Utah Jazz - Dealing with the Hoodoo

[Liam_93]

NBA Stats, Standings and Awards as of Jan 1st 2013

NBA League Leaders - Updated: Jan 1, 2013
Points Per Game		PPG	Rebonuds Per Game		RPG
	1. Kevin Durant	31.2		1. Blake Griffin	12.9
	2. LeBron James	28.7		2. Dwight Howard	12.9
	3. Dwayne Wade	28.0		3. Andrew Bynum	12.0
	4. Andrea Bargnani	24.7		4. Kevin Love	11.6
	5. Russell Wesbrook	23.8		5. Marcin Gortat	11.4
Assists Per Game		APG	Steals Per Game		SPG
	1. Rajon Rondo	11.5		1. Chris Paul	3.6
	2. Chris Paul	9.9		2. Rajon Rondo	2.7
	3. Deron Williams	9.9		3. Monta Ellis	2.3
	4. Steve Nash	9.3		4. Tyreke Evans	2.2
	5. John Wall	9.0		5. Russell Westbrook	2.2
Blocks Per Game		BPG	Field Goal %		FG %
	1. Dwight Howard	2.3		1. Nene	.568
	2. Andrew Bynum	2.2		2. Al Jefferson	.561
	3. Roy Hibbert	2.0		3. Josh Smith	.550
	4. Josh Smith	1.8		4. Dwight Howard	.548
	5. DeAndre Jordan	1.8		5. Pau Gasol	.542
3 Point Field Goal %		3PT %	Free Throw %		FT %
	1. J.R Smith	.526		1. Stephen Curry	.955
	2. Richard Jefferson	.521		2. D.J Augustin	.949
	3. Charlie Villanueva	.500		3. Chauncey Billups	.938
	4. Jrue Holiday	.484		4. Kevin Durant	.928
	5. Stephen Curry	.484		5. Kyrie Irving	.926

NBA Standings - Updated: Jan 1, 2013
ATLANTIC	W	L	GB
Philadelphia 76ers	19	12	--
New York Knicks	15	13	2.5
Boston Celtics	16	14	2.5
New Jersey Nets	14	16	4.5
Toronto Raptors	5	23	12.5
CENTRAL	W	L	GB
Chicago Bulls	17	10	--
Indiana Pacers	17	13	1.5
Detroit Pistons	10	17	7.0
Cleveland Cavaliers	11	19	7.5
Milwaukee Bucks	8	21	10.0
SOUTHEAST	W	L	GB
Miami Heat	26	3	--
Atlanta Hawks	21	8	5.0
Charlotte Bobcats	13	17	13.5
Orlando Magic	11	17	14.5
Washington Wizards	10	19	16.0
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB
Miami Heat
Atlanta Hawks
Philadelphia 76ers
Chicago Bulls
Indiana Pacers
New York Knicks
Boston Celtics
New Jersey Nets
NORTHWEST	W	L	GB
Oklahoma City Thunder	21	8	--
Portland Trail Blazers	32	25	3.0
Utah Jazz	15	14	6.0
Denver Nuggets	16	16	6.5
Minnesota Timberwolves	14	16	7.5
SOUTHWEST	W	L	GB
Dallas Mavericks	32	25	--
New Orleans Hornets	16	15	3.0
Memphis Grizzlies	13	15	4.5
San Antonio Spurs	10	17	7.0
Houston Rockets	10	19	8.0
PACIFIC	W	L	GB
Los Angeles Lakers	23	8	--
Los Angeles Clippers	19	10	3.0
Golden State Warriors	19	12	4.0
Sacramento Kings	10	21	13.0
Phoenix Suns	9	21	13.5
WEST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB
Los Angeles Lakers
Oklahoma City Thunder
Los Angeles Clippers
Dallas Mavericks
Portland Trail Blazers
Golden State Warriors
Utah Jazz
New Orleans Hornets

Award Races

MVP



Lebron James l Dwayne Wade l Kevin Durant l Chris Bosh l Pau Gasol

Rookie of the Year


Thomas Robinson (Charlotte) l Damian Lillard (NOLA) l Perry Jones III (Suns) l Anthony Davis (Wizards) l Bradley Beal (Cavs)

Sixth Man of the Year



Kemba Walker l Enes Kanter l Lou Williams l Derrick Favors l Jeremy Lamb (Cavs)

Defensive Player of the Year


Dwight Howard l Andrew Bynum l Thomas Robinson l Josh Smith l Dwayne Wade

Most Improved


Omri Casspi l Ronnie Brewer l Thadddeus Young l Wilson Chandler l Omer Asik

Players of the Month - November


LeBron James 28.7 PPG l 7.7 RPG l 7.5 APG Kevin Durant 31.2 l 8.2 RPG l .505 FG %

Rookies of the Month - November


Thomas Robinson 16.8 PPG l 10.6 RPG l 1.5 BPG Damian Lillard 15.3 PPG l 5.6 APG l 4.1 RPG

[Liam_93]

Matchup Preview *|* January 3, 2013
	@
Utah Jazz (15-14, 6-8 Away)		Cleveland Cavaliers (11-19, 8-8 Home)
Stats Comparison 100.3 Points Per Game 99.7 102.5 PPG Allowed 100.5 .436 Field Goal % .428 .794 Free Throw % .729 .372 3-Point % .360 53.0 Rebounds 47.9 8.4 Blocks 5.1 10.1 Steals 6.9 22.6 Turnovers 17.1 Projected Starters D.J Augustin Point Guard Kyrie Irving Alec Burks Shooting Guard Bradley Beal Harrison Barnes Small Forward Omri Casspi Paul Millsap Power Forward Tristan Thompson Al Jefferson Center Anderson Varejao Injury Report Anderson Varejao (Strained Ankle) Day-to-Day

[Liam_93]

Kyrie's Cavs down Jazz with help from Beal



Cleveland -- It was a night where two top 5 draft picks showed why they were drafted there as the Cavs shook off Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson, D.J Augustin and the Utah Jazz with up tempo play and efficient scoring after half time.

Cavs number 3 draft pick this year Bradley Beal was hot right from the get go and never got cold draining Jumper after Jumper and one layup and dunk after the other as he had what would be a big night in what has been his short career in the NBA so far and we surely not see the last of performances like from Beal as he matures in the league. He and reigning Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving combined for 55 of the Cavs points being a menace to the Jazz defence all night but by no means did this mean the Jazz played bad they were lucky not to come out of Ohio with a W.

The game was back and forth all night with Al Jefferson heating up for the Jazz early and draining a few jumpers and hook shots in the post Paul Millsap and D.J Augustin played their fair part in the game tonight too. Rookie Harrison Barnes had a ferocious dunk on Anderson Varejao in the middle of the second quarter but by the time the first half had ended Beal was showing his shooting stroke and ended the half with 19 poitns with the teams going in 48-46 to the Jazz at the Half.


Harrison Barnes showing he can hang with a ferocious dunk on Varejao

Cleveland's offensive rebounding sparked them towards a run in the third with the combined efforts of Varejao, Thompson and Camby (who had double digit boards of the bench) and their suffocating defense leading to the Jazz having to empty trips up the floor and the Cavs would take the biggest lead of the game which would be 15 but some great inside play for the Jazz again from the ususal suspects in Derrick Favors and Al Jefferson the Jazz would bring the lead to 7 before Favors would hit a 3rd Quarter buzzer beater to give the Jazz some momentum going into the 4th.

But Omri Casspi in the 4th would show why he is a prime candidate for Most Improved player as he would hit a barrage of threes and put the Cavs in prime position to take the game but again the Jazz would fight back as Harrison Barnes and D.J Augustin would have big 4th quarters but it wasn't enough for the Jazz as Irving and Co. would close the game out with time ticking down and they would drain their free throws to sink the Jazz and Beal would show that he has a great future in this league.

Next up for the Jazz they head back home to Salt Lake City and welcome LaMarcus Aldridge and the Blazers for North-western division matchup and it shouldn't hesitate to disappoint.



Box Score vs:Cavs

Utah Jazz (15-15) at Cleveland Cavaliers (12-19)
Jan 3, 2013 1 2 3 4 Final Utah 19 29 22 33 103 Cleveland 17 29 29 34 109 Top Performers Utah Jazz Harrison Barnes (20 pts, 6 rebs, 8-17 FG) D.J Augustin (20 pts, 11 asts, 2 steals) Cleveland Cavaliers Bradley Beal (31 pts, 5 asts, 13-25 FG) Kyrie Irving (24 pts, 10 asts, 7-15 FG)	Team Stats Comparison UTH CLE FG Made-Att 39-83 44-91 3PT Made-Att 10-16 4-13 FT Made-Att 15-20 17-20 Rebounds 42 48 Assists 21 23 Turnovers 12 10 Steals 7 12 Blocks 2 7

[Liam_93]

Jefferson staying in Utah



Salt Lake City -- Well Al Jefferson's future is now cleared up as he will not be entering free agency this off-season as he has signed a 4 year $50.43 million contract extension with the Jazz meaning that he has pledged his future to the Jazz and that he wants in on the Jazz's road to success under new GM Liam Mackenzie and his plan to bring Utah a long overdue championship. Jefferson has been productive for the Jazz and his scoring numbers are lower than last season but that does not indicate how crucial he has been to the Jazz this season and he is even in line for an All-Star appearance this season he;s been averaging 15.8 PPG this season. We caught up with big Al to see what he had to say:

"I happy we have sorted this all out and I feel my heart is here with the Jazz and the fans and I feel with some key pieces added to this team we can be a championship team in a couple of seasons and I want to be a part of and contribute to this success"

Well that's that then Jazz fans get used to big Al because he will be sticking around for long and hopefully can bring the team some long overdue success.

[Liam_93]

Matchup Preview *|* January 4, 2013
	@
Portland Trailblazers (33-25, 11-4 Away)		Utah Jazz (15-15, 9-6 Home)
Stats Comparison 98.6 Points Per Game 100.4 97.4 PPG Allowed 102.7 .444 Field Goal % .441 .786 Free Throw % .792 .332 3-Point % .410 46.8 Rebounds 53.7 4.9 Blocks 8.1 8.2 Steals 10.3 15.7 Turnovers 22.3 Projected Starters Jonny Flynn Point Guard D.J Augustin Wesley Matthews Shooting Guard Alec Burks Nicolas Batum Small Forward Harrison Barnes LaMarcus Aldridge Power Forward Paul Millsap Tyler Zeller Center Al Jefferson

[Liam_93]

Jazz bench play a big part as Portland defeated in Utah



Salt Lake City -- Turnovers and Great bench scoring for the Jazz helped them overcome LaMarcus Aldridge and his Blazers in Utah. Derrick Favors also showed why he is in the running for Sixth man of the year with a terrific performance on both ends of the court tonight.

Portland were the ones that came out of the gate with a vengeance as their bigs LaMarcus Aldridge and Rookie Tyler Zeller were causing havoc in the paint for the Jazz early Aldridge offensively and Zeller defensively and on the offensive glass. Wes Matthews a former Jazz player got off to a hot start and caused his former team probelms early on with a 4/6 start from the field for the 3pt specialist, But Paul Millsap showed that he was up for battle as he had 2 putback dunks in the first and was perfect from the field so far. His matchup LaMarcus Aldridge had a stellar 1st half going into the break level at 49 with Aldridge with 12 points.


Despite Aldridge's efforts he couldn't prevent the loss

Al Jefferson was showing why he earned his recent contract extension by playing one of his best games of the season and showing he wasnts an all-star call up as well finishing with 15 boards on the night. In the 3rd it was stillback and forth up until the 2 minute mark where the Jazz would get consecutive stops and consecutive baskets on the offensive end by running effective plays and conveting on lacklustre D by the Blazers. Rookie Harrison Barnes did his part to help close out the game in the 4th as he has 13 2nd half points as the Jazz began to pull away in the forth and rack up the W.

Next up for the Jazz will be Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs in Dallas.



Box Score vsBlazers:

Portland Trailblazers (33-26) at Utah Jazz (16-15)
Jan 4, 2013 1 2 3 4 Final Portland 29 20 23 20 92 Utah 23 26 29 28 106 Top Performers Portland Trailblazers Wesley Matthews (21 pts, 6 rebs, 2 stls) LaMarcus Aldridge (14 pts, 13 rebs, 1 block) Utah Jazz Harrison Barnes (21 pts, 6 rebs, 2 blocks) Derrick Favors (20 pts, 7 rebs, 10-15 FG)	Team Stats Comparison POR UTH FG Made-Att 36-89 45-96 3PT Made-Att 5-18 2-8 FT Made-Att 15-19 14-17 Rebounds 5 49 Assists 18 20 Turnovers 17 7 Steals 6 11 Blocks 8 7

[Liam_93]

Matchup Preview *|* January 7, 2013
	@
Utah Jazz (16-15, 6-9 Away)		Dallas Mavericks (35-26, 10-7 Home)
Stats Comparison 100.5 Points Per Game 98.8 102.4 PPG Allowed 97.5 .440 Field Goal % .449 .795 Free Throw % .789 .410 3-Point % .354 52.0 Rebounds 47.6 7.9 Blocks 5.1 11.4 Steals 8.5 22.5 Turnovers 16.5 Projected Starters D.J Augustin Point Guard Jason Terry Alec Burks Shooting Guard Delonte West Harrison Barnes Small Forward Shawn Marion Paul Millsap Power Forward Dirk Nowitzki Al Jefferson Center Ian Mahinmi Injury Report Vince Carter (Sore Ankle) Day-to-Day Quincy Pondexter (Torn MCL) Season Brendan Haywood (Knee Tendonitis) Day-to-Day

[Liam_93]

Mavs survive late Jazz run with help from Dirk



DALLAS -- The Mavs and the Jazz showed in this game that you don't have to drive into the paint and score to win games as they put on a jump shooting clinic infront of a packed American Airlines Centre crowd.

The Jazz had it all to do from the start as they started the game 0/7 from the field and were down by 17 points at the most in the first quarter and had it all to do in the rest of the game. Dallas' offensive rebounding was killing Utah's momentum early as Dirk, Mahinmi and even Marion were crashing the offensive boards with intent to kill of Utah early in the game. With a tough deficit in 1st Q Utah looked like a beaten team already. But Utah brought it in the second Q and by half time they had trimmed Dallas' lead to just seven at the half with it 43-50.

It wasn't until the 3rd quarter until the Jazz were able to tie the game up with an Alec Burks 3 with 1:27 left in the third Q. Utah had controlled the 2nd and 3rd quarters and looked like a completely different team to the one that had started the game so when Rick Carlisle had a chance to talk to his team before the last quarter started he knew he had to change something in his game plan to hold off the Jazz. The two teams fought right through the last quarter of the game going back and forth but the Mavs were able to survive the Jazz scare and move on with a W. For the Jazz they seem to be stuck in a loop and cant put a streak together either losing one and winning one of winning three then losing 4. George Karl had this to say:

"Its getting near the middle of the season and we need to spark a run and put something together if we are going to make the playoff's. We keep looking good one game and then we look like a different team after. We will have to put alot of commitment into winning and see if we can chalk something together before we hit the all-star break. Everyone in the locker room need to stay together and believe that we can put together a run. We have some great young talent mixed with some veterans so I think if we keep our eyes focused on the prize of the playoffs we can put together a run"

Box Score vs Dallas:

Utah Jazz (16-16) at Dallas Mavericks (36-26)
Jan 7, 2013 1 2 3 4 Final Utah 19 23 27 28 94 Dallas 35 15 21 32 103 Top Performers Utah Jazz Paul Millsap (16 pts, 6 rebs, 7-15 FG) Alec Burks (15 pts, 5 rebs, 2 blks) Dallas Mavericks Delonte West (24 pts, 4 rebs, 10-23 FG) Dirk Nowitzki (18 pts, 7 rebs, 2 blocks)	Team Stats Comparison UTH DAL FG Made-Att 39-86 41-92 3PT Made-Att 7-11 1-14 FT Made-Att 9-14 20-23 Rebounds 46 54 Assists 23 20 Turnovers 17 9 Steals 3 10 Blocks 7 4

Simming a few games next game @Houston