JazzFan 4 Life

Ohhh, boy. This one was not pretty. A 101-90 loss to the Magic following last night's loss to the Heat means we are in the middle of a 2-game losing streak. Let's figure out what went right and what went wrong.

• Boozer abuses the Magic's defense with a 29-point, seven-rebound night. Sure he shot more than any other Jazz player (24 FGA tonight), but he also seemed to be the only guy playing on a full tank of gas on offense. Defensively, he (nor anyone else on the Jazz) could stop Dwight Howard. But when Howard makes up his mind to take over, there aren't many big men who can tell him otherwise. Overall, Boozer played solid, but he didn't have a whole lot of help.
• Jazz try to pull off a rally. This game looked over in the start of the 4th quarter as the Magic held a 77-64 lead. But some defense combined with some timely 3-pointers by Mehmet Okur trimmed the lead to 92-88 with 2:46 to go. Unfortunately, Howard dunked over two Jazz players a few plays later and that was the end of this one. But at least the Jazz tried to come back.

SOUR NOTES

• Turnovers rule the night. Both teams had 22 turnovers, but it seemed like the Jazz were turning the ball over every time the got some momentum going. Deron Williams had a good night, stats-wise (14 points, 11 assists), but he had six turnovers. He has 11 turnovers and 19 assists in his last two games and has looked out of sync. Most disturbing is that he hasn't been matched up against top-flight PGs in that span (unless you consider Jason Williams and Jameer Nelson to be top-flight PGs).
• Matt Harpring, Gordan Giricek, Paul Millsap, Jarron Collins and C.J. Miles played 55 minutes. What did that get the Jazz tonight? How about 13 points, five rebounds, five turnovers and eight personal fouls. That's about what you'd expect (points and rebounds-wise) out of Harpring, alone.
• Atrocious interior defense. The Jazz allowed the Magic to shoot 55.2 percent from the floor and provided their trademark matador interior defense. Granted, Dwight Howard should score 31 points and have 15 rebounds on a great night, but if that's happening, don't let Tony Battie, Grant Hill and Hedo Turkoglu play well, too. There were wayyyyyy too many layups tonight.

It's late and this postgame wrapup is also, so we'll keep it short. The Jazz fell to the Heat, 88-86, in Miami. A quick look at the good (and bad) from Tuesday night's loss.

SWEET MUSIC

• Another solid night from Boozer (20 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists), but he disappeared in the 4th quarter. In the last 1:30, the Jazz ran at least three different plays for him, and he settled for jumpers. Would have liked to have seen him take the ball to the basket.
• Memo goes for 19 points, 10 rebounds, but more importantly, takes the single-season 3-point shooting record from Bryon Russell. Okur was 2-7 on 3-pointers, giving 109 3-pointers this year (passing Russell's 108 set in 1996-97). While Russell was a key player on the NBA Finals teams of 1997 and 1998, he never delivered on his promise to be an all-star and was more or less a disappointing player. Okur has done more in his three years with the Jazz than Russell did in his tenure.
  

• APB put out for Fisher, Kirilenko, Millsap ... these guys combined for 6 points, 3 rebounds and an assist. While AK-47's season has been a bust, Fisher and Millsap have been two of the more reliable players for the Jazz. Sure, blowing a 17-point lead is never good, but the bench has to show up.
• A 17-point lead is not safe. Utah was up 17 points in this game and 14 points entering the 4th quarter, and still managed to lose. This game reminds me of the Knicks loss and many others this year in which the Jazz had a lead, but couldn't keep it going. I've said it before and I'll say it again ... the Jazz can't keep wilting under the pressure if they want to go anywhere in the postseason.
• ANTOINE WALKER KILLS US?! The guy had 0 points entering the 4th quarter, then scored all 13 of his points to lead the Heat's rally. Walker looked about 7 years younger in this game (driving to the basket, hitting big 3-pointers) and his play combined with Gary Payton's defe
  

Jazz top the Hornets, 96-86, for their 6th straight win (their second 6-game win streak in the last 15 games). Utah fell asleep in the first quarter, but then took over in the second and coasted the rest of the night. Let's get into what went right (and what could be better) ...

NBA.com coverage: recap box score highlights

SWEET MUSIC

• Another "rally" victory for the Jazz as they trailed 47-45 at halftime and got the win. The Jazz are now 14-12 when trailing at halftime, although I wouldn't exactly put this up there in terms of rallies with the Atlanta win earlier this year.
  
• Mehmet comes through and plays well against the Hornets (29 points, 5-7 on 3-pointers, 5 rebounds) for the second time in less than a week. The Jazz started off slow, as we mentioned earlier, but Mehmet came out of the gate on fire and kept it up all night long. Although the Hornets' Tyson Chandler had six blocks to go along with his 12 points and six rebounds, Okur got the best of this matchup as he and Carlos Boozer punished the Hornets' frontline.
• Deron Williams struggled from the field (10 points, 3-13 FG), so he simply ran the Jazz's offense to precision, found open teammates (13 assists) and played great defense (3 steals). He and Chris Paul (12 points, 4-10 FG, 11 assists) had nearly identical nights, but Paul had to work much harder for his numbers.
  
• Matt Harpring keeps pissing off opponents. Harpring had an OK night from the floor (10 points, 2-7 FG, 7 rebounds), but it's nights like these that Harpring's value is found in his toughness. Harpring had eight free throw attempts (made six) and frustrated Hornets F Desmond Mason to the point of getting T'd up.
  
• Boozer with another solid night (20 points, 10 rebounds). He didn't do anything spectacular tonight, but had another double-double and is making a serious push for All-NBA Second Team honors.
• Kirilenko seems to be finding his niche. The line, as usual, for AK-47 was awful (2 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks). Seems as though since the all-star break, Kirilenko is finding his way on this team (particularly what his role is) and is fitting into a role as an offensive facilitator and defensive stopper.
  

• Utah's lack of energy to start games has been a real disappointment. By my count, the Jazz have trailed at the end of the first quarter in about half of the 10 games since the all-star break. While the Jazz eventually figure things out (they're 8-2 in those 10 games), the slow starts have been a little frustrating. I know you have to probe your opponent and figure out what they're giving you, but the Jazz shouldn't take a whole quarter to determine how their game plan will work.
  
• The interior defense could use a little work. Chandler had six blocks as mentioned before, so that kind of throws things off, but the Jazz still give up some easy buckets at the basket. When Kirilenko was the starting power forward, those interior problems were masked a little better, but now that Boozer has that spot, the problems are evident. How Boozer can finish above the rim on offense all the time and allow layups on the other end amazes me.
  

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.

The Jazz are getting hot again, after tonight's 105-87 win over the Celtics. Utah has won 8 of its last 9 games and followed up last night's big win over Denver with a drubbing of Boston at Energy Solutions Arena. Let's get into it ...

SWEET MUSIC

Boozer working his way back (16 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists in 23 minutes): Boozer played just 12 minutes last night, finishing with 10 points. Tonight he played mostly in the 1st and 4th quarters and doesn't seem to show any signs of rust around the basket. His jumper looked a little off (particularly when he was open), so he mostly banged his way to his points tonight.

Fisher picks up the slack (21 points on 8-11 shooting): Deron Williams had 2 points on 1-10 FGs, so Fisher took it upon himself to take some shots ... and make them. He played more minutes than Williams tonight (31 minutes for Fisher to Williams' 27 minutes) and looked solid. He moved the ball, played defense (2 steals) and was teamed with Gordan Giricek to keep most of Boston's backcourt playing defense on a night when I'm sure they didn't think they'd have to.

Millsap keeps hustlin' (10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks): He got 14 shots tonight (which is like 30 for Boozer/Okur/Williams) and although he only made 5 of them, he kept playing defense, running the floor and not playing outside his role. As Boozer starts to work his way back to his normal 28-32 minutes a night, Millsap will resume his role as the energy guy off the bench. But there's gotta be some thought in Jerry Sloan's mind that Millsap deserves to play crunch time minutes if Andrei Kirilenko can't get it together by late March.

SOUR NOTES

What's up with Okur/Kirilenko? All we know is that these guys missed the game (Okur for his back; Kirilenko for his knee). But how serious is Okur's injury? Will he be back in the lineup soon or will this soon balloon into an injury of Boozer-like proportions? AK-47 is always hurt, but he had knee problems two years ago and has had flare-ups with the injury since then. Maybe this injury will help Millsap and Ronnie Brewer get some more minutes, but the Jazz need to get AK-47 back and get his confidence back up. They won't make a long playoff run if he's not a factor.

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.

Well, this was a letdown. One night after one of the biggest wins of the year for the Jazz, they follow it up with a disappointing performance and a 94-83 loss to New Orleans/Oklahoma City. Lots of bad music tonight ...

SWEET MUSIC

At least Millsap cared ... (15 points, 17 rebounds, 2 blocks) -- Paul Millsap's 15+ rebounds tonight marked the first time since 1977 that a Jazz rookie accomplished the feat. He had a ton of energy tonight and gave us a glimpse of what he can do if given major minutes. I'm not saying he's going to go for 15 and 17 every night, but he could get about 10 points and 8 rebounds a night on just hard work alone. It's too bad Carlos Boozer got injured early in this game, but a night like this probably helps Millsap's confidence offensively.

Slick flirts with a triple-double (27 points, 11-19 FG, 5 rebounds, 8 assists) -- Aside from Millsap, Deron Williams was probably the only guy who seemed to think winning tonight might be a good idea. He was a little slow to start looking for his own shot (he was trying to get the MASH unit he had to play with involved), but once he looked around, he made most of what he saw.

SOUR MUSIC

Boozer's injury (bruised knee) -- Uh oh ... this is what caused him to miss basically half of last season and the second half of his first season with the Jazz. Hopefully everything will be OK, but when he went limping off the court in the first quarter, I was a little worried. Made me remember how spoiled Jazz fans were in the Stockton-to-Malone era ... those guys got hit all the time and never missed games.

Lack of energy overall -- The Jazz looked a little flat without AK-47, but once Boozer left the game with his injury in the first quarter, that was pretty much the end of the game tonight. The Jazz basically gave up the rest of the night, even though they got the Hornets' lead under 6 points a few times. A big let down loss, but hopefully they'll bounce back at home on Monday against New Jersey

This was probably the biggest game of the year thus far (in terms of the division standings and confidence for the Jazz). Looked like it wasn't going to be a good game for the Jazz early on, but they managed an exciting 116-111 win over the Nuggets.

SWEET MUSIC

Young guys step up (Paul Millsap: 6 pts, 6 reb, 2 blocks Ronnie Brewer: 12 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal): Andrei Kirilenko left the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury and it was looking like Melo was going to light us up. Enter Brewer, who took over for Kirilenko's replacement (Gordan Giricek) and promptly made an alley-oop jam to get the Jazz back into it. Brewer had a key steal of Melo in the 4th quarter and was a factor in the game with his defense and hustle. Millsap did his usual hustling, hard-nosed play throughout the game, but came up with 2 critical blocks down the stretch to preserve Utah's win.

Boozer punches his ticket for Vegas (25 points, 19 rebounds, 2 assists): This type of performance wasn't that outstanding for Boozer as he's had bigger stat-type games this year. But it was the way in which he got most of his rebounds and abused Denver's big men of Marcus Camby, Nene and Reggie Evans. Boozer had as many rebounds as Camby, Nene and Evans combined. He's a shoo-in for the All-Star game now.

Bench comes up big (reserves outscore Denver 46-11): We mentioned Brewer and Millsap, but Giricek and Matt Harpring also played big for the Jazz. More than his 11 points, Harpring did a great job of frustrating Nuggets forward J.R. Smith and played physical with Melo to make him get some dumb fouls down the stretch. Giricek had 13 points, but his three 3-pointers kept Denver honest in the middle.

Defending the 3 (Denver: 4-11 on 3-pointers): Utah did a much better job of sticking with Iverson, Melo, Steve Blake and Smith on the long ball. I couldn't beleive Boozer actually ran toward a 3-point shooter with the game winding down (as he did with Blake's late 3). If he did that more often this year, we might have a few more wins. But overall, whatever the problem has been with perimeter defense wasn't a problem tonight.

SOUR NOTES

Where have you gone, Memo? (14 points, 5-17 FG, 0-6 on 3-pointers): A little disappointing to see Okur not step it up in a big game or when the Jazz needed him. Makes me wonder how he'd do in the playoffs if the going got rough. There were stretches last night where he all-but disappeared and if it weren't for Boozer, the Jazz would have lost easily.

Stop starting Fisher (25 minutes, 2-8 FG, 2 assists, 3 turnovers, 8 points): On the Jazz's second possession of the game, he couldn't get the ball past halfcourt and had it stolen away by Iverson. He missed all of his open jumpers and had a bunch of stupid fouls. By contrast, the Brewer/Giricek combination played 2 minutes more than Fisher did and scored 25 points. I think Fisher is a great backup PG, but he can't handle the two-guard position at all. Maybe the solution lies in what was done tonight ... play Brewer and Giracek roughly the same amount of minutes?

Kirilenko's injury (14 minutes, 2-3 FG, 1-1 on 3-pointers, 4 assists, block, 7 points): When he went down in the 2nd quarter trying to block Marcus Camby, it looked pretty bad. But he was able to walk off the court on his own. Who knows when he'll play again, but the injury didn't look too serious. It's moments like these in the NBA that give struggling players (Giricek) and young guys (Brewer) a chance they want to prove themselves.

Kevin Garnett and the Timberwolves had their way with the Jazz in Minnesota in December. Not so tonight ... Jazz earn their 4th straight win with tonight's 106-91 victory. What was sweet? What was sour? Let's get into it ...

SWEET MUSIC

Timberwolves can't stop Memo (28 points, 10-16 FG, 4-6 3-pointers, 5 reb, blk) -- He had 19 points in the second half and scored 10 points during a three-minute stretch of the fourth quarter to lock up the win. Timberwolves C Mark Blount came in as the flavor of the month (as he's averaged 16.9 ppg this month), but Memo and the rest of the Jazz defense kept him in check.

Nothing like a visit to the hated Bulls and coming out with a 10-point win. Hey! That's exactly what happened tonight! Let's get into it as the Jazz get their third win in a row ...

SWEET MUSIC

Boozer's quiet double-double (19 pts, 14 reb, 4 assists) -- Boozer was only 5-for-10 on free throws, but he got to work inside and made P.J. Brown, Ben Wallace and fat Mike Sweetney work on defense. Mehmet Okur made noise with his 21 points, 11 rebounds and a few big 3s, but Boozer pounded away at the Bulls' frontline a little each quarter and had some big baskets down the stretch for the Jazz. He just missed his 9th 20-point game in the last 10 games, but has started playing better after a so-so December.

Kirilenko's back? (10 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks) -- Who is this tall Russian guy who does it all? Where has he been this season? The last three games could be called the resurgence of AK-47, but let's see if he can keep it going when the Jazz get back home and play the T-Wolves on Tuesday. He had another huge steal tonight (this time Ben Gordon was the victim down the stretch) and has that perpetual movement away from the ball working again.

Fisher sinks key bucket (14 points, 3-11 FG, 4 assists, 3 TO) -- Fisher wasn't impressive tonight and his jumper looked terrible most of the evening. But when the Bulls got it to 80-73 with 1:25 to go, Fisher made a high-arching jumper inside the 3-point line to push the lead back to nine and lock up the win for the Jazz.

SOUR NOTES

"Slick" Willie stumbles against home fans (12 points, 7 assists, 2 steals, 5 TO) -- Williams scored all 12 of his points in the first half and had trouble staying in front of Kirk Hinrich on the pick and roll. His last foul was a little bogus (looked to me like Hinrich elbowed him on the drive), but I think most of all, Williams was trying too hard. There was a large contingent of Illini fans at the game and I'm sure he wanted to put on a show. Too bad he didn't tonight.

The Joy of Jarron (11 minutes, 2 points, 3 rebounds, 3 fouls) -- I know there isn't a lot to expect from this guy, but he's becoming the Walking Foul of the Jazz. His minutes have been a little inconsistent of late, but even when he gets 12-15 minutes, Collins hasn't produced much. I'm guessing he'll be valuable in the slow down pace of the playoffs, but if not, re-signing him has been a small disappointment.

WEEEEE WANT DEEEEE!!! -- The chant from the aforementioned Illini crowd was to get ex-Illinois PG Dee Brown into the game. Yes, the Jazz won by 10 points. Yes, the game was over with a minute to go. But no, Jerry Sloan didn't put Dee into the game. I know Sloan is trying to win games and not convert Bulls fans, but playing him the last 20 seconds of the game couldn't have hurt.

Two in a row for the Jazz as Utah gets a 102-94 win in Toronto. Let's get to the recap ...

SWEET MUSIC

Tempo establishment -- Toronto never really had a foothold in this game, despite the game being close. It was played at Utah's pace and the Raptors never got a lead of more than three or four points before the Jazz would rally and take a 4-5 point lead themselves. It was good to see the Jazz establish and maintain a tempo.

Keeping the lead -- The Raptors cut the Jazz's fourth quarter lead from 10 points to three on a jumper by Morris Peterson with 5:10 to go. Looked like a recipe for another Utah collapse, but a steal by AK-47 with 55 seconds left that led to a Harpring fastbreak dunk sealed up the win. This has to be the first time all year the Jazz didn't blow a fourth quarter lead.

Memo makes his all-star push (27 points, 2-8 on 3-pointers) -- Since scoring 7 points in the blowout loss to the Rockets on Jan. 5, Okur has picked up his scoring. He has scored 20+ points in 4 of his last 5 games and the Jazz are on a two-game win streak (after losing four in a row). Everyone knows Boozer is a shoo-in for the all-star game, but Okur might make a push for a spot if he keeps this up.

Kirilenko on his way back? (8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, game-clinching steal) -- Larry Miller is trying to alienate one of the team's most popular players with his comments, but Kirilenko took it all in stride tonight and gave a glimpse of his old form. He has been much more active the last two games and seems to be growing into his role on the team. I like that Sloan is actually running some post-up plays for AK-47 and his bounce pass between the legs of Chris Bosh to Boozer was just sick!

SOUR NOTES

Giricek wants minutes, Giricek gets minutes, then doesn't deliver (16 minutes, 0 pts, 0-3 FG, 3 steals) -- In a story published in the Salt Lake Tribune, Giricek wondered what his role was on the Jazz and complained about a lack of consistent playing time (haven't we all heard this before?). So Sloan puts him in the game and he does nothing to reverse the current opinion on him. I think the Jazz are better off playing Brewer more minutes so he can develop ... Giricek is a lost cause on this team.

Millsap slowing down (4 pts, 6 reb in 18 minutes) -- Sure, that is a decent line for Jarron Collins or even Giricek at this point, but Millsap hasn't played as well the last month as he did the first two months of the year. He's definitely hit the rookie wall ... might it be time for some minutes for Rafael Araujo?

What a letdown tonight ... a 97-96 loss in overtime to the crappy Knicks. This is probably the worst loss of the season (even though it is only by one point) just because of the effort level. Let's get into it ...

SWEET MUSIC

D. Will plays big, again (23 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals) -- He made the 3-pointer with 10 seconds left to send the game into OT. He made another 3-pointer with 1:15 left in OT to tie the game at 94-94. Finally, he hit the shoulda-been game-winner with 3 seconds to go to give Utah a 96-95 lead. What else could the guy have done better?

Okur plays on offense (19 points, 4-7 on 3-pointers, 9 rebounds, 4 assists) -- He had two big 3-pointers in the last three minutes of the 4th quarter (and another in OT). The outside shooting touch was there tonight for Memo, but his defense (we'll get to that later) was not.

SOUR NOTES

Okur doesn't play defense (again) -- Nevermind that that storied Knicks trio of Ronaldo Balkman, David Lee and Channing Frye outrebounded Okur and Boozer 45-19. Nevermind, also, that Lee looked like a white Dwight Howard all night. Okur is on this list for not even attempting to foul Stephon Marbury as he drove the length of the court for the game-winning lay-up! That's right, a game-winning lay-up! How soft do you have to be to be right under the basket and allow a lay-up as time expires? Just ask Memo.

Boozer dozes off for 3 quarters -- Boozer: 23 points, 10 rebounds. Boy, that sure looks nice. Oh wait, what's that? You had seven turnovers, four fouls and you scored 17 of the 23 points in the first quarter? Thanks a lot. There's no reason why Boozer (or the rest of the Jazz's front line) should have been settling for jump shots. Get whatever big guys they have in foul trouble and get to the basket.

Bench does diddly -- The following guys played tonight: Harpring, Millsap, Collins, Giricek and Brown. Combined shooting for them was 4-18, they amassed 7 of the Jazz's 23 personal fouls and did a nice job of killing Utah's 34-20 lead after the first quarter.

AK's poor play -- His all-around game was working yesterday in Indiana, but tonight he just wasn't all there. He seems dead set to not shoot the open mid-range jumper and has no confidence in even attempting the shot. He also had a really stupid foul on Marbury with 53 seconds left in overtime that gave the Knicks a 1-point lead.

OK, so I missed a game (Wolves/Jazz, if you want to call that a game), but we're back at it with tonight's 101-79 whomping of the Mavericks. Let's hear some sweet music and sour notes as we celebrate Jerry Sloan's 1,000 career victory ...

Sweet music

The Harp Dog: 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3-4 FT -- Harpring provided a nice spark off the bench tonight and hit the boards for some tough rebounds when the Jazz needed it. He and Boozer had a nice little inside (Harpring) and outside (Boozer) combination going in the second quarter, when the Jazz were still slugging it out with Dallas. He did a good job of keeping Devean George from becoming any kind of offensive factor.

AK-47's quiet impact: 10 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 4 blocks -- It is games like this that make me think AK-47 seems to be finding his way in this low-post offense that features Boozer. He's doing well this year when he gets the ball on the wing and can look over the defense and make a good pass. He had a sick pass between the legs of a couple Mavs, but Jarron Collins blew the layup, but some of his other passes were right on. His late steal off Josh Howard caused Howard's sixth foul and he had another near steal earlier in the game.

Boozer: 31 points (13-25 FG), 11 rebounds, 5-6 FT -- After playing the role of Kevin Garnett's woman in the loss to the T-Wolves, Boozer bounced back and slapped around the Mavs front line of Erick Dampier, DeSagana Diop and DJ Mbenga with some tough drives to the hoop. It seems to be this year that as he goes, so goes the offense and hopes of a win.

Sour notes

Fouls: 28 fouls in the game (10 of those in the 1st quarter) -- Utah fouls a lot. We all know this. But when they started hacking away in the first quarter, it got a little ridiculous. Granted, the officals tonight weren't calling everything right, but that's usually the case. The main reason Dallas stayed in the game early was free throws. If they had made a few 3s, Utah would have had a much tougher night.

Slow Memo: 9 points (2-5 FG), 4 rebounds, 4 PF -- He looked lost out there tonight, especially on defense when he did not (as usual) rotate over to help in the post. He hasn't played a good all-around game since last week's blowout win over Milwaukee. Plus, he left the game late in the 4th with a mild ankle sprain ... hopefully he'll get back to playing like himself soon.

The Paperboy is lost (Millsap): 13 minutes, 0 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 fouls -- For every one good game Millsap has (see the win over Seattle), he takes a few steps back the next game and slows down. He didn't really have a favorable matchup tonight (he was guarding Josh Howard at one point), but that's life in the NBA. Things likely won't be easier against the Clippers on Wednesday night.

It's been a few weeks since I've posted on the Jazz (due to some family concerns), but life seems to be re-stabilizing, so it's time to hear some sweet music and some sour notes from a disappointing 109-107 win over the hated Sonics ...

Sweet Music

Memmmoooooo!!!!!: 12 points (2-2 on 3-pointers), 5 rebounds, 2 steals: Okur may look like he's drunk/tired/hungover most games, but he's always aware of that 3-point line and aware of what it means to be clutch. The guy has saved the Jazz at least four or five times already this season, and he came through tonight with a 3-pointer from the corner with 1.6 seconds left.

Boozer comes through again: 24 pts, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 blocks: When he's playing well, the rest of the offense seems to be clicking too. The key tonight is that the Jazz got him involved fairly early in the game (he had 10 of his points in the first half). He's already got seven blocks this year (had only 8 last year) and he seems to be on pace to shatter his "Jazz record" for blocks (24). Anytime he decides to get off his feet and contest a shot, it's a miracle.

Deron gets it done: 18 points, 9 assists, 2 steals: In the first night of the season that paired Williams with Derek Fisher, the Jazz got off to a slow start. But as the game wore on, Williams and Fisher played pretty well together (forget the fact Fisher did an OK job guarding Ray Allen). The Jazz nearly gave this game away (more on that later), but at least Williams took the ball to the basket in the 4th quarter throughout the game to keep Seattle's big men from becoming much of a factor.

Paul Millsap (aka The Paperboy) delivers: 16 points, 10 rebounds (4 offensive): More and more, this guy is looking like the steal of the draft. I don't think there is another player on the Jazz (except maybe Deron Williams or AK-47) who gets more out of every minute he plays. Millsap simply does not waste his opportunities when he gets on the floor and he was the spark in the first half to keep Utah alive against Seattle.

Sour Notes

Giricek's undefined role: On average, Gordan had been good for about 15-19 minutes, 5-7 points and a couple of 3-pointers. Last night, Jerry Sloan decided that Giricek should only play seven minutes and get two shots while Fisher and Matt Harpring/Andrei Kirilenko struggle to contain Allen. Giricek actually did OK against Allen (who only scored on a jumper and a free throw while Gira was guarding him). Utah's shooting guard spot remains a question.

Falling apart in the 4th quarter: This game was starting to remind me of last year's Warriors/Jazz game on Nov. 25 when the Jazz blew a lead to the Fisher-led Warriors. How you blow a 94-84 lead with 5:38 to go is beyond me, but at least Okur was able to save the Jazz from themselves. Utah's making too much of a habit of living on the edge this year.

Jazz beat the Suns, 108-104, in what could be a big game for Utah as the season wears on in terms of confidence. Let's hear some sweet music and sour notes ...

* Kirilenko shows up: 17 points (5-11 FG), 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks -- One game after looking totally lost, AK-47 was all over the place on Friday, blocking shots, grabbing rebounds (he even made a 3-pointer) and making some key passes to help Utah rally in the second half.

* Boozer keeps it going: 21 points (7-15 FG), 12 rebounds, 3 assists -- He had the game-winning slam dunk and the game-clinching rebound of Leandro Barbosa's miss. Can't ask much more of the guy and he seems to be comfortable in the offense with each passing game.

* Harpring gets hot in 4th quarter: 17 points (6-12 FG), 4 rebounds -- Harp had a nice overall night, but when he made a critical double-clutch jumper off a high-low play with Kirilenko late in the 4th, it proved why the Jazz keep this guy around. He creates mismatches on the block with his strength.

* Fisher makes his mark (again): 18 points (5-10 FG), 2 rebounds, 3 assists -- When the Jazz play he and Deron Williams together, they have a pretty solid combination of ball handling and shooting. Fisher is the steadying force the team has lacked the last few years and I think he's providing the never-give-up attitude a playoff-caliber team needs.

Sour notes

* Poor interior defense -- The Jazz only had 2 blocked shots (both by AK-47). While Utah has been bullish on the glass (they outrebounded Phoenix 48-32), but need to do a better job of contesting shots or fouling and wrapping up around the basket.

* Welcome to Utah, youngsters -- In the season-opening win over Houston, Ronnie Brewer and C.J. Miles played key roles. Tonight ... not so much. Brewer played 3 minutes (0-1 FG, rebound, 2 fouls) and Miles played 17 minutes (2 points, 1-5 FG, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 2 fouls). Sloan is just DYING to make Fisher the starter ... and I can't say I blame him.