SLIDESHOW: Utah Jazz vs. New Orleans Hornets NBA basketball
SALT LAKE CITY -- Home is where the points are.
Not exactly something to hang over the fireplace mantle, but nevertheless, it seems to be warming the hearts of the Utah Jazz.
Back home after a difficult loss in Phoenix, the Jazz ran away from the New Orleans Hornets on Saturday, whipping them 106-86 at EnergySolutions Arena.
Utah (45-25) dominated from the start, even while missing starters Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur.
In their last five home games, the Jazz have owned leads of 25 (vs. Houston on Feb. 27), 27 (vs. the L.A. Clippers on March 6), 34 (vs. Washington on March 15), 27 (vs. Minnesota on March 17) and finally, 35 on Saturday.
"We do feel confident at home, I think every team does," said forward Carlos Boozer. "We're one of those teams that feels confident when we play in our building."
On a night when most of their regulars played fewer than 30 minutes, the Jazz got a big night from backup forward Paul Millsap, who scored 22 points and hauled in 15 rebounds.
C.J. Miles, who stepped in for Kirilenko at small forward, started out 8-for-8 from the field and finished with 19 points.
Deron Williams spent just over 30 minutes on the court, but finished with 17 points and 11 assists.
And then there was Boozer, who saw just 15 minutes of playing time. Over that span he managed to score 10 points and grab two rebounds.
"It's fun (to win so easily)," Boozer said. "I think everybody gets a chance to play, everybody gets a chance to contribute. I think it builds team morale to get guys off the bench and in the game where they get to play.
"A lot of games coach has to have a tight rotation so when we get up by a lot it gives guys a chance to show what they can do."
One such player was center Kyrylo Fesenko, who started in place of Okur. The 7-footer played 43 minutes and reach season highs in points (11) and rebounds (eight).
The Jazz are 5-0 this season when Fesenko starts.
The Hornets (33-38) lost their third in a row and sixth in seven games.
Star point guard Chris Paul hasn't played since Jan. 29, when he suffered a left knee injury which required surgery.
And on Saturday, starting power forward David West was ejected from the game late in the first quarter after a flagrant foul on Utah's Kyle Korver.
"In all fairness to (the Hornets), they've got Chris Paul sitting at home and West got kicked out of the ballgame," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. "Those are probably their two best players on their team and it took a lot away from them."
Even so, the Jazz dominated the game right from the start. They broke out to an early 6-0 lead and increased it to 30-22 by the end of the first quarter.
There was plenty more of that in the second as Utah pushed its lead to 25 points before halftime.
GAME 70 Jazz 106, Hornets 86
* BEST PLAY: Late in the third quarter, Williams steals the ball on the Hornets' end then races the other way to score a layup. He is fouled on the play, but before going to the free throw line he winds up in the stands where he plops down and puts his arms around a couple of fans. After a brief rest he gets up and makes the free throw to put the Jazz ahead 88-55.
* KEY STAT: The Jazz for eight Hornets' turnovers as they pull away in the second quarter.
NO WORD ON SLOAN: The NBA has yet to make a decision on Jazz coach Jerry Sloan regarding his confrontation with referee Michael Smith at the end of Friday's game at Phoenix.
Sloan was ejected from the game with .02 seconds remaining after he made contact with Smith.
Normally the NBA acts quickly, usually before the team's next game. However, the Jazz were playing on a back-to-back, which may have come into play. It also appears the league is giving a thorough investigation.
Sloan said he has spoken with NBA security people
"I don't know," he said. "I guess everybody's the judge and jury in this situation, it sounds like."
* UP NEXT: The Jazz will play host to the Boston Celtics on Monday.
Comments