JazzFan 4 Life

Well, so much for that six-game win streak. Jazz fall in Portland, 103-100, to a hard-working Blazers team. The Jazz had a chance to win this one, but my prediction was a little off. Let's get into it ...

SWEET MUSIC

Another solid, Harping-type night from Harpring (13 pts, 3-7 FG, 12 reb):
He only played 29 minutes (almost as many as Gordan Giricek) and looked as involved as he usually does in the offense. This seemed like the kind of game where a few more shots for Harpring might have done some good to loosen up the middle, but Derek Fisher was too busy thinking it was 2000 and he still had game. More on that later.

Millsap keeps getting it done (18 pts, 8-12 FG, 6 reb): Let's get this straight: midway through the second quarter, it looks like he got his hand broken by Zach Randolph. He seems to have tears in his eyes and plants himself on the bench and immediately I'm thinking he's out for 2-4 weeks with a busted finger. Then the second half starts and he's out there by the start of the fourth quarter. He had his usual hustle buckets and the Jazz almost came back on the Blazers thanks to his play.

Okur picks up where he left off (25 pts, 9-20 FG, 8 reb): He only had 4 points in the NBA All-Star game, but Okur showed he fits in best in Jerry Sloan's offense. He had a variety of Blazers in his face most of the night (including Randolph, LaMarcus Aldridge and Travis Outlaw) and did a good job of making his shots despite that. He turned it on a little too late and he didn't take any 3-pointers until the second half.

SOUR NOTES

Kirilenko/Giricek are struggling again (combined for 14 points, 5-14 FG, 8 reb and 3 TO): I just read that again ... that used to be an average night for Kirilenko on his own the last 2-3 seasons. Giricek spent most of the night as the whipping boy for Blazers rookie PG Brandon Roy and when he wasn't busy doing that, he was invisible in general on the floor. Kirilenko had scored 10+ pts in 3 of his last 5 games, but looked like the AK-47 of the 2006-07 season tonight: tentative, awful on his jump shot and a step slow on defense. Both these guys complained, complained and complained when they weren't getting shots early in the year. Now that Boozer is out, they have their shot to play more (and shoot more) and they stink it up. I expect it from Giricek, but not from Kirilenko.

Fisher looks for his own number (20 pts, 10 ast, 3 stls): Sure he lead the team in assists tonight and did fill in for injured PG Deron Williams. But there were countless times that he and Okur ran the high pick-and-roll, Okur went to his spot on the 3-point line and Fisher drove to the basket (where he usually missed or charged into someone). For as valuable as Okur's clutch play has been this year, Williams' steady hand at the point guard spot has been key for the Jazz all season.

Awful perimeter defense returns (allowed 7-17 3-point FG): The Jazz allowed the Blazers to shoot over 40 percent from the outside, mostly do to laziness on the defensive rotations. Portland probably should have made 10 or 11 3-pointers tonight given the sorry perimeter defense. The Jazz can't keep sluffing off on the outside because that's what has killed them this season.

Some headlines from the Portland area about tonight's Jazz vs. Blazers game:

* Blazers C Jamaal Magloire missed practice Monday, but not because he was traded. He is expected to be punished, meaning he might not play tonight.

* Blazers GM Steve Patterson says he's seen 'marked improvement' by the team and that no deals are likely.

* Jazz/Blazers preview from Associated Press.

* A little old, but FoxSports.com's Mike Kahn on how the Blazers should try to unload Magloire, Juan Dixon and maybe Raef Lafrentz to shore up their future.

Game 2 of this year's four-game set against the Blazers is Tuesday. A quick preview ...

What happened last time: Jazz win, 96-86, at Energy Solutions Arena. Mehmet Okur (20 pts, 7 reb), Carlos Boozer (19 pts, 10 reb) and Paul Millsap (11 pts, 6 reb off the bench) led the way for the Jazz. The Blazers Zach Randolph went crazy last time, going for 34 points and 13 rebounds while serving as the only reason the Blazers were in the game.

What to expect this time: Utah has rallied together since Boozer's injury, as they've won 6 straight games. More exciting that that is that the Jazz have only had one blowout win in that span and have played better in close games. Randolph is going to be the big concern in this game as he's going to try to light up Okur (who got an All-Star spot over him). Aside from that, without Boozer, the Jazz don't have anyone that can keep up with Randolph in the post. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Jazz let Randolph score his 25-30 points and try to keep Roy/Jarret Jack/Juan Dixon in check.

Prediction: Jazz win, 95-92.

Some headlines from the Portland area about tomorrow night's Jazz vs. Blazers game:

* Cool feature about the 1977 Portland TrailBlazers championship team. This team, along with the 1975 Warriors, 1979 Sonics and 2004 Pistons were probably the biggest underdogs to win an NBA title.

* Blazers G Brandon Roy doesn't wear a headband for the Blazers, but he tried on on during the rookie/sophomore game.

* BlazersEdge predicts Portland (22-32) probably won't win as much in the second half of the season, given the team's inconsistent play. Additionally, they wouldn't be surprised to see Juan Dixon get shipped off to free up time for rookie sensation Sergio Garcia.

* Great story from the Portland Tribune on something I didn't know: The City of Roses has never hosted an NBA All-Star game.

* Imagine how Portland would be this season if the Knicks had pulled the trigger and sent F David Lee there last season? Newsday says that deal almost happened.

Game 3 of the preseason got underway last night (Jazz/Blazers), with Utah taking a 104-90 victory. Let's hear some sweet music & sour notes ... \

Sweet Music

* The Naked Russian: 15 pts (5-7 FG; 5-5 FT), 6 reb, 7 assists, 6 blocks - Don't try to tell this guy preseason games are worthless. After missing the past two preseason games with lower back trouble (uh-oh), Kirilenko went crazy against the Blazers. When he's playing this well, it's easy to find more sweet music.

* Carlos Boozer: 23 pts (8-13 FG), 7 reb, 4 assists and 2 BLOCKS!! - Nice to see Boozer playing defense and boxing out once in a while. Just stay healthy and AK-47 will make you look like an all-star.

* Mehmet Okur: 13 pts (6-10 FG), 12 reb, 2 blocks - It's nice when the frontline contributes. Okur will probably have more games like this (minus about 3 rebounds and 2 blocks) on most nights provided The Naked Russian and Boozer do their jobs.

Sour notes

* Jazz fall asleep on lead - Utah led by as many as 17 points before the Blazers closed the gap to three with 8:16 left in the fourth quarter. Not a good sign against any team, but a really bad sign considering it was Portland. The Blazers will probably be challenging for the worst record in the league, so you've got to put them away early.

* Brandon Roy & Jarret Jack - They scored only 27 points combined, but had Juan Dixon found his shot last night (4-13 FG), the crappy Jazz defense in the backcourt would have been exposed once again.

* C.J. Miles struggles - I like that Ronnie Brewer and Matt Harpring played well, but Miles is supposed to be the future, too. A one-for-three night from the floor with 2 fouls in 16 minutes isn't too good. He seems to be having trouble getting into a groove.