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News » Pacers-Jazz Preview


Pacers-Jazz Preview


Pacers-Jazz Preview
The Utah Jazz finally might be learning to win consistently without Carlos Boozer.

With lingering injuries expected to sideline the All-Star forward even longer, the Jazz look to close out a perfect homestand with a fourth straight victory Monday night against Danny Granger and the Indiana Pacers.

The same day Utah (22-15) beat Detroit 99-82 on Saturday, the Jazz learned Boozer will be out at least four more weeks while recovering from knee surgery a day earlier.

The Jazz are 14-11 without Boozer, who was averaging 20.5 points and 11.7 rebounds before injuring his lower quad and knee.

Until this homestand, Utah failed to win more than two straight games without Boozer, but appears to have turned things around. Winning at home has not been a problem for the Jazz, who have won five in a row at EnergySolutions Arena, where they are 15-4.

"I like the way our team has been trying to play here lately - trying to pass the ball, trying to execute our offense," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said.

Utah has won three of four overall and two in a row at home over Indiana (13-24), which lost 120-117 at Golden State on Sunday despite 42 points from Granger.

Mehmet Okur had 22 points while Ronnie Brewer added 16 on Saturday for Utah, which shot 53.5 percent. The Jazz are shooting 51.3 percent and averaging 111.3 points during their current three-game winning stretch.

Paul Millsap had nine points and four rebounds, ending his streak of 19 straight double-doubles. Since filling the void left in the starting lineup by Boozer's absence, the third-year forward is averaging 18.0 points and 11.4 rebounds.

"Hopefully I'll get another (streak) started," Millsap said. "I don't think about it too much. I just think of it as me playing (hard) and things like that come with it."

Okur, meanwhile, is averaging 20.4 points and 9.4 rebounds since missing three games due to back spasms. The forward, though, has scored a combined 25 points on 6-for-23 shooting in his last three games versus Indiana.

Granger is averaging just 10.8 points in six career games versus Utah, while failing to reach the 20-point mark in any of those contests. That streak, however, could come to an end Monday.

Among the NBA's top scorers at 26.4 points per game, Granger matched a career high against the Warriors and is averaging 35.6 in his last five games for the Pacers, whose last three contests have each been decided in the final seconds.

Granger's 3-pointer with 23.8 seconds left gave Indiana a one-point lead until Jamal Crawford's 3 with 11.3 seconds put the Warriors up for good.

"It was very frustrating, but that's kind of been the way we've lost games," said Granger of the Pacers, who lost to the Lakers 121-119 on Friday on a Kobe Bryant basket with 3 seconds left. "We know we're right there. We just need a stop to win the game, and we're not doing it right now."

Granger's 3 at the buzzer beat Phoenix on Wednesday for the Pacers, who are 1-3 on a five-game road trip.


Author: Fox Sports
Author's Website: http://www.foxsports.com
Added: January 12, 2009

 

 
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