Jazz @ Bucks: Jump-Start My Heart

The Jazz sneaked away from Milwaukee with a win tonight, but it wasn't a game for the faint of heart. If you have a history of heart problems, consult your doctor before reading this post. It's too bad that a game against the Bucks had to be so emotionally draining, but a win is a win.

Utah started the game on a tear, had a 16-point first quarter lead, and ended up scoring 40 points in the period! The lead quickly slipped away; Milwaukee came back with a vengeance and cut the deficit to one heading into the half. The third quarter was back and forth, and the Bucks pulled away in the fourth. Jazz fans everywhere started to get queasy as they realized the Jazz were letting another road game slip away.

But the basketball gods had other plans tonight! Down 11 late in the game, Utah used spectacular free throw shooting and a 12-2 run to come roaring back into the game. Mehmet Okur pulled down two offensive rebounds on the same possession and fed Carlos Boozer down low for a huge layup to give the Jazz the lead. Andrei Kirilenko poked the ball away from Milwaukee and hit a streaking Ronnie Brewer, who was fouled and hit one of two from the free throw line. Now down by two, the Bucks' Charlie Villanueva drove to the hoop, only to get the ball swatted away by Boozer, and the game was in the ol' refrigerator.

Game ball: Deron Williams. He had yet another double-double with 26 points and 13 assists. But this game was a balanced effort from the whole starting line-up (all five ended in double figures; Boozer, Okur, and Williams each recorded double-doubles). Great game!

It was also nice to pick up a big road win heading into the Bean-Town Showdown with the Boston Celtics on Friday. Let's hope the real Big Three show Boston's big three a good time!

Jazz @ Bulls: Sleepy in Chicago

Utah did not start out this Eastern road swing the way they wanted to last night. They had an early lead, but it quickly disappeared; the Bulls virtually dominated the last three quarters en route to a 108-96 victory in Chicago. Utah tried to make a run late in the fourth quarter, but they couldn't ever get closer than eight points before the Bulls would hit a big three or get an easy layup.

Mehmet Okur gave the Jazz another great performance (22 points and 18 boards), and Deron Williams contributed another double-double (20 points and 10 assists), but they were the only bright spots the whole evening. It was nice to see Andrei Kirilenko back though, and he played fairly well with 10 points, four rebounds, four assists, one block, and one steal.

There is no time to cry about this one; Utah makes the short trip from Chicago to Milwaukee tonight for a game against the 23-41 Bucks. If the Jazz are going to make up any ground in the West before season's end, it has to start on this road trip (especially with how hot the Houston Rockets and L.A. Lakers are currently).

Double Whammy Weekend

The Jazz had a great weekend with two huge wins: they made a late-game run against the Suns in Phoenix, then absolutely crushed the Nuggets the next night in Salt Lake City. I was sick all weekend and wasn't able to watch either game, but suffice it to say, the Jazz are better off without me. There will be much to write about this week; they head out on a 4-game-in-5-nights Eastern Conference road swing starting Tuesday night in Chicago. Utah has a lot of momentum right now (5-game win streak), and they are playing what might be the best basketball they've played all year! If they can keep this up, they could easily jump to third or second in the Western Conference race.

Jazz vs. Timberwolves: Sweet Revenge

Utah took it to Minnesota in a big way tonight in the EnergySolutions Arena. Perhaps the memory of last week's disappointing loss to the T-wolves was still lingering in their minds, because they sent the "pesky Wolves" out of the gym with their tails between their legs. It's not always a good sign when the seats are empty with several minutes left in the game, but the Jazz stuck a fork in Minnesota early in the third quarter and cruised to a 105-76 win for their 17th straight home win.

The first half was a fairly strong showing; Utah heading into the intermission with a 51-39 advantage. There wasn't a whole lot to be excited about up to this point, other than a few sky-high dunks from Ronnie Brewer. He also hit two early treys and had 12 points by halftime. It wasn't until the second half that the crowd really got into it. The Jazz came out in the third and absolutely hit the Wolves right in the mouth! They reeled off a string of 15 straight points to start the third and never looked back. Deron Williams had another great game with 21 points and 11 assists -- most of those points came on identical plays: killer cross-over and quick slash to the basket for the easy layup. Carlos Boozer was strong underneath, pulling down 14 boards to go with his 16 points. The Jazz are tough to beat when those guys are on their games.

Game ball: Ronnie Brewer. He had five or six spectacular dunks, several of those coming on alley-oops. He was slashing to the basket and making his defender look foolish all night. He ended the night with 16 points and eight rebounds and five plays worthy of SportsCenter's top 10 plays of the night. What an improvement he's made this year!

Big game Friday in Phoenix against the "Big Cactus" Shaquille O'Neal and the Suns. Utah should be able to rack up some numbers against them (Denver scored 126 on the Suns tonight). They may not have Andrei Kirilenko back for the game, but if they get a team effort like tonight, the Jazz should be sitting pretty heading into the Rocky Mountain Showdown on Saturday.

Jazz vs. Mavericks: Keep On Rollin', Rollin', Rollin', Rolling'

Wow, this one was a real roller-coaster of a ride, but the Jazz ended up on top once again from Energy Solutions Arena. Somehow they just keep pulling out big games at home, and this one was definitely a big game and an exciting one. We'll take it from the top and try not to miss any of the action:

The Jazz started out white-hot in the first quarter. Carlos Boozer hit his first 5 shots, Ronnie Brewer had a couple three-point plays, and before Jerry Sloan had let fly his first expletive, Utah was up by 21! They were shooting close to 70% in the first quarter, and the Mavericks were completely left in the dust. The Jazz did take a big blow in the first period, however, when Dirk Nowitzki clotheslined Andrei Kirilenko under the hoop, slamming AK to the ground right on the small of his back. Andrei stayed down for awhile and ended up limping to the locker room and being wheeled out to a local hospital for x-rays (the preliminary reports came up negative).

The Jazz as a team kept cruising all the way through the second quarter and took a 14-point lead into halftime. Deron Williams had -- get this -- 14 assists in the first half!! That's one short of the franchise-record set by the Assist King himself. Things were looking good at that point, but Utah came out flat in the third quarter, and Dallas trimmed the lead to 6 heading into the final stanza.

The Mavericks kept chipping away at the lead; fans started getting nervous, and the Jazz players were starting to play a little reckless. About halfway through the period, Dallas took a three-point lead and had complete momentum. For those of you that may have forgotten, though, this game was played in SLC. Utah answered with a 16-0 run, and didn't really look back from there. The game was cemented from the charity stripe, with Kyle Korver (surprise!) hitting 6 straight to seal the deal. In fact, as a team, Utah nailed all 18 free throws in the fourth quarter! It's pretty hard to lose at home with that percentage. Carlos Boozer had some huge steals when the game was on the line, and Mehmet Okur had a big three-point play to turn the tide for the Jazz.

Despite the great performance from many players, the game ball has to go -- once again -- to D-Will. He finished the game with 17 points and 20 assists! He's really proving himself as a strong leader and a smart passer. He seems to be maturing and improving every week. He will be invaluable to the team come playoff time.

Utah has a revenge game against the "pesky Timberwolves" on Wednesday, as well as a Friday night game in Phoenix against the new-look Suns, but everybody has to be anticipating the big Saturday matchup against the right-on-our-heels Nuggets in SLC. The excitement has only just begun!

Jazz @ Grizzlies: ROAD WIN!

The Jazz beat up on the reeling Memphis Grizzlies last night to the tune of 113-92. It was a sweet road victory, considering Utah hadn't won on the road since before the All-Star beak (two weeks ago). It was also relieving to see the Jazz finally beat a team that they're supposed to beat (Memphis is 27 games out of first place in the Southwest Division, and has lost 8 straight).

It wasn't as thorough of a beating as it may look, however; in fact, Utah led by only two points with eight minutes to go. That was when the Jazz really turned it on and cruised to a 21-point victory. Credit for this win goes to several people (Jerry Sloan knew when to call timeouts to stop Memphis' momentum, Kyle Korver had 17 points and was 4-7 from behind the line, Kirilenko had 16 points and 5 assists). The game ball, however, goes to Deron Williams; he played 40 minutes, had 13 points, and ended up with 19 assists! He had great vision of the court all night long, and always seemed to be able to find the man with the best chance to score. He finished the game just 2 assists short of his career high. In all, seven Jazz players scored in double figures, and the team shot 57% for the game. Great win!

And it's just what the Jazz needed heading into Monday's game with Dallas. At least we know it's possible for the Jazz to win on the road now, even if it is against the likes of Memphis. Take comfort, Jazz fans, we're headed back to SLC for this one!!

Jazz @ Hornets: Shoot Me In The Face

There's not a whole lot a man can say about last night's debacle in New Orleans. The Jazz were completely out-played in the first quarter, and were outscored 38-15. The Hornets reeled off a 23-0 run, and that's the end of the story. Sure, Utah fought back and cut the lead to four points with just over eight minutes left in the game, but everybody knew the Jazz didn't deserve the victory.

In case I'm sounding a little too negative/depressed, I'll say this: I am. But, of course, New Orleans is a good team and a legitimate contender in the West. Chris Paul was dominant last night; the Jazz had no answer for him. He could be considered an MVP candidate in my book.

We don't have much time to think about what went wrong yesterday -- the team is swinging over to Memphis for a clash with the Grizzlies tonight. I will just take some strong medication and hope that the stinging from the Hornets (excuse the pun) goes away quickly.