JazzFan 4 Life

Utah won easily last night, 94-72, for their 5th straight win. What's going on today in Jazzland?

• Andrei Kirilenko was tired yesterday after the birth of his son, Stefan Kirilenko. The Salt Lake Tribune blog has a great post on the whole thing.
• The Pacers were tired last night, but did the Jazz play poor defense, or just take advantage of a worn out team?
• Why hasn't AK-47 been playing more in the 4th quarter? Oh, thanks.
• Audio: AK-47 on the Jazz staying focused.
• Audio: Jerry Sloan, excited about another win.
• Photos: Jazz/Pacers photo gallery from the Indinapolis Star.
  
• Sloan praises the Jazz's bench.
• Jazz have been keeping folks off the offensive glass (probably helps fuel a winning streak, wouldn't you think?)
• On the Pacers side of things, it might be panic time (at least Mike Wells thinks so).
  

The Jazz are rolling, having won 5 straight games with tonight's 94-72 win over the Pacers. It wasn't exactly a pretty game (in terms of high scorers, execution or consistent play by the Jazz), but a win is a win. Let's get into the notes ...

NBA.com coverage: recap box score highlights

SWEET MUSIC

* Deron Williams played well (16 pts, 6 ast, 3 reb), but also had 5 turnovers and banged knees with a Pacers' player and sat out some of the 3rd quarter. It was quite a scare, but Williams came back and played well in the 4th quarter with some nice assists to Harpring and a couple good shots.

* Carlos Boozer was horrid from the field (5-16 FG), but still managed a double-double (14 pts, 16 reb). He has 37 double-doubles this season and has been one of the biggest reasons the Jazz have already clinched a winning record. Where would the Jazz be without him? Probably aspiring to reach 40+ wins and squeak into the playoffs. With him, the Jazz are a possible 50-plus-win team and could squeak into the Western Conference Finals if they get the right breaks.

* What has gotten into Matt Harpring lately? The guy had 14 points tonight (which is about the usual for him), but the team seems to get an extra boost of energy when he and Paul Millsap check into the game. He has 14 or more points in 8 of his last 9 games.

* The Jazz's execution during this little win streak (and pretty much since the All-Star break) has been nearly flawless. Tonight's game was the exception as the Jazz settled for outside jumpers with the clock running down, but unlike earlier in the year, the Jazz aren't getting rattled when teams come back. This look like a veteran Jerry Sloan team; they run their sets, cut to the hoop, get back in transition and just keep working. There were a few sequences tonight when Jazz players were diving on the floor for loose balls and contesting inbounds passes. This is the behaviour of a high school team or an NBA team fighting to make the postseason, not one assured of a spot.

SOUR NOTES

* I would complain about Andrei Kirilenko's line here (9 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists), as I've done most of the year, but it's finally dawned on me. AK-47 is just having a bad year. It's not going to end soon, so he's just going to have to suck it up and do what he can to contribute to a playoff team heading for the stretch run. I think he can do that.

* Was this just a bad game for Gordan Giricek (8 points, 1-8 shooting) or is he regressing into the Gira-suck of old? It was hard to tell tonight. He tries to play good defense and stay on his man, but he gets too physical, too often and gets himself in foul trouble. I don't have a problem with him bumping T-Mac, Kobe or even Jason Richardson, but is it really that hard to stay with Mike Dunleavy without getting in foul trouble? Dunleavy doesn't have a ton of moves.

* Darrell Armstrong looked like he found a time machine tonight. He had 12 points, 3 assists and a steal and flustered the Jazz's guards at times with his pressure defense. Might be a tactic some teams might try against the Jazz as the season wears on.

Utah won the last meeting, 104-94, when the Jazz played the Pacers in Indiana. What to expect tonight? Let's take a quick look ...

What happened last time: Boozer scored 18 points, grabbed 11 rebounds ... D-Will had 17 points and 5 assists ... Mehmet Okur had 17 points and 7 rebounds. There's more here from the last game, but for the most part, it was Memo and Deron having their way with the Pacers.

What to expect this time: Indiana has lost 6 in a row, and although they played better last night against the Kings, have looked like a team that's in jeopardy of falling out of the playoff race. Danny Granger hasn't played well in his last 5 games, as he's averaging a solid 12.4 ppg but shooting only about 37 percent from the field. Before the season, the Granger/Andrei Kirilenko matchup would have been one to keep an eye out, but Kirilenko's disappointing season takes some luster off this one. AK-47 will have his hands full with Granger and I have a feeling that Darrell Armstrong will provide a spark for the Pacers tonight and maybe frustrate D-Will a little bit.

Prediction: Jazz get their 5th win in a row, 110-105.