A Bittersweet Symphony - Utah Jazz Association

[JazzMan]

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A Bittersweet Symphony

March 29, 2013 - The Utah Jazz are one of the most historic teams in the NBA today. Though they have yet to win an NBA Championship, the Jazz have consistently been one of the better teams in the league for almost their entire existence. This has been due to the efforts of Pete Maravich, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Jeff Hornacek, Andrei Kirilenko, Mehmet Okur, Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, and countless others. Recently, the Jazz have been in a struggle the past few years. Though they possess one of the better frontcourt duos in the league in Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, they have not been able turn that into much success. 2 years ago, after the trade of star point guard Deron Williams, the Jazz received young prospect Derrick Favors. And just last year, the Jazz were able to sneak into the playoffs with the 8th seed, but we're swept by the savvy Spurs.

Favors has been terrific in his time with Utah, and it appears that he is part of the future of the Jazz. This is a problem, however, as Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson are both 28 years old, in the prime of their careers, and are free agents at the end of the year. The Jazz also have the 3rd overall pick from last year's draft, center Enes Kanter, waiting in the wings. With Jefferson and Millsap, 2 border-line all-star players, Favors and Kanter struggle for playing time. Would the Jazz be wise to end the Millsap/Jefferson marriage? Time will tell what the organization will do.

As for the backcourt, the Jazz have two young, excellent pieces in Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks. Hayward was taken 9th overall in the 2010 draft, and has found himself a nice niche here in Utah this year. After a solid year last year as the starter for the Jazz, Hayward was moved back to the bench in favor of gunner Randy Foye. Hayward thrived as the first guy off the bench, proving that he can be the Number 1 option on the court. After the All-Star Break, he has been thrust back into the starting lineup, where he is receiving the benefits of doubles on Jefferson and Millsap.

Burks, on the other hand, has been struggling to get minutes in his 2 years here in Utah. His minutes have been slightly bumped up this year, but he is still sitting at about 18 a game. Some are questioning whether Burks is a shooting guard or a point guard. It's very hard to tell, as he possesses excellent ball-handling skills, but is a better fit size-wise at the 2, standing at 6'6". The knock on Burks coming out of Colorado was his outside shooting, but it seems that he has improved greatly this year, as he's shooting 37% from behind the arc. Hopefully head coach Ty Corbin can get Burks a few more minutes to develop him.

Utah Jazz Depth Chart - '12-'13
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Mo Williams	Jamaal Tinsley	Earl Watson
SG	Alec Burks	Randy Foye	Kevin Murphy
SF	Gordon Hayward	Demarre Carroll	Marvin Williams
PF	Paul Millsap	Derrick Favors	Jeremy Evans
C	Al Jefferson	Enes Kanter

Player Stats

Al Jefferson: 17.3 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.1 BPG
Paul Millsap: 14.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.1 BPG
Gordon Hayward: 14.4 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.8 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.5 BPG
Mo Williams: 11.9 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 6.4 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Randy Foye: 10.7 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Derrick Favors: 9.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.7 BPG
Marvin Williams: 7.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.6 BPG
Alec Burks: 7.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Enes Kanter: 7.2 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 0.4 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.5 BPG
Demarre Carroll: 6.3 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.4 BPG
Jamaal Tinsley: 3.7 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Jeremy Evans: 2.2 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.3 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.4 BPG
Earl Watson: 2.0 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 4.0 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Kevin Murphy: 1.0 PPG, 0.3 RPG, 0.1 APG, 0.1 SPG, 0.0 BPG

[JazzMan]

March 29, 2013 - The Jazz are in the midst of a tight playoff race with the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers and the veteran Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers have been relatively disappointing all season, but have made a sudden surge after the All-Star Break. However, a Jazz win in Portland tonight would tie the Lakers for the 8th seed, in which the Jazz receive the tiebreaker. The Mavs on the other hand are still fighting. They are sitting at 35-37, but with Dirk Nowitzki, anything is possible.

UTAH @ PORTLAND PREVIEW:

Utah Jazz

PG - Mo Williams
SG - Randy Foye
SF - Gordon Hayward
PF - Paul Millsap
C - Al Jefferson

Portland Trailblazers

PG - Damian Lillard
SG - Nicolas Batum
SF - Wesley Matthews
PF - LaMarcus Aldridge
C - JJ Hickson


The starting lineups are really quite even, with Utah getting the slight edge in with Jefferson over Hickson, but this should be a good one. Utah will look to wear down Portland's starting lineup to force them to play their weak bench, while Utah can bring out their own bench and not skip a beat with Favors, Kanter, and Burks.

[JazzMan]

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Damian Lillard Key in Trailblazers Win

March 29th, 2013 - Rookie point guard Damian Lillard recorded 20 points, 10 assists, and 5 rebounds of 8-13 shooting to lead the Trailblazers to a victory over the slumping Jazz. Utah has not won a road game February 13th against Minnesota before the All-Star Break.

For the Jazz, this is a painful loss, as they failed to tie the Los Angeles Lakers for the last seed in the West. Utah is now just 10-28 on the road this year. The good news for Utah? They take on the Nets in Salt Lake City tomorrow night.

Utah was leading at halftime, but a big 3rd quarter from the Trailblazers in which they scored 30 points proved to be too much for the Jazz. Nic Batum added 17 points with 3 three pointers. Joel Freeland scored 10 points in 10 minutes coming off the bench. LaMarcus Aldridge recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. 6 Trailblazers were in double-digits in terms of scoring.

As for Utah, the Jazz struggled to take care of the ball, finishing with 13 turnovers to Portland's 9. Al Jefferson was Utah's leading scorer with 18 and 7 off 7-18 shooting. Gordon Hayward pitched in with 15, but had an inefficient shooting night, shooting 5-15. Enes Kanter came off the bench strong and added 12 points and 10 rebounds in 16 minutes. Paul Millsap and Mo Williams both added 10 points.

Look for Utah to come back strong tomorrow night against Brooklyn.

BOX SCORE:

Portland Trailblazers 96 - 91 Utah Jazz

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Damian Lillard - 33 mins, 20 pts, 5 reb, 10 ast, 0 stls, 0 blk, 2 TO, 8-13 FG, 0-1 3PT, 4-5 FT, 0 OR, 4 fouls

Nic Batum - 35 min, 17 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk, 0 TO, 5-11 FG, 3-6 3PT, 4-4 FT, 1 OR, 3 fouls

Wesley Matthews - 35 min, 14 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 0 stl, 0 blk, 1 TO, 4-12 FG, 1-4 3PT, 5-5 FT, 2 OR, 2 fouls

Joel Freeland - 10 min, 10 pts, 4 reb, 0 ast, 0 stls, 0 blk, 0 TO, 3-4 FG, 0-0 3PT, 4-4 FT, 3 OR, 1 foul

J.J. Hickson - 35 min, 10 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk, 2 TO, 3-10 FG, 0-0 3PT, 4-5 FT, 2 OR, 2 fouls

LaMarcus Aldridge - 39 mins, 10 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 5 blks, 3 TO, 5-13 FG, 0-0 3PT, 0-0 FT, 4 OR, 2 fouls

Nolan Smith - 19 min, 5 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 0 stl, 0 blk, 0 TO, 2-3 FG, 0-0 3PT, 1-2 FT, 1 OR, 0 fouls

Luke Babbitt - 5 min, 3 pts, 0 reb, 1 ast, 0 stl, 0 blk, 0 TO, 1-3 FG, 1-3 3PT, 0-0 FT, 0 OR, 0 fouls

Will Barton - 9 min, 3 pts, 0 reb, 1 ast, 0 stl, 0 blk, 1 TO, 1-3 FG, 0-0 3PT, 1-2 FT, 0 OR, 2 fouls

Elliot Williams - 10 min, 2 pts, 4 reb, 0 ast, 0 stl, 0 blk, 0 TO, 0-5 FG, 0-2 3PT, 2-2 FT, 0 OR, 0 fouls

Jared Jeffries - 8 min, 0 pts, 4 reb, 0 ast, 1 stl, 0 blk, 0 TO, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3PT, 0-0 FT, 1 OR, 0 fouls

Eric Maynor - 9 min, 2 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 0 blk, 0 TO, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3PT, 2-2 FT, 0 OR, 2 fouls



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Al Jefferson - 33 min, 18 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk, 1 TO, 7-18 FG, 0-0 3PT, 4-4 FT, 2 OR, 4 fouls

Gordon Hayward - 35 min, 15 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 0 stl, 1 blk, 2 TO, 5-15 FG, 2-6 3PT, 3-3 FT, 1 OR, 2 fouls

Enes Kanter - 16 min, 12 pts, 10 reb, 0 ast, 0 stl, 1 blk, 1 TO, 5-6 FG, 0-0 3PT, 0-0 3PT, 2-2 FT, 2 OR, 2 fouls

Paul Millsap - 30 min, 10 pts, 8 reb, 1 ast, 0 stl, 1 blk, 1 TO, 4-10 FG, 0-0 3PT, 2-2 FT, 3 OR, 3 fouls

Mo Williams - 32 min, 10 pts, 0 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 0 blk, 0 TO, 2-7 FG, 1-3 3PT, 5-5 FT, 0 OR, 3 fouls

Derrick Favors - 22 min, 8 pts, 4 reb, 0 ast, 0 stl, 1 blk, 1 TO, 4-5 FG, 0-0 3PT, 0-1 FT, 1 OR, 2 fouls

Randy Foye - 27 min, 6 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast, 0 stl, 0 blk, 1 TO, 1-3 FG, 1-1 3PT, 3-4 FT, 1 OR, 0 fouls

Marvin Williams - 11 min, 5 pts, 6 reb, 0 ast, 0 stl, 0 blk, 2 TO, 2-5 FG, 1-3 3PT, 0-0 FT, 3 OR, 2 fouls

Alec Burks - 15 min, 5 pts, 1 reb, 2 ast, 0 stl, 0 blk, 3 TO, 1-5 FG, 1-1 3PT, 2-2 FT, 0 OR, 3 fouls

Jamaal Tinsley - 11 min, 2 pts, 1 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 0 blk, 0 TO, 1-2 FG, 0-0 3PT, 0-0 FT, 0 OR, 0 fouls

Earl Watson - 7 min, 0 pts, 0 reb, 1 ast, 0 stl, 0 blk, 0 TO, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3PT, 0-0 FT, 0 OR, 0 fouls

Demarre Carroll - 7 min, 0 pts, 0 reb, 0 ast, 0 stl, 0 blk, 1 TO, 0-2 FG, 0-1 3PT, 0-0 FT, 0 OR, 1 foul

[JazzMan]

March 30th, 2013 - The Utah Jazz begin a four-game home stand with a game against the Brooklyn Nets tonight. The Nets are at a 43-29 record and are sitting at 4th in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, Utah is 36-37 and 1 game behind the Lakers for the 8th seed in the West. Obviously, this game doesn't mean much for Brooklyn, but for Utah, this game means everything to them. A loss here just might kill their playoff hopes, so Utah should come out fired up and motivated.

Of course, former Jazzman Deron Williams is returning to Utah to take on his former team, and after the soap opera that he put on here in Salt Lake City, he should expect to be welcomed to a finely tuned chorus of boos. Expect Deron to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder to show the Jazz what they lost a few years ago.

BROOKLYN @ UTAH PREVIEW

Brooklyn Nets

PG - Deron Williams
SG - Joe Johnson
SF - Gerald Wallace
PF - Kris Humphries
C - Brook Lopez

Utah Jazz

PG - Mo Williams
SG - Randy Foye
SF - Gordon Hayward
PF - Paul Millsap
C - Al Jefferson

[JazzMan]

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Jazz slip past Brooklyn to tie Lakers

March 30, 2013 - Following their loss in Portland last night, Utah bounced back strong and defeated the Brooklyn Nets 96-92. Brooklyn sits at the 4th seed in the East behind Miami, New York, and Indiana. Meanwhile, Utah is in the midst of a battle with Los Angeles and Dallas for the 8th seed in the Western Conference. Tonight's win could be a huge momentum swinger for the Jazz, who had won just 2 of their past 7 games before tonight.

4 Jazz players reached double-digit scoring numbers, and the bench outscored Brooklyn's 33 to 25. Al Jefferson recorded 16 and 9 off of 7 for 11 shooting, and Mo Williams shot 5 for 5 from behind the arc to pitch in 19 points, with 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

For Brooklyn, former Jazz superstar Deron Williams had an awfully rough night in his Salt Lake return, as he shot just 3 for 22 from the field. He finished with 13 points and 10 assists. Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, and Joe Johnson all recorded 14 points, with Humphries adding 11 rebounds as well.

The Jazz take on the Trailblazers yet again, but this time at Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake, on April 1st.

BOX SCORE:

Utah Jazz 96 - 92 Brooklyn Nets

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Mo Williams - 31 mins, 19 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast, 0 stls, 0 blk, 3 TO, 6-8 FG, 5-5 3PT, 2-2 FT, 0 OR, 2 fouls

Al Jefferson - 33 mins, 16 pts, 9 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk, 2 TO, 7-11 FG, 0-0 3pt, 2-2 ft, 0 OR, 1 foul

Paul Millsap - 29 mins, 14 pts, 5 reb, 0 ast, 1 stl, 0 blk, 2 TO, 6-10 FG, 0-1 3pt, 2-2 ft, 2 OR, 1 foul

Gordon Hayward - 35 mins, 10 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk, 1 TO, 4-13 FG, 0-6 3pt, 2-2 FT, 1 OR, 3 fouls

Alec Burks - 15 mins, 8 pts, 1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 0 blk, 1 TO, 3-7 FG, 0-0 3pt, 2-2 FT, 1 OR, 1 foul

Derrick Favors - 25 mins, 7 pts, 6 reb, 0 ast, 0 stls, 3 blks, 0 TO, 3-6 FG, 0-0 3pt, 1-2 FT, 0 OR, 1 foul

Marvin Williams - 10 mins, 5 pts, 2 reb, 0 ast, 0 stls, 0 blks, 0 TO, 2-4 FG, 1-1 3pt, 0-0 FT, 0 OR, 0 fouls

Jamaal Tinsley - 11 mins, 5 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 0 blk, 0 TO, 2-4 FG, 1-2 3pt, 0-0 FT, 1 OR, 0 fouls

Enes Kanter - 16 mins, 5 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast, 0 stls, 0 blks, 2 TO, 2-6 FG, 0-1 3pt, 1-2 FT, 0 OR, 4 fouls

Randy Foye - 27 mins, 4 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast, 0 stls, 0 blks, 1 TO, 2-9 FG, 0-3 3pt, 0 OR, 0 fouls

Demarre Carroll - 8 mins, 3 pts, 1 reb, 0 ast, 0 stls, 0 blk, 0 TO, 1-2 FG, 1-2 3pt, 0-0 FT, 0 OR, 0 fouls

Earl Watson - 7 mins, 0 pts, 1 reb, 2 ast, 0 stls, 0 blks, 1 TO, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3pt, 0-0 FT, 0 OR, 0 fouls



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Brook Lopez - 29 mins, 14 pts, 5 reb, 0 ast, 0 stls, 0 blk, 1 TO, 6-10 FG, 0 3pt, 2-2 FT, 2 OR, 2 fouls

Kris Humphries - 34 mins, 14 pts, 11 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk, 2 TO, 7-12 FG, 0-0 3pt, 0-0 FT, 5 OR, 2 fouls

Joe Johnson - 37 mins, 14 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl, 0 blk, 1 TO, 5-17 FG, 2-5 3pt, 2-2 FT, 1 OR, 0 fouls

Andray Blatche - 19 mins, 13 pts, 7 reb, 0 ast, 1 stl, 0 blk, 2 TO, 4-8 FG, 0-0 3pt, 5-5 FT, 2 OR, 2 fouls

Deron Williams - 39 mins, 13 pts, 4 reb, 10 ast, 3 stls, 0 blk, 1 TO, 3-22 FG, 1-8 3pt, 6-7 FT, 0 OR, 0 fouls

Gerald Wallace - 35 mins, 13 pts, 8 reb, 1 ast, 3 stls, 0 blk, 0 TO, 5-10 FG, 0-2 3pt, 2-2 FT, 1 OR, 2 fouls

CJ Watson - 10 min, 8 pts, 0 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 0 blk, 0 TO, 3-3 FG, 2-2 3pt, 0-0 FT, 0 OR, 0 fouls

Josh Childress - 8 min, 3 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast, 0 stls, 0 blk, 0 TO, 1-1 FG, 1-1 3pt, 0-0 FT, 0 OR, 0 fouls

Keith Bogans - 8 mins, 1 pt, 1 reb, 0 ast, 0 stls, 0 blk, 0 TO, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3pt, 1-2 FT, 0 OR, 0 fouls

MarShon Brooks - 5 mins, 0 pts, 0 reb, 1 ast, 0 stls, 0 blk, 0 TO, 0-2 FG, 0-1 3pt, 0-0 FT, 0 OR, 0 fouls

Reggie Evans - 13 mins, 0 pts, 5 reb, 0 ast, 0 stls, 0 blk, 0 TO, 0-2 FG, 0-0 3pt, 0-0 FT, 2 OR, 0 fouls

Jerry Stackhouse - 10 mins, 0 pts, 1 reb, 2 ast, 0 stls, 1 blk, 0 TO, 0-3 FG, 0-2 3pt, 0-0 FT, 0 OR, 0 fouls

[JazzMan]

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Alec Burks comes up big off the bench in Jazz win

April 1st, 2013 - Utah's backup guard, Alec Burks, scored 12 points in 15 minutes, with 8 of them coming in the 4th quarter, to assist the Jazz in picking up the critical victory over Portland, 90 to 87. Al Jefferson recorded a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds, and Gordon Hayward put up 13 points and 9 rebounds with 4 assists. Portland's star big man LaMarcus Aldridge did not play due to his season ending injury where he broke his arm. Joel Freeland started in his place.

Utah needed this win, as they are now half a game ahead of the Lakers for the 8th seed in the Western Conference Playoffs. This game follows Utah's loss to the Blazers on March 29th and their win against Brooklyn on the 30th. Utah's record is now 38-37.

With this win, Utah's home record is now bumped up to 28-9, but their road record remains as a disappointing 10-28 record. Luckily for the Jazz, 4 of their last 7 games are in Salt Lake City.

BOX SCORE:

Utah Jazz 90 - 87 Portland Trailblazers

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Al Jefferson - 33 mins, 23 pts, 11 reb, 2 ast, 0 stls, 0 blk, 0 TO, 8-15 FG, 0-0 3pt, 7-8 FT, 1 OR, 2 fouls

Gordon Hayward - 35 mins, 13 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast, 2 stls, 2 blk, 1 TO, 6-13 FG, 1-4 3pt, 0-0 FT, 2 OR, 3 fouls

Alec Burks - 15 mins, 12 pts, 4 reb, 0 ast, 0 stls, 0 blk, 0 TO, 5-6 FG, 0-1 3pt, 2-2 FT, 1 OR, 0 fouls

Enes Kanter - 17 mins, 8 pts, 5 reb, 0 ast, 0 stls, 0 blk, 1 TO, 3-7 FG, 0-2 3pt, 2-4 FT, 0 OR, 2 fouls

Randy Foye - 27 mins, 8 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 0 blk, 1 TO, 3-5 FG, 2-4 3pt, 0-0 FT, 0 OR, 4 fouls

Marvin Williams - 11 mins, 7 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast, 0 stls, 0 blk, 1 TO, 3-4 FG, 0-0 3pt, 1-3 FT, 0 OR, 1 foul

Mo Williams - 31 min, 7 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast, 0 stls, 0 blk, 0 TO, 3-6 FG, 1-4 3pt, 0-0 FT, 0 OR, 2 fouls

Derrick Favors - 23 mins, 6 pts, 6 reb, 0 ast, 0 stls, 2 blk, 3 TO, 1-7 FG, 0-1 3pt, 4-4 FT, 2 OR, 1 foul

Paul Millsap - 29 mins, 6 pts, 3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk, 4 TO, 3-10 FG, 0-2 3pt, 0-0 FT, 1 OR, 2 fouls

Earl Watson - 7 mins, 0 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast, 0 stls, 0 blk, 1 TO, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3pt, 0-0 FT, 1 OR, 1 foul

Demarre Carroll - 8 mins, 0 pts, 2 reb, 0 ast, 0 stls, 0 blk, 1 TO, 0-1 FG, 0-0 3pt, 0-0 FT, 0 OR, 0 fouls

Jamaal Tinsley - 10 mins, 0 pts, 1 reb, 3 ast, 0 stls, 0 blk, 1 TO, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3pt, 0-0 FT, 1 OR, 1 foul

DNPs - Kevin Murphy (inactive), Jeremy Evans (inactive)



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Nic Batum - 33 min, 22 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk, 4 TO, 7-18 FG, 3-9 3pt, 3-3 FT, 1 OR, 1 foul

Damian Lillard - 35 min, 19 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast, 1 stl, 0 blk, 1 TO, 7-13 FG, 2-3 3pt, 3-4 FT, 0 OR, 2 fouls

Nolan Smith - 19 min, 13 pts, 1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 0 blk, 1 TO, 5-7 FG, 1-2 3pt, 2-2 FT, 0 OR, 1 foul

Wes Matthews - 35 min, 9 pts, 0 reb, 4 ast, 0 stls, 0 blk, 1 TO, 2-10 FG, 1-6 3pt, 4-4 FT, 0 OR, 2 fouls

JJ Hickson - 37 min, 7 pts, 11 reb, 1 ast, 2 stls, 0 blk, 0 TO, 3-5 FG, 0-0 3pt, 1-2 FT, 2 OR, 4 fouls

Sasha Pavlovic - 5 min, 4 pts, 0 reb, 0 ast, 0 stls, 0 blk, 0 TO, 2-2 FG, 0-0 3pt, 0-0 FT, 0 OR, 0 fouls

Meyers Leonard - 8 min, 4 pts, 1 reb, 0 ast, 0 stls, 1 blk, 0 TO, 2-3 FG, 0-0 3pt, 0-2 FT, 0 OR, 1 foul

Joel Freeland - 32 min, 4 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 0 blk, 3 TO, 2-6 FG, 0-1 3pt, 0-0 FT, 0 OR, 2 fouls

Will Barton - 8 min, 3 pts, 0 reb, 0 ast, 0 stls, 0 blk, 0 TO, 1-2 FG, 0-0 3pt, 1-2 FT, 0 OR, 0 fouls

Luke Babbitt - 10 min, 2 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast, 0 stls, 0 blk, 0 TO, 1-4 FG, 0-1 3pt, 0-0 FT, 0 OR, 0 fouls

Elliot Williams - 14 min, 0 pts, 3 reb, 0 ast, 1 stls, 1 blk, 0 TO, 0-4 FG, 0-2 3pt, 0-2 FT, 0 OR, 2 fouls

Jared Jeffries - 10 min, 2 pts, 0 reb, 1 ast, 0 stls, 0 blk, 0 TO, 1-1 FG, 0-0 3pt, 0-0 FT, 0 OR

DNPs - LaMarcus Aldridge (broken arm), Eric Maynor (Lower Back Strain), Victor Claver (inactive)

[JazzMan]

April 3rd, 2013 - The surging Utah Jazz are set to play the 3rd of their 4 game home-stand against the dangerous Denver Nuggets. Denver boasts one of the most athletic rosters in the league, and will be looking to run Utah's bigs out of the gym.

Unfortunately for Denver, starting forward Danilo Gallinari will be out for tonight's game due to a stress fracture, and it is presumed that Wilson Chandler will start in his place.

The Nuggets are 4th in the Western Conference standings, and the Jazz hold the 8th spot after their wins against Brooklyn and Portland, and they sit at 38-37. The Lakers have also dropped to 37-38, and must begin to put it together if they want to catch Utah.

Utah is 28-9 at Energy Solutions Arena, while Denver is 17-21 on the road.



BREAKING: Guard Alec Burks will get the start tonight over Randy Foye, as head coach Ty Corbin has stated.

Corbin is reportedly making this decision due to Denver's athleticism and Burks' play as of late.

This could be a great move for Utah tonight.



DENVER @ UTAH PREVIEW

Denver Nuggets

PG - Ty Lawson
SG - Andre Iguodala
SF - Wilson Chandler
PF - Kenneth Faried
C - Kosta Koufos

Utah Jazz

PG - Mo Williams
SG - Alec Burks
SF - Gordon Hayward
PF - Paul Millsap
C - Al Jefferson

[JazzMan]

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Jazz win 3rd in a row

April 3rd, 2013 -

The Utah Jazz came back into Energy Solutions Arena as focused and determined as ever this season. The team knew that a victory could help secure their playoff spot, as they are still in the race for the 8th seed with the Lakers and the Mavs.

The Jazz had great contributions from just about everybody. 3 hours before tip-off, Jazz head coach Ty Corbin revealed that Alec Burks would be thrust into the starting lineup due to his excellent play as of late. It paid off tremendously. Burks scored 21 points of 7-10 shooting and helped coast the Jazz to an easy victory of a very tough opponent.

Here's the shocking statistic: 4 Jazz players had double-doubles. The big rotation of Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors, and Enes Kanter seemed to be unstoppable to Denver tonight, as each of them recorded 10 rebounds a piece. Favors scored 17, Kanter scored 16, Millsap scored 14, and Al scored 11.

The Jazz dominated on the boards and shot over 50%, whereas Denver only shot 35%. The Nuggets of course were without Danilo Gallinari, Andre Miller, and Timofey Mozgov, as they have all gone down due to injuries.

Utah takes on the Hornets in Salt Lake on the 5th.

Denver Nuggets at Utah Jazz
Apr 3, 2013	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Denver (49-26)	17	22	22	24	85
Utah (39-37)	21	32	28	31	112

Denver Nuggets
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
PG - Ty Lawson	42	4-15	1-4	9-9	4	5	0	0	3	18
SG - Andre Iguodala	32	3-19	0-3	4-6	6	3	1	1	2	10
SF - Wilson Chandler	29	1-3	0-1	4-4	3	3	1	0	2	6
PF - Kenneth Faried	26	2-2	0-0	1-2	7	0	1	1	2	5
C - Kosta Koufos	30	3-6	0-0	0-0	9	1	2	0	1	6
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Javale McGee	14	3-5	0-0	3-7	2	1	0	0	0	9
Jordan Hamilton	11	3-8	2-5	0-0	1	1	0	0	1	8
Evan Fournier	9	3-4	1-1	0-0	1	2	0	0	0	7
Corey Brewer	16	3-9	1-3	0-0	1	1	0	0	1	7
Quincy Miller	13	3-5	0-2	0-0	3	1	1	0	0	6
Anthony Randolph	15	1-6	0-0	0-0	3	0	1	0	0	2
Julyan Stone	10	0-0	0-0	1-2	0	2	1	0	0	1
Danilo Gallinari	DNP	Injury
Andre Miller	DNP	Injury
Timofey Mozgov	DNP	Injury
TEAM TOTALS		29/82 (35%)	5/19 (26%)	22/30 (73%)	40	20	8	2	12	85

Utah Jazz
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
PG - Mo Williams	16	4-9	1-2	0-0	1	1	0	0	2	9
SG - Alec Burks	33	7-10	4-5	3-5	2	3	3	0	1	21
SF - Gordon Hayward	32	5-12	1-6	0-0	1	2	3	0	0	11
PF - Paul Millsap	25	6-8	0-0	2-2	10	1	1	0	2	14
C - Al Jefferson	28	3-6	0-0	4-6	10	4	0	1	0	10
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Derrick Favors	29	6-7	0-0	5-6	10	1	0	1	6	17
Enes Kanter	21	4-6	0-0	8-10	10	0	0	0	0	16
Randy Foye	18	3-7	1-5	1-2	3	1	1	0	0	8
Jamaal Tinsley	17	2-9	0-3	0-0	2	3	0	0	0	4
Demarre Carroll	14	1-4	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	2
Marvin Williams	11	0-2	0-1	0-0	4	1	1	0	0	0
Earl Watson	DNP	Inactive
Kevin Murphy	DNP	Coach's Decision
Jeremy Evans	DNP	Inactive
TEAM TOTALS		41/80 (51%)	7/22 (31%)	23/31 (74%)	54	17	9	2	11	112