Cavaliers-Jazz Preview

Posted Jan 18 2013 12:08PM

The Utah Jazz are ready to get back to work after a lengthy layoff.

The Jazz will try to slow down Kyrie Irving and the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers, who are wrapping up a five-game road trip Saturday night.

Utah (21-19) has not played since a 104-97 victory over Miami on Monday. Coach Tyrone Corbin gave the Jazz the next two days off before they returned to practice Thursday.

"It was good while it lasted," top scorer Al Jefferson said.

The Jazz are one of three teams to play a league-low 16 home games to this point. The contest with the Heat began a stretch of 10 of 12 at home for Utah.

"I think we're not exactly where we want to be but we're in the range of being in position to get ourselves in the playoffs, and to take a good run here with this homestand that we have, we'll put ourselves in a good position," Corbin said.

Another team that has played 16 at home is Cleveland (10-31), which ended a three-game slide with Wednesday's 93-88 victory at Portland. Irving bounced back from consecutive 15-point efforts to score 31 as he outdueled rookie point guard Damian Lillard.

"When he's aggressive, he's pushing the ball and he's in attack mode," coach Byron Scott said of Irving. "I think our guys feed off of that."

Irving averaged 21.0 points on 51.5 percent shooting as a rookie last season in two defeats to the Jazz, who have won five straight in this series.

Former Cavs All-Star point guard Mo Williams is out for Utah following thumb surgery. Jamaal Tinsley has started in his place the last 12 games, with the Jazz winning seven times.

Jefferson, who had 23 points and 11 rebounds against the Heat for his third straight double-double, insists that Utah won't overlook Cleveland.

"We've got to be ready to play, we've got to treat them just like we treated the defending champs," Jefferson said. "Go out there with that (same) kind of mindset and that kind of confidence because that's the worst to lose a game that you're supposed to win."

The Jazz will see a familiar face when C.J. Miles returns to face his former team for the first time. A second-round pick by Utah in 2005, Miles spent his first seven seasons with the club before signing with Cleveland in the offseason.

Paul Millsap, the Jazz's second-leading scorer, was a second-round pick the year after Miles - who has started his last eight games for the Cavs.

"We still keep in touch a lot," Millsap said. "I'm happy to see him do well out there. Hopefully he can continue to do it, just not Saturday."

The Cavs know they are rebuilding with two second-year players and a rookie in their starting lineup with the injured Anderson Varejao out. In addition, rookie second-leading scorer Dion Waiters has been coming off the bench lately.

"All these losses that we've accumulated this year and the heartaches that we've had are going to make us a better basketball team in the future, and I truly believe that," Scott said. "But you have to go through this process."

Foye, Favors power Jazz past Cavs, 109-98

By LYNN DeBRUIN
Posted Jan 20 2013 1:18AM

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) The Utah Jazz climbed back into the Western Conference playoff picture without even playing for four days.

When they returned to action against lowly Cleveland on Saturday, they made sure they didn't give up any ground with a 109-98 victory.

"We talked about having fresh legs and we wanted to come out and demonstrate that," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. "I thought the guys did a good job of pushing the ball down the floor."

The Jazz held a 21-5 edge on the fast break.

And with Randy Foye hitting three 3-pointers in Utah's 31-point third quarter, the Cavs didn't have a chance.

Utah led by 16 after three and by as many as 18.

Foye led Utah with 20 points, including four 3s, as the Jazz improved to 22-19 at the midway point.

The Jazz have won five of their last six, and six straight over the Cavs (10-32).

Utah also plays 13 of its next 18 at home, where the Jazz are 13-4.

Derrick Favors added a season-high 19 points, opening 7 of 7, and Enes Kanter had 14 on 7-of-8 shooting as Utah's bench accounted for 51 points.

"You have to give them credit, their big guys are good," Cleveland coach Byron Scott said.

"Their second unit was great," Scott added. "It was offensive rebounds after offensive rebounds. Even when we got stops, it seemed like they get another opportunity."

Dion Waiters led the Cavs with 23 points off the bench.

Tristan Thompson's three-point play with 2:39 remaining got Cleveland within 104-94. But the Jazz got three chances on their next possession, with Gordon Hayward converting on a short jumper. Kanter then followed with another basket to bump Utah's lead back to 14.

Kyrie Irving added 18 points with nine assists for Cleveland, but started 1 of 7 from the field before finishing 7 of 20.

Afterward, he expressed frustration.

"When our guys want to get it going, we just don't," he said. "We talk about it. Then teams make shots and we just don't respond."

"Coming out in the third and fourth quarter, we just get soft," he added, saying he was trying to make plays for his teammates.

Waiters said the Cavs "let this one slip away" in the third quarter.

"That's where we've had trouble all year is in the third quarter. We just got to stay the course," he said. "Come out and be aggressive and do the same thing we did in the first half in the third and fourth quarter."

Former Jazz swingman C.J. Miles added 12 points in his return to Salt Lake City, but shot 4 of 11, including 1 of 6 from 3-point range.

"It was good to see everybody," said Miles, who still has a home in the area and received a warm reception with a few boos mixed in. "It definitely brought back some memories. I wish we could have come out with the victory."

He said the Cavs got a little "stagnant" in the third quarter.

"We depend too much on trying to play one-on-one, which makes the game harder on ourselves."

The Cavs shot just 41 percent and were outscored 46-36 in the paint and dominated on the break.

Plenty of credit goes to veteran Jazz point guards Jamaal Tinsley and Earl Watson, sharing time in place of injured Mo Williams. They pushed the pace and finished with a combined 13 assists.

Tinsley started a 9-0 third-quarter run with a layup and Al Jefferson (14 points, 11 rebounds), capped it with a powerful dunk after faking out Tyler Zeller.

Irving's 3-pointer tied it at 43 with 3:31 left in the half.

But the second quarter belong to DeMarre Carroll, who had nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, with two rebounds and a steal in eight minutes to give Utah a five-point lead heading into halftime.

"They are an aggressive basketball team," Scott said. "I thought the first half we matched that and they second half we were overmatched."

NOTES: The loudest cheer came in the first quarter when former Jazz coach Jerry Sloan was shown on the big screen. . Waiters had the highlight reel dunk over Favors with 10:10 left in the half. Waiters was 3 of 3 for eight points in the second. ... Hayward started 0 of 5 for Utah and finished with five points. .This is the 11th straight game the Jazz have dished out 20-plus assists. . The Cavs are 1-20 in games when trailing at halftime and 0-13 when shooting a lower field goal percentage.

Notebook: Jazz 109, Cavaliers 98

Andrew Aragon, for NBA.com
Posted Sun Jan 20, 2013 1:04 AM - Updated Sun Jan 20, 2013 1:04 AM

THE FACTS: The Utah Jazz shook off a little court rust and sent the Cleveland Cavaliers home on a sour note.

Randy Foye scored 20 points and Derrick Favors tied his season-high with 19 points as the Jazz pulled away from the Cavaliers in the second half of a 109-98 victory on Saturday night. Al Jefferson added 14 points and 11 rebounds for Utah, which returned to the court after having four days off between games.

Dion Waiters had 23 points off the bench for the Cavaliers, who wrapped up a five-game road trip against Western Conference teams. Cleveland went 1-4 on the trip with its one victory coming against Portland.

QUOTABLE: "We talked about having fresh legs and we wanted to come out and demonstrate that. I thought the guys did a good job of pushing the ball down the floor. The pace for the most part was good. After we got our legs back under us, I thought we did a good job."

-- Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin on his team's energy level after a four-day layoff

THE STAT: The Jazz took advantage of a sloppy and cold-shooting Cleveland offense and were able to get out in transition and convert. Utah had 21 fast-break points against the Cavaliers, who were slow to get back on defense for much of the game. Cleveland, by comparison, had just five fast-break points.

TURNING POINT: The Jazz were able to gain some separation from the Cavaliers early in the third quarter, going on a 9-0 run to take a 67-54 lead. Jamaal Tinsley hit a close-range jumper and made a layup, while Foye drained a 3-pointer and Jefferson had a dunk during the spurt. After the Cavaliers got within single digits, Paul Millsap converted a three-point play and Marvin Williams sank a 3-pointer following a sweet behind-the-back move and dish from Tinsley to put Utah back in command with a 75-60 lead.

HOT: A few Jazz reserves had hot hands against Cleveland. Favors made his first seven shots before missing his last four. Enes Kanter had 14 points on 7-for-8 shooting before Jefferson razzed him in the locker room following the game about a wrinkled and hideous shirt he was wearing that featured questionable material (velvet?). ... DeMarre Carroll continued to show off his improved jumper as he shot 5-for-7. ... Tinsley, who figured to be overmatched against Cleveland's Kyrie Irving, held his own and played an efficient game. He shot 5-for-7 and had 11 points and four assists. ... Waiters was listed as a game-time decision because of an illness, but he made the Jazz sick because they couldn't defend him. He was explosive and put Favors on a poster with a sensational dunk in the first half.

NOT: Gordon Hayward has arguably been Utah's best player in recent weeks, as he had scored in double figures in nine of the Jazz's previous 10 games. But he played one of his worst games of the season against the Cavs. He scored five points on 2-for-10 shooting in 24 minutes. ... Williams continues to struggle for Utah. He had five points and is averaging just 5.2 points in his last five games. ... Irving got off to a slow start and displayed a questionable shot selection. He missed six of his first seven attempts and finished 7-for-20. It was the fifth time in Cleveland's last nine games that he's attempted more than 20 shots. He finished with 18 points and nine assists.

QUOTABLE II: "I feel like when our guys want to get it going, we just don't. We talk about it. Coming out, guys were setting screens and I'm just trying to make plays for my teammates. Coming out in that third and fourth quarter, we just got softer."

-- Cavs guard Irving on the game's second half

GOOD MOVE: Perhaps sensing the kill against a tired team playing the last of five straight road games, the Jazz elevated their play and energy and aggression levels after halftime. They outscored Cleveland 31-20 in the third quarter and wore the Cavaliers down by pounding the ball inside. Fourteen of their 31 third-quarter points came in the paint.

BAD MOVE: When the Cavaliers had the ball, they resembled a mediocre college offense. They did a lot of standing around while watching Irving and Waiters try to make something happen. There was little continuity and unselfishness in their offense, and it showed as the team had just 20 assists. The Cavaliers entered Saturday's game ranked 29th in the league in assists per game at 19.34.

NOTABLE: Cleveland's C.J. Miles, who was drafted by the Jazz and played for them for seven seasons, had 12 points. He shot just 1-for-6 from 3-point range. ... The Cavaliers dropped to 1-20 when they trail at halftime and fell to 0-13 when their opponent shoots a better field-goal percentage. ... Utah has won five of its last six games. ... Jazz backup point guard Earl Watson had nine assists in 25 minutes. ... Utah has dished 20 or more assists in its last 11 games. ... The Jazz have defeated the Cavaliers six straight times.

UP NEXT: For the Cavaliers, Tuesday vs. Boston, Friday vs. Milwaukee, Saturday @ Toronto. For the Jazz, Wednesday vs. Washington, Friday @ L.A. Lakers, Saturday vs. Indiana.

• Cavaliers: Varejao
• Jazz: Bell, Williams

• Cavaliers: --
• Jazz: --

• Lead Changes: 4
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
• Officials: #9 Derrick Stafford, #28 Zach Zarba, #73 Tre Maddox
• Attendance: 19911
• Duration: 2:03