Utah Jazz Blog – Page 50 – NBA Blog

Jazz edge Pacers 114-110 in overtime

Al Jefferson scored 25 points and Paul Millsap had 21, leading the Utah Jazz to a 114-110 overtime victory over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.

Utah scored the first six points in overtime after blowing a 97-89 lead with 2:44 left in regulation. Gordon Hayward coughed up three turnovers to Indiana’s George Hill in the final minute of the fourth.

Paul George scored 24 points, David West added 23 and Hill had 22 for Indiana (26-18), which lost for the third time in four road games. The Pacers outrebounded the Jazz 41-28.

Hayward scored 15 points, but had the ball stolen from him three times on the final three possessions for Utah in regulation…

The Pacers trimmed the lead to three on Roy Hibbert’s basket with 4:22 left. Then Jefferson took over, making a free throw and a pair of baskets to increase Utah’s advantage to eight.

Indiana closed the second quarter with a 9-0 run to take a 48-45 halftime lead. West closed the run with a jumper.

Indiana shot 62.5 percent (20 of 32) from the field in the first half. … Hibbert finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds. … Utah went 3 for 10 from 3-point range, compared to 7 for 21 for Indiana.

— Reported by John Coon of the Associated Press

Lakers beat Jazz 102-84 to snap 4-game skid

Airing things out among themselves had the desired effect for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Metta World Peace hit five 3-pointers on his way to scoring 17 points and the Lakers pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Utah Jazz 102-84 on Friday night, snapping a four-game skid.

Coming off an 0-3 road trip during which players confronted each other last Wednesday in Memphis, the Lakers got balanced scoring and better team defense that helped them beat the Jazz for the first time in three meetings this season.

Kobe Bryant suggested ”our closed-door meeting that everyone seems to know about” had something to do with the victory.

”It’s a relief, especially against a team that’s handled us pretty well,” he said. ”We made shots and that makes the game a lot easier. It’s not about showing we’ve turned the corner. It’s about doing it.”

Derrick Favors led the Jazz with 14 points off the bench. Fellow reserve Gordon Hayward scored 13 and Al Jefferson had 12. Paul Millsap and Randy Foye added 10 points each. Utah had won six of its previous seven.

Dwight Howard had 17 points and 13 rebounds, Steve Nash scored 15 and Pau Gasol added 15 points off the bench for the Lakers. Bryant had 14 points, a season-high 14 assists and nine rebounds in bringing Utah’s four-game winning streak to an end…

The Lakers’ 15-4 run to start the game was helped by World Peace and Nash combining for three 3-pointers. The Jazz quickly closed within two before the Lakers stretched their lead to 26-19.

— Reported by Beth Harris of the Associated Press

Al Jefferson scores 26 in Jazz win over Bobcats

Utah coach Tyrone Corbin preached to his team before the game not to take the Charlotte Bobcats for granted.

Apparently his team listened.

Al Jefferson had 26 points and eight rebounds, and the Jazz posted a wire-to-wire 112-102 victory Wednesday night over the Bobcats for their fourth win in five games.

Jefferson was 11 of 15 from the field and the Bobcats simply had no answer for the 6-foot-10 center in the paint.

Paul Millsap chipped in with 19 points and Gordon Hayward was 4 of 5 from 3-point range for 14 points as the Jazz made light work of the Bobcats’ zone defense, shooting 54 percent from the field.

”They tried to double-team me and Paul got off,” Jefferson said. ”They start worrying about Paul, I got off. They start worrying about both of us, Gordon and (DeMarre Carroll) and all those guys start hitting big shots. It just all worked out.” …

Ben Gordon led six Bobcats in double figures, scoring 20 points. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 15 points and eight rebounds, while Gerald Henderson, Ramon Sessions and Kemba Walker each had 14 points for the Bobcats (9-25)…

The Bobcats continue to be without center Byron Mullens, who remains out with an ankle injury.

— Reported by Steve Reed of the Associated Press

Utah Jazz recall Kevin Murphy from D-League

Utah Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey announced today that the team has recalled rookie Kevin Murphy from the Reno Bighorns, Utah’s NBA Development League (D-League) affiliate. Murphy is expected to be in uniform when the Jazz visits the Charlotte Bobcats tomorrow, January 9, at 5 p.m. MT.

In 14 games (12 starts) with the Bighorns, Murphy averaged 13.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 28.6 minutes. He began his assignment with Reno on November 26.

Selected by the Jazz in the second round (47th overall selection) of the 2012 NBA Draft, the 6-6, 185-pound Murphy played four seasons at Tennessee Tech, where he averaged 15.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Murphy averaged 20.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists as a senior and finished his career as the Golden Eagles’ second all-time leading scorer (2,019 points).

Murphy became the sixth player in Jazz history to be assigned to the D-League, and the first since current Jazz teammate Jeremy Evans was in March 2011.

Gordon Hayward scores 27 to lift Jazz over Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks had no answer for Gordon Hayward.

Hayward scored a season-high 27 points, including four 3-pointers [plus six rebounds and five assists], to lead the Utah Jazz past Dallas 100-94 on Monday night.

”He hurt us all night long,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said of Hayward. ”He’s a very athletic player. He is very skilled and he understands how to play. He got to us time and time again.”

Hayward hit back-to-back 3s and Marvin Williams followed with another to get the Jazz even at halftime. Hayward drained another with 2:19 left in the fourth to bump Utah’s lead to 93-86.

Dirk Nowitzki scored six straight for Dallas after that but also was called for a charge with 32 seconds remaining as he tried to get Dallas within two…

Nowitzki led the Mavs with 20 points in his second start this season after missing the first 27 games because of offseason knee surgery…

Derrick Favors tangled with Nowitzki in the lane, leaving him in a heap on the floor. The 14th-year pro had others swiping at him…

Al Jefferson added 15 points and 11 rebounds for Utah (18-18), which has won both meetings with Dallas this season.

— Reported by Lynn DeBruin of the Associated Press

Clippers win 17th in row, go 16-0 in December

After their 17th consecutive victory gave them a perfect month, the Los Angeles Clippers finally paused to admire their achievement.

”We got something extremely magical going on,” said Caron Butler after the Clippers beat the Utah Jazz 107-96 on Sunday night to become the third team in NBA history to record a perfect month.

The Clippers went 16-0 in December to join the 1995-96 San Antonio Spurs, which included Del Negro, and 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers as the only teams to go undefeated in a month. Their franchise-record winning streak is the longest since Boston won 19 in a row four years ago.

”I am amazed because I haven’t done it since I’ve been in the league,” said seven-year veteran Chris Paul, whose 19 points and nine assists helped his team maintain the league’s best record at 25-6.

Butler led the Clippers with 29 points despite not playing in the fourth quarter and made all six of his 3-pointers, including five in the opening period. Jamal Crawford scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter. Blake Griffin piled up five fouls and was held to seven points after getting double-teamed…

Al Jefferson scored 30 points – one off his season high – to lead Utah, which fell victim for the third time during the Clippers’ streak. The Jazz lost 116-114 on Friday when the Clippers rallied from 19 points down, and they were beaten 105-104 on Dec. 3, both times at home.

”It’s frustrating,” said Gordon Hayward, who had 16 points. ”Knowing that they’re a good team and knowing that we’re always right there with them, knowing that we need to keep on playing good for 48 minutes.”

— Reported by Beth Harris of the Associated Press

Mo Williams out with right thumb injury

The Utah Jazz announced Sunday that guard Mo Williams will be out indefinitely with a right thumb injury.

Williams, who sustained the injury on Saturday, is averaging 12.9 points and 6.7 assists this season in 24 games, all starts.

The extent of Williams’ injury is unknown, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

— Reported by the Sports Xchange

Jazz PG Mo Williams to get MRI on thumb

Utah Jazz starting point guard Mo Williams plans to schedule an MRI test on Sunday to determine the severity of a right thumb injury he sustained midway through Saturday’s loss to the Miami Heat.

Williams was hurt late in the second quarter and did not return for the second half of Utah’s 105-89 loss. The Jazz wrap up their four-game road trip Sunday in Orlando, but coach Tyrone Corbin was uncertain of Williams’ status.

An X-ray taken on Williams in Miami was negative, but the 10-year veteran said the pain in his thumb was similar to what he felt when he tore a ligament in his hand in 2008.

“I can’t feel it now,” Williams said after the game of the numbness.

— Reported by Michael Wallace of ESPN.com

Jazz shock Spurs with Mo Williams 3-point buzzer-beater

Mo Williams’ 3-pointer at the buzzer [see video] lifted the Utah Jazz to a 99-96 victory over San Antonio on Wednesday night, snapping the Spurs’ five-game winning streak.

Paul Millsap led Utah with 24 points and 12 rebounds, Al Jefferson scored 21 points and Gordon Hayward added 19.

The Jazz trailed by eight with a little more than 4 minutes remaining but fought back. Williams’ winning shot was his only 3 of the night and he finished with eight points on 3-for-9 shooting from the field.

Tim Duncan and Tony Parker each scored 22 points to lead the Spurs, who swept the Jazz out of the playoffs in the first round and had won 11 of the last 12 meetings.

Danny Green’s 19-footer gave the Spurs a 96-94 lead and Millsap tied it with 40 seconds left.

Millsap’s offensive rebound gave the Jazz the final shot. Williams made it and turned and ran toward the other end of the court only to be mobbed by his teammates.

— Reported by Lynn DeBruin of the Associated Press

Lakers lose to Jazz in Los Angeles

The Lakers still aren’t getting it together under new coach Mike D’Antoni, and the Utah Jazz exposed them again.

Paul Millsap scored 24 points and Mo Williams added 22 in Utah’s third straight victory, 117-110 on Sunday night.

”They did it to themselves,” Millsap said of the 9-12 Lakers. ”Our defense was pretty good, but they had no ball movement and that made it easier on us just to try to load up, keep them out of the paint and let them fire up some 3s.”

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 34 points, making 12 of 14 free throws, as they fell to 4-7 in their last 11 games since D’Antoni took over from the fired Mike Brown…

Al Jefferson and reserves Gordon Hayward and Enes Kanter added 14 points each for the Jazz, who improved to 4-9 on the road in ending a two-game skid away from home…

Bryant, who shot 9 of 24 while playing 43 minutes, engineered one last charge. He had seven points in a 17-7 run that got the Lakers to 115-110 with 1:10 to play. But he missed two 3-pointers in the final 33 seconds…

Jordan Hill added a career-high 17 points and Jodie Meeks 16 off the Lakers’ bench.

— Reported by Beth Harris of the Associated Press