Hornets-Jazz Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Jan 30 2013 2:06PM

It may be only one loss, but the Utah Jazz were humiliated on their home court in their last game.

That doesn't tend to be a problem when hosting the New Orleans Hornets.

Coming off the most-lopsided home defeat in franchise history, the Jazz look to re-establish their success in Salt Lake City by beating the last-place Hornets for the 10th time in 13 games there Wednesday night.

Utah (24-21) has been much more effective at home, going 15-5 compared to 9-16 on the road.

The Jazz extended their home winning streak to six by beating Indiana 114-110 in overtime on Sunday, but that run came to an alarming end with Monday's 125-80 defeat to Houston. Utah made 39.5 percent from the field - 5 of 18 from beyond the arc - and was outscored 26-2 in transition.

"One loss. We were terrible," coach Ty Corbin said. "Whether you lose by one or 45, it's one loss. This team has shown a lot of grit and character all year long, and we'll respond.

"We don't feel sorry for ourselves."

Utah will again be without starting guard Gordon Hayward, who will miss his second straight game due to a sprained right shoulder.

The Jazz have split two meetings with the Hornets (15-30), but both have come in New Orleans. A visit from the team tied with Phoenix for the worst record in the Western Conference seems to be just what Utah needs to bounce back.

The Jazz have won nine of the last 11 home meetings with the Hornets, averaging 103.3 points while connecting on 49.1 percent from the floor - 46.0 from long range.

Al Jefferson is averaging 23.0 points and 10.5 rebounds over his last four home matchups with New Orleans. Jefferson, Utah's leading scorer at 17.0 per game, may be relieved to face the Hornets after scoring 12 or fewer in three of the last four contests.

Paul Millsap, who is second on the team in scoring at 14.6 per game, missed 7 of 9 field goals to finish with a season-low four points Monday after getting 21 versus the Pacers.

The Hornets opened a five-game road trip with a 91-83 victory over Memphis on Sunday, and nearly made it back-to-back wins only to have their fourth-quarter rally from an 18-point deficit fall short in Tuesday's 111-106 defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers.

"We're a young team that's still building chemistry, and to come back like that is a really good confidence boost for the guys," guard Eric Gordon said. "We had a chance to win. We were getting a lot of stops and were scoring at will. It just boiled down to the final plays."

Gordon, averaging 17.4 points in 14 games since returning from an injured knee, is looking to build on his season-high 25 points from Tuesday, when he made 6 of 8 from 3-point range.

Gordon has 23.2 points per game over his past five meetings with the Jazz. However, he's faced them only once in a Hornets uniform, scoring 25 while sinking 11 of 18 attempts from the floor in a 96-85 home win April 13, 2012.

Millsap leads Jazz over Hornets 104-99

By LYNN DeBRUIN
Posted Jan 31 2013 1:45AM

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Paul Millsap saw his first three shots blocked, and first four miss their mark. The Utah Jazz forward then found his stride.

Millsap finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks to lead the Jazz to a 104-99 victory over the New Orleans Hornets.

Hours after finally joining the Twitter world earlier in the day, he could be seen tweeting away following the game.

"Shout out to all my new followers on my first day!" he said.

He had 814 followers but no doubt will see that number surge.

Overall, it was a much happier scene in the Jazz locker room than after Monday's game, when they suffered their most lopsided loss in franchise history - 125-80 to the Houston Rockets.

"It's tough to let a game like that go," Millsap said. "You have to move on and put one foot ahead of the other and keep pushing. We let it go and came out tonight (and) it seemed like it was getting ready to go that way again. But we got it going and won the game."

The Jazz trailed by 12 points in the first quarter before rallying to take the lead with a 32-point second period.

They led by 10 points with about 7 minutes remaining in the fourth. Then, Anthony Davis, plagued by foul trouble, nearly brought the Hornets all the way back with an eight-point quarter. He pulled them to 95-94 with 2:18 remaining but Millsap and Al Jefferson hit back-to-back shots from 14 and 20 feet, respectively, that provided the cushion Utah would need.

Ryan Anderson's 3-pointer with 15 seconds left pulled the Hornets within 100-97, but Randy Foye and Millsap each hit two free throws down the stretch to seal it.

"I don't think we felt like we could really win tonight," Hornets coach Monty Williams said. "I thought we were hoping, instead of really going after it.

"Even when it was just a three-point lead in their favor, they were in command of the game. I never felt like we had a chance to take the momentum because they were just playing inside the whole night. When you have a couple of post-up options like they do, with some shooting, it makes it easier to play."

Greivis Vasquez led the Hornets with 17 points and 13 assists, but made just 8 of 21 shots after starting 3 of 4.

After shooting 68.8 percent (11 of 16) in the first quarter, the Hornets finished 37 of 78 (47.4 percent).

Williams was more displeased with the free-throw shooting as the Hornets made just 17 of 28. The Jazz didn't do much better but got to the line more, hitting 32 of 46.

"They had 48 points in the paint. We did a decent job we had 40, "Williams said. "We couldn't knock down a free throw."

He also acknowledged his guard play was below average.

"A lot of times you guys look at the numbers and assists and you think they're playing well but they're not," Williams said. "We're not managing the game properly. What you see out there is a young team, but it's not our young guys making the mistakes. It's the guys who have been in the league for three or four years."

It didn't help that the Hornets sat leading scorer Eric Gordon as they have as part of a medical protocol when playing the second game of a back-to-back.

The Jazz climbed back into the game in the second quarter behind one of their young players, Derrick Favors, and one of their oldest veterans, Earl Watson. Watson pushed the pace and Favors was a beast inside, hitting 4 of 4 shots in the quarter and corralling three rebounds.

Utah also dominated the paint in the second, holding an 18-8 edge on points.

DeMarre Carroll's fast-break layup tied it at 39 with 5:59 left in the half and Utah took a 51-47 lead into the break, with Millsap finally scoring a field goal after starting 0 for 4.

"We fought last night in the second quarter," guard Roger Mason, who started in place of Gordon, said of a comeback attempt against the Lakers. "Tonight we gave up 32 points. We can't afford to do things like that."

Jefferson had his hands full with Robin Lopez, who finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.

"Lopez is a big dude," Jefferson said. "I'm glad his brother is not in the Western Conference because I couldn't deal with both of them. ... He's just a physical big guy. It will always be a battle with me and him because he (will) do the little things. He's going to beat you on the boards. He's going to defend well."

Millsap, who turned up his aggression in the third quarter, scored 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting as the Jazz took a 78-75 lead into the fourth.

He scored on a drive where he hung in the air and was fouled by Davis, then got Davis to pick up foul No. 4 with 8:45 left in the third.

Millsap would get Anderson to pick up his fourth four minutes later.

When the fourth started, Utah quickly bumped its lead to eight, with Alec Burks hitting a 3-pointer on a nice feed from Millsap. The Jazz increased the lead to 90-80 on a pair of free throws by Burks with 7:16 remaining.

Davis then made it a game.

But the Jazz held on, avoiding another embarrassment.

NOTES: Williams said the team continues to follow the medical protocol it set for Gordon, holding him out in the second game of back-to-backs. Gordon has come back from a knee injury that caused him to miss the first third of this season, and all but nine games last year. ... Both teams have five players score in double figures, with Lopez adding 15 and Davis 14 for the Hornets. . Favors added 15 points, Foye 14 and Marvin Williams 11 for Utah. . The Jazz are still without starting point guard Mo Williams (thumb surgery) and third-leading scorer Gordon Hayward (sprained shoulder.). . The Hornets shot 68.8 percent in the first quarter but made just 5 of 18 shots (27.8 percent) in the second. Vasquez was particularly cold, hitting just 1 of 7 shots in the second and turning it over twice. His complaining earned him a technical with 3:24 left in the half.

Notebook: Jazz 104, Hornets 99

Andrew Aragon, For NBA.com
Posted Thu Jan 31, 2013 1:04 AM - Updated Thu Jan 31, 2013 1:04 AM

THE FACTS: It wasn't the dominant bounce-back performance the Utah Jazz were looking for, but it at least got them going in the right direction. Paul Millsap had 25 points and Al Jefferson scored 22 as the Jazz beat the New Orleans Hornets 104-99 on Wednesday night. Utah (25-21) regrouped after suffering its worst home loss in franchise history against the Houston Rockets on Monday.

The Hornets (15-31), who were without leading scorer Eric Gordon because of a sore right knee, built a 12-point lead in the first quarter and stayed close to Utah for much of the game. Greivis Vasquez led New Orleans with 17 points and 13 assists.

QUOTABLE: "It's tough to let a game like that go. It felt like it was getting out of hand quick. We knew we had to get our legs under us and get out and get to work before what happened [on Monday] happened again. We didn't want that."

--Jazz forward Paul Millsap on rebounding from Monday's loss and Wednesday's slow start

THE STAT: The Jazz got back to doing what's effective for them -- pounding the ball inside and getting points in the paint. They had 48 points in the paint against the Hornets, with 42 of them coming in the first three quarters.

TURNING POINT: The Jazz still seemed to be a little shell-shocked from their 45-point loss to the Rockets early in the game and they quickly fell behind by double digits. Utah took its first lead of the game during an 11-2 run in the second quarter and it seemed to give the Jazz a psychological boost. Millsap gave the Jazz their first lead at 40-39 with a free throw, and Randy Foye capped the run with a technical free throw to put Utah ahead 45-41. Utah played much better and more confidently the rest of the way, only falling behind by one point on three separate occasions in the third quarter. The Jazz outscored the Hornets 32-18 in the second quarter.

HOT: Millsap bounced back from his least productive game of the season -- as well as a cold first quarter to lead the Jazz. He made seven of his last eight shot attempts and scored 19 of his points in the second half. Millsap had just four points and two rebounds on Monday. Derrick Favors helped the Jazz get back in the game in the second quarter and finished with 15 points and six rebounds. Ryan Anderson scored 16 points and made three 3-pointers -- the last of which pulled New Orleans within 100-97 with 15.1 seconds remaining. Anthony Davis played like a No. 1 overall pick -- when he could stay on the court -- and shot 7-for-9, finishing with 14 points and seven rebounds. Jason Smith gave New Orleans a lift off the bench with 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting.

NOT: Vasquez led New Orleans in points and steals, but his overall play could have been better. He took a game-high 21 shots, making eight of them. He committed four turnovers and didn't manage the game properly. For the Jazz, starting shooting guard Marvin Williams scored in double digits for the first time in eight games with 11 points, but he shot just 2-for-10.

QUOTABLE II: "It might be me putting the wrong guys in the game. it seems to be the same few guys making the mistakes. That may sound harsh. This is a harsh league. Guys don't understand how you have to play on a consistent basis [or] that is the output you're going to have."

--Hornets coach Monty Williams on his team's struggles in the second quarter

GOOD MOVE: With second-unit scorer Gordon Hayward sidelined, Utah coach Tyrone Corbin found a spark by having starter Foye play Hayward's role in the second quarter. Foye helped Utah get going, scoring 11 of his 14 points and playing 20 minutes in the first half. With Foye providing the scoring, backup point guard Earl Watson did a good job of pushing tempo and giving the Jazz some energy. Corbin made another solid adjustment by moving Favors off of New Orleans sharpshooter Anderson. Favors guarded Anderson when he entered the game, got caught up in screens and quickly gave up back-to-back 3-pointers. Corbin changed the matchup, and Favors was more effective on other players the rest of the way.

BAD MOVE: The Hornets may have pulled off the upset if they had played better defense without fouling so much. They committed eight more fouls than Utah. Davis was limited to just 22 minutes because he was in foul trouble for much of the contest. Anderson fouled out, while Robin Lopez and Roger Mason each had five fouls.

NOTABLE: The Hornets continued to sit Gordon in the second game of back-to-back sets while he recovers from right knee trouble. New Orleans fell to 7-25 when Gordon, who had 25 points against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, does not play. The Jazz were without key reserve Hayward for the second straight game. He is recovering from a right shoulder sprain suffered against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night. New Orleans fell to 1-20 when its opponent scores 100 or more points. Foye has sank 102 3-pointers in 46 games this season. He's the fastest Jazzman in franchise history to make 100 3-pointers.

UP NEXT: For the Hornets, Friday @ Denver, Saturday @ Minnesota, Wednesday vs. Suns. For the Jazz, Friday vs. Trail Blazers, Saturday @ Portland, Monday vs. Kings.

• Hornets: --
• Jazz: Bell, Williams

• Hornets: Vasquez
• Jazz: --

• Lead Changes: 7
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
• Officials: #55 Bill Kennedy, #59 Gary Zielinski, #60 James Williams
• Attendance: 17490
• Duration: 2:15