Raptors-Jazz Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Dec 06 2012 9:01PM

Utah Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin is unsure if forwards Al Jefferson and Derrick Favors will be ready to go Friday night, but it might not matter with the slumping Toronto Raptors in town.

Utah will try to match its best home start in four seasons when it takes on the Raptors, who are looking to end an eight-game road losing streak.

Jefferson poured in a season-high 31 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to help the Jazz (10-10) end a three-game skid with Wednesday's 87-81 home win over Orlando, but he had to be helped off the floor in the final minutes due to back spasms.

Jefferson said after the game that he'd be ready for Friday, but Corbin was unsure of that prior to Thursday's practice.

Favors, averaging 9.3 points and 7.5 rebounds, is also a game-time decision after missing the previous three contests with plantar fasciitis in his right foot.

"It would be interesting (if both can't play), but we still feel good about the bigs that we have," Corbin said. "We're logjammed there, so it would be an opportunity to get (others) some minutes on the floor."

Corbin mentioned that little-used Jeremy Evans could log some minutes and Marvin Williams, who returned Wednesday after sitting out three games with concussion-like symptoms, could spell Paul Millsap at the power forward spot as the Jazz look to improve to 8-1 at home.

A makeshift frontline would seem to benefit the Raptors (4-15), who have been outrebounded 100-77 on the first two stops of a five-game trip.

Toronto gave up 56 points in the paint in Wednesday's 107-100 loss to Sacramento, and the Raptors are allowing an average of 108.0 points in the last six games.

Toronto hasn't dropped nine in a row on the road since a 14-game skid Jan. 7-March 16, 2011.

"You can't explain in words how frustrating it is," said swingman DeMar DeRozan, who matched a career high with 37 points in a 140-133 triple-overtime home loss to Utah on Nov. 12. "We try to work as hard as we can, but the ball doesn't bounce our way, the ball doesn't go in when you need it to go in. It's everything you can think of."

The Raptors probably thought they were on their way to a victory over Utah last month as they led by 11 with seven minutes left, but the Jazz rallied behind 34 points from Millsap and 24 and 17 boards from Jefferson.

Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry missed that contest with a sprained right ankle, but he'll be ready to go after scoring 29 of his season-high 34 points in the second half Wednesday.

In its last visit to Salt Lake City, Toronto ended a 12-game skid in this series with a 111-106 double-OT win Jan. 25. Jefferson missed that game with an inflamed right ankle.

Millsap scores 20 as Jazz rout Raptors 131-99

By LYNN DeBRUIN
Posted Dec 08 2012 1:18AM

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) The pregame talk was about 6-foot-11 center Enes Kanter making his first career start for the Jazz.

But it was Utah's "small" lineup that delivered the knockout blow in the second quarter, with the Jazz hitting five 3-pointers in a 3 1/2-minute span to set the tone in a 131-99 rout of the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.

"It's just like anything, when you see someone else on your team make the extra pass to the open guy, then you're going to come down and make the extra pass to the open guy," guard Randy Foye said. "It's contagious."

In the end the Jazz hit 13 of 23 shots from beyond the arc - the sixth-highest total in team history. Marvin Williams, Foye and DeMarre Carroll finished with three 3s apiece.

"It felt good to see those guys firing them up and them going in," said Paul Millsap, who led the Jazz with 20 points but didn't attempt any 3s. "But we had open shots, the ball movement was good, all they had to do is shoot it."

Marvin Williams, Carroll and Gordon Hayward - part of Utah's "small" lineup along with Millsap and Mo Williams - hit 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions as Utah built a 56-42 lead after trailing by 10 in the first quarter.

Kanter finished with 18 points and eight rebounds in place of Al Jefferson, who did not play because of back spasms.

"I was nervous," Kanter said of being told he was getting the start. "But after talking to Big Al, I felt so much better."

He was almost giddy watching all the 3s drop.

"After a while I'm like, I'm not even going to go in and rebound," Kanter said. "I'm just going to go back to defense. They played unbelievable today. They played Utah Jazz basketball."

Hayward added 17 points off the bench as Utah (11-10) improved to 8-1 at home.

In all, eight Jazz players scored in double figures for the first time since 2008, with Mo Williams adding 11 points and 10 assists.

"Everybody's ready," Foye said of the Jazz playing without not only Jefferson but leading shot-blocker Derrick Favors (plantar fasciitis). "Everybody at one point in time was the man somewhere."

Kanter certainly was in his native Turkey. Despite being in the starting lineup for the first time in his NBA career, it was a familiar foe he faced in Jonas Valanciunas, a rookie from Lithuania.

"Growing up we always went against each other and everybody was always asking who is better, who is better?" Kanter said. "He is a great kid with great skills, but tonight I ... was fortunate to come out on top."

Valanciunas finished with six points, four rebounds and two turnovers.

"I think big Turkey did a great job tonight, to be thrown in that situation," Foye said.

Toronto coach Dwane Casey had nothing positive to say about his team, considering the Raptors lost a heartbreaker at home to the Jazz in triple overtime on Nov. 12.

"We gave in to the altitude or whatever it was," Casey said. "I thought we split apart and didn't stay together. Tonight is the first time I have seen us give in."

It was a subject of discussion in the postgame locker room after Toronto fell to 4-16 overall and 1-12 on the road.

"This kind of performance is not acceptable," Andrea Bargnani said of Casey's message. "That's the bottom line."

Bargnani led Toronto with 20 points and eight rebounds. DeMar DeRozan added 17 points while Amir Johnson scored 10 off the bench.

The Jazz entered the game averaging 6.6 3-pointers per game but after hitting five during that short span in the second quarter they hit seven more in the second half.

The Jazz shot nearly 54 percent in the second quarter. And with 3 minutes left in the third, they already had surpassed the total they put up in an 87-81 victory over Orlando on Wednesday.

In that game the Jazz had a big lead and nearly blew it. They made sure this one wouldn't get away, not with the last two meetings against Toronto going into overtime.

It helped that the Jazz could shuffle players around, including 6-9 Marvin Williams getting action at power forward.

Now, Utah turns its attention to Sunday's game against a Lakers team the Jazz beat by nine points on Nov. 7 - the last game for coach Mike Brown before he was fired by Los Angeles.

"Obviously, they are a great team and have arguably the best player of all time, a shot-blocker, a new coach and are playing different now, so it's really a new team," Foye said. "We've just got to play Utah Jazz basketball and not worry about what the Lakers are doing and I think we'll have a great chance."

NOTES: Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin took time to visit Utah State's Danny Berger, who collapsed Tuesday during basketball practice and had to be revived by a trainer. Berger, 22, is recovering at a Salt Lake City area hospital and was upgraded to fair condition. "He's part of Utah. We're Utah," said Corbin, who also has a son who plays college basketball. "He's a kid that's had a tough time in Utah. We feel his pain. If I could say anything encouraging to him and fight his way through it, that's what it's about. I was just trying to support the kid." ... Nine-year-old Samantha Gordon, who rushed for more than 2,000 yards and 35 touchdowns in a Utah Gremlin League to earn her own spot on a Wheaties box recently, was in attendance with the rest of her Herriman team. ... Toronto G Jose Calderon appeared in his 500th game in a Raptors uniform. ... Jazz F Jeremy Evans had a highlight-reel dunk in the second half.

Notebook: Thunder 114, Lakers 108

Andrew Aragon, For NBA.com
Posted Sat Dec 08, 2012 12:50 AM - Updated Sat Dec 08, 2012 12:50 AM

THE FACTS: The Utah Jazz had to find a way to make up for the absence of Al Jefferson, their leading scorer and rebounder, on Friday night. They did it by playing their most complete game of the season, as the Jazz (11-10) had eight players score in double figures, dished 31 assists and drained 13 3-pointers in a 131-99 victory over the Toronto Raptors (4-16). Paul Millsap had a team-leading 20 points and 10 rebounds as Utah won without Jefferson, who has been hobbled by back spasms since late in the Jazz's victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.

Enes Kanter made his first career start in Jefferson's place and had 18 points and eight rebounds as Utah handed Toronto its ninth straight road loss. Gordon Hayward came off the bench to score 17 points fr Utah. Andrea Bargnani had 20 points and eight rebounds for Toronto.

QUOTABLE: "It was really pretty basketball. I think the guys really had a good time playing tonight, and it was fun to watch."

--Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin on his team's performance

THE STAT: Utah had its best 3-point shooting performance of the season. The Jazz's 13 made 3-pointers was their best mark in regulation this season. Utah hit 14 3-pointers the first time it played Toronto, but it took three overtime periods to do it. The Jazz shot 56.5 percent from 3-point range tonight, and that was better than what it shot overall at 49.5 percent. Utah's franchise record for most 3-pointers in a game is 15, and it might have broken the record if the game wasn't basically decided by the end of the third quarter. The Jazz led by 19 at the end of three quarter and only attempted two 3-pointers in the fourth period.

TURNING POINT: The Jazz gained some separation from the Raptors in the second quarter by -- what else -- draining 3-pointers. A 13-2 run stretched their lead to 56-42, and Utah scored 12 of its points on four straight 3-pointers by Mo Williams, Marvin Williams, DeMarre Carroll and Hayward. Before their 13-2 run, Utah had trailed by as many as 10 points and hadn't led by more than five.

HOT: Carroll is a sparkplug for the Jazz. Utah got off to a miserable start, struggling with foul trouble and a lack of identity on offense. Carroll helped change momentum by doing what he does -- hustling, being a pest on defense and hitting occasional shots. He entered the game for the first time with 1:43 left in the first quarter and the Jazz trailing by six. He played the rest of the half, had eight points on 3-for-3 shooting, collected six rebounds and helped Utah build an 11-point halftime lead. He finished with 11 points and eight boards.

NOT: Toronto's starting backcourt had a rough night. Kyle Lowry shot 3-for-10 and had 10 points. DeMar DeRozan scored 17 points, but shot just 5-for-15.

QUOTABLE II: "That's what I do. When we're down and we need a spark, that's when I come in and give a spark. I just went in and did what a junkyard dog [does]. People love me so much because something good [is] bound to happen. You might miss your shots, you might turn the ball over but something good is bound to happen [when you play hard]."

--Jazz forward DeMarre Carroll, aka the "Junkyard Dog," on the spark he gave the Jazz in the second quarter

GOOD MOVE: The Jazz earned all of their open looks from 3-point range and uncontested dunks with beautiful ball movement. The ball rarely got stuck when Utah had it, the Jazz had great floor spacing and on numerous occasions the team passed up good looks for better ones. Utah is developing noticeable chemistry on offense.

BAD MOVE: The Raptors certainly played a part in Utah's breakout offensive performance with poor perimeter defense. Entering Friday's game, Toronto ranked 26th in the league in 3-point defense. It was easy to see why. Utah players usually had clear looks at 3-point attempts as Raptor efforts in rotations were lackadaisical and many times didn't get close enough to put a hand in shooters' faces. Defense is obviously a major problem for Toronto, which has allowed an average of 111.3 points in its last seven games.

NOTABLE: The 32-point result was Utah's largest margin of victory this season and it was the Raptors' biggest defeat. Toronto trailed by 34 points in the fourth quarter and it was their largest deficit of the season. Utah's Derrick Favors missed his fourth straight game with plantar fasciitis. Raptors reserve Ed Davis grotesquely dislocated his finger with 8:30 left in the second quarter and returned in the third quarter. The Jazz are 12-1 in their last 13 games against Toronto.

UP NEXT: For the Raptors, Sunday @ L.A. Clippers, Monday @ Portland, Wednesday vs. Nets. For the Jazz, Sunday @ L.A. Lakers, Wednesday vs. Spurs, Friday @ Phoenix.

• Raptors: Acy, Anderson, Fields
• Jazz: Bell, Murphy

• Raptors: Lowry
• Jazz: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
• Officials: #40 Leon Wood, #47 Bennie Adams, #52 Scott Twardoski
• Attendance: 18069
• Duration: 2:11