their other two road games by a combined 46 points.

Jefferson's 27 points lift Jazz over Suns 94-81

By LYNN DeBRUIN
Posted Nov 11 2012 1:05AM

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Al Jefferson was still feeling a bit queasy from a stomach ailment. He just didn't let it show on the court Saturday night.

A day after shooting 1 of 9, Jefferson looked like a new man, scoring a season-high 27 points and adding 14 rebounds in the Utah Jazz's 94-81 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

Paul Millsap added 18 points and 13 rebounds for Utah, which built a 22-point lead, then went to its veterans after the Suns pulled within five late.

"We knew we had to close it out at the end," said Jefferson, who along with Millsap had six points, four rebounds and a steal in the fourth. "We're two of the three leaders on this team and one of our leaders (Mo Williams) was out. We just had to step up, and finish the game off. It was a big game before we hit the road, and the way we played last night, we had to have a special night."

The Jazz lost by 20 to Denver on Friday night. Phoenix, meanwhile, overcame a 26-point deficit to beat Cleveland.

The Suns looked as if they might pull off another huge comeback when Michael Beasley's follow dunk after a Jazz turnover cut Utah's lead to 79-74 with about five minutes remaining.

But Millsap ended a scoreless streak of nearly 6 minutes with a 19-footer to start a 7-0 run, capped by Marvin Williams' 3 pointer.

The Suns pulled within seven again, only to have Jefferson hit a 10-foot turnaround jump shot, then block Luis Scola at the other end.

Scola led the Suns with 21 points and Jared Dudley scored 16. Goran Dragic added 13 points and six assists.

"When you're down 22, it is very difficult," said Scola, who scored eight of his 21 points in the fourth. "We have had a bad quarter in pretty much every game we play. Sometimes we come back, sometimes we don't. It is very difficult. We need to fix it."

The Suns trailed 29-19 after one and by 16 in the second quarter, then were outscored 27-18 in the third when they shot just 27.3 percent.

Again Millsap and Jefferson did much of the damage.

Millsap scored on a driving layup, then sank a free throw on the next possession to give Utah a 20-point lead with 3:44 left in the third quarter.

Derrick Favors' dunk made it 77-55, and the Jazz took a 77-61 lead into the fourth.

The Jazz won despite missing starting point guard Mo Williams because of a strained adductor.

Jamaal Tinsley went scoreless starting in his place but handed out 14 assists for the Jazz, who are 3-0 at home.

"I thought he was great," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said of Tinsley, who had 10 assists in the first half. "I thought he got a little tired at the end and made some errant plays but for the most part he got us into the stuff we needed to get into. I just respect his professionalism."

Suns coach Alvin Gentry was more worried about Utah's bigs before the game, and with good reason.

Utah held a 52-37 edge in rebounds, 52-36 advantage on points in the paint and held the Suns to 36.8 percent shooting.

While Utah made eight of its first 13 shots, the Suns started 3 of 10.

"I don't think we were flat," Gentry said. "You have to get the ball in the basket ... Our defense was pretty good. During one stretch (we made) eight out of 10 stops and we didn't make up any ground because we didn't get the ball in the basket on the other end."

The Suns were down 22 points with 2:45 remaining in the third, but opened the fourth on a 9-2 run to pull within 79-70 on Sebastian Telfair's driving layup with 9:24 left. Dudley then stole the ball from Tinsley and dunked at the other end with 6:18 left to pull Phoenix within 79-72, and Beasley's follow made it a five-point game.

But Utah's size was too much to overcome. Jefferson and Millsap shot a combined 6 of 9 in the fourth quarter.

Gordon Hayward added 18 points for the Jazz but was just 6 of 17 shooting and committed four turnovers.

Jefferson was determined to put Friday night's disappointing effort behind him.

The Jazz got off to a fast start behind Jefferson, who opened 4 of 5. Jefferson had more points in the first four minutes Saturday (six) than he did in the loss to Denver on Friday (four). He finished 12 of 20, with a pair of blocks and assists.

He also got help from Utah's other bigs.

Favors' score after a behind-the-back dribble in the lane bumped Utah's lead to 22-11 with 4:20 left, and Enes Kanter's jam off an alley-oop pass from Tinsley gave Utah a 14-point lead.

Favors hit back-to-back shots to open the second quarter and Kanter's impressive move on Markieff Morris in the paint bumped Utah's lead to 35-19.

But after shooting 52 percent in the first, the Jazz went cold, hitting just 1 of 6 from 3-point range in the second and shooting 38 percent overall. Favors' aggressive shot-blocking also got him in foul trouble, as he picked up his third with 8:12 left before half after opening 3 of 4 with three blocks.

As they did Friday, the Suns chipped away.

"We were down 26 last night and ended up winning, but how many times can you do that?" Scola said. "We need to be more solid and play 48 minutes. If we play 48 minutes, we'll be OK."

Notes: Marcin Gortat was 0 of 6 for the Suns and finished with one point . ... Shannon Brown started 0 of 6 and finished 1 of 9 for 4 points after averaging 21.3 points and shooting 54 percent the previous three games. ... The last time Tinsley had 10 assists in a half was Nov. 21, 2007, when he was with Indiana. ... Scola recorded his first double-double of the season as he added 11 rebounds.

Notebook: Jazz 94, Suns 81

Andrew Aragon, for NBA.com
Posted Sun Nov 11, 2012 12:43 AM - Updated Sun Nov 11, 2012 12:43 AM

THE FACTS: What's wrong with Al Jefferson→ Nothing, apparently.

Jefferson, who has battled through a virus and an off-shooting touch so far this season, broke out with a season-high 27 points and 14 rebounds in the Utah Jazz's 94-81 win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night. Paul Millsap also had a double-double for Utah, chipping in 18 points and 13 rebounds.

Gordon Hayward scored 18 points and had five points for Utah, which stayed unbeaten at home.

The Suns were led by Luis Scola's 21 points and 11 rebounds. Jared Dudley chipped in 16 points for Phoenix, which trimmed a 22-point third-quarter deficit to five with 5:24 left in the game.

QUOTABLE: "I just made shots. Last night I missed my shots and tonight they were falling."

-- Jefferson

THE STAT: The Jazz didn't allow the Suns to play their run-and-gun game. Phoenix had just 10 fast-break points against Utah, down from the 22 it had against Cleveland on Friday night.

TURNING POINT: The Jazz pulled away in the third quarter while wearing the Suns down. Utah outscored Phoenix 18-5 during a six-minute stretch to build a 73-53 lead. The Suns shot 2-for-12 while Millsap scored six points during the game-changing span. Phoenix made a charge in the fourth quarter, but Utah had built enough of a cushion to hold the Suns off.

HOT: Jefferson started the season slowly, and his scoring average was down more than seven points from a year ago before Saturday's game. But he started fast and made his presence felt the rest of the way against Phoenix. He made five of his first seven shots, and his 27 points were a welcome sight for Jazz fans, who saw last season's scoring average of 19.2 points drop to 11.8 prior to Saturday's game. For Phoenix, Dudley entered Saturday's game averaging 7.0 points, but easily topped that before halftime.

NOT: Phoenix guard Shannon Brown entered Saturday's game on a hot streak, averaging 21.3 points in his last three games. But he was a no-show against the Jazz. He didn't score until the third quarter and finished with four points on 1-for-9 shooting. Suns center Marcin Gortat, who was also playing well before Saturday's game, shot 0-for-6 and scored one point.

QUOTABLE II: "Just another bad start. We keep digging ourselves holes and then try to dig our way out of it, and you can't do that, especially on the road."

-- Suns coach Alvin Gentry

GOOD MOVE: The Jazz, when they were able to build big leads, played smart. They didn't try to run with the Suns, used their superior size and pounded the ball inside. Jamaal Tinsley, filling in for the injured Mo Williams, was an outstanding facilitator, dishing 14 assists while committing just two turnovers.

BAD MOVE: Utah fell into too many lulls and got complacent in a game it could have handled much easier. The Jazz led by 16 in the second quarter and 22 in the third quarter, and each time allowed the Suns to make runs to get back into it. Some rest for the starters would have been nice for Utah, which embarks on a difficult four-game road trip.

NOTABLE: Mo Williams did not play after straining his right adductor against Denver on Friday night. He is Utah's leader in scoring with 16.8 points per game and in assists with 6.3 per game. Tinsley had 10 of his assists in the first half. The last time he had recorded 10 assists in a half was on Nov. 21, 2007 when he played for the Indiana Pacers. ... Utah has not trailed at home for more than 86 minutes. ... Phoenix had a season-high 12 assists.

UP NEXT: For the Suns, Monday vs. Denver, Wednesday vs. Chicago, Friday @ L.A. Lakers. For the Jazz, Monday @ Toronto, Wednesday @ Boston, Friday @ Philadelphia.

• Suns: Frye, O'Neal
• Jazz: Bell, Watson

• Suns: Dragic
• Jazz: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
• Officials: #49 Tom Washington, #42 Eric Lewis, #56 Mark Ayotte
• Attendance: 19100
• Duration: 2:08