Jazz roll past hapless Nets 108-92
December 17, 2009
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP)—Coming off an embarrassing loss at home toMinnesota two days ago, the Utah Jazz weren’t about to start a long road trip byletting the NBA’s weakest team get the better of them.
Deron Williams(notes) and Carlos Boozer(notes) recorded double-doubles, and the Jazz addedto New Jersey’s woes, beating the hapless Nets 108-92 on Wednesday night.
Williams had 20 points and 14 assists, while Boozer added 26 points and 10rebounds as the Jazz won for the eighth time in 11 games and handed the Nets(2-24) their fifth straight loss.
New York Yankees pitcher CC Sa… AP – Dec 16, 10:42 pm EST New Jersey Nets forward Eduard… AP – Dec 16, 10:36 pm EST
New Jersey Nets forward Terran… AP – Dec 16, 10:26 pm EST
Utah Jazz forward Carlos Booze… AP – Dec 16, 10:26 pm EST
New Jersey Nets guard Rafer Al… AP – Dec 16, 9:30 pm EST
Utah Jazz guard Deron Williams… AP – Dec 16, 9:09 pm EST
New Jersey Nets guard Rafer Al… AP – Dec 16, 9:09 pm EST
New Jersey Nets guard Devin Ha… AP – Dec 16, 8:59 pm EST YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index = 7; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_lazy_images = [http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20091217/capt.1b325f1328c14f17853d686982eb5569.jazz_nets_basketball_era106.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=58&yc=1&wc=295&hc=328&q=70&sig=s2cf.k_kJwh0GLPdUaYwAQ--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20091217/capt.1198a635c41447f4b22c92a86379b5fd.jazz_nets_basketball_era105.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=297&hc=330&q=70&sig=W3UvwHUxxV_hN_No.ZRWCg--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20091217/capt.3f932548ee59475e9e70e2b623b50a5a.jazz_nets_basketball_era104.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=303&hc=337&q=70&sig=x9Meh6KAtrv.E5_BNPIsUg--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20091217/capt.36c625e70e744c219645d5f302cdc766.correction_jazz_nets_basketball_era102.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=48&yc=1&wc=316&hc=351&q=70&sig=Yb1LJPB1812XilOUGa.W8w--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20091217/capt.cf78d6d88e4448e5a7660161b3bab153.jazz_nets_basketball_era103.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=54&yc=1&wc=303&hc=337&q=70&sig=pECJ_ncy_r4pZtBYoyv71A--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20091217/capt.ec2dcf203f894c1788b829e8547ade1b.jazz_nets_basketball_era102.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=48&yc=1&wc=316&hc=351&q=70&sig=NhVsJWhfmsSky1rLslhreA--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20091217/capt.6b170f55ae9a45f78434c6faee348ced.jazz_nets_basketball_era101.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=339&hc=377&q=70&sig=nmGi8Oj2cOw2DuLU1tfvsg--]; YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(window,load,YAHOO.Sports.articleLazyLoadCarousel.init); 1 of 8 Uta-NJ Gallery function prev_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index > 0) { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index – 1); } else { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index); }}function next_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index 0) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next); }*/}function goto_photo(p) { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { for(i = 0; i < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos.length; i++) { if (i == p) { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, ); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, none); } } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page) { YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page.innerHTML =(p + 1); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = p; } } update_buttons();}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init = function () { YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_prev, click, prev_photo); YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_next, click, next_photo); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = 0; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page = YAHOO.util.Dom.get(carousel_page); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos = YAHOO.util.Dom.getElementsByClassName(item, div, leadphoto); if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { goto_photo(0); }}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init();
“We’re happy to get the first win of the road trip,” Boozer said. “Welearned our lesson the other night against Minnesota. Nothing against them, butthey took it to us and won the game. We made the mistake by not being preparedfor Minnesota. We knew we had to get this road trip off to a good start.Hopefully, we learned our lesson facing a desperate team desperate for a win.”
Williams said the Jazz didn’t need a team meeting to clear the air.
“We had some tough losses this year, but this one (to Minnesota) wastough,” he said. “We didn’t want to start the road trip off bad. We had tocome out and play like we could play. When they made a run, it was a little bitof, ‘Here we go again,’ but we made plays, made shots and got it back up. Theytook some bad shots there and that helped us out.”
Brook Lopez(notes) had 23 points and 10 rebounds for New Jersey, which got onepiece of good news on Wednesday when it was announced that Russian billionaireMikhail Prokhorov had moved a step closer to becoming the NBA’s first non-NorthAmerican owner.
Prokhorov’s Onexim Sports and Entertainment Holdings, and the company thatowns the Nets said they had completed their agreement to create a partnershipthat would own the NBA team and develop the Atlantic Yards project in New York.
Reserve Paul Millsap(notes) had 13 points for Utah, which will also play atAtlanta, Charlotte, Orlando and Miami on the five-game trip.
Terrence Williams(notes) added 17 points and Courtney Lee(notes) had 15 points for theNets. All-Star guard Devin Harris(notes) had an off night, scoring nine points on 1 of9 shooting.
New Jersey didn’t have an answer for Boozer, who has scored at least 20points in 10 of 13 games, or Deron Williams, who has had a double-double inseven of eight.
“That one-two punch did the job for them,” Lee said.
The Jazz took control with a 19-8 run in the final six minutes of the secondquarter. Williams, who briefly went to the bench after inadvertently stepping onLopez’s foot minutes earlier, started the stretch with a short jumper and endedit with a driving layup and a 3-pointer. Millsap also had six points and Boozeradded four.
Utah also picked up its defense in the run, limiting New Jersey to 2 of 11from the field.
The Jazz led by as many as 16 points in the third quarter and expanded themargin to 18 early in the fourth when Millsap converted a three-point play.
New Jersey made a run and closed the gap under double figures a couple oftimes, getting within 92-84 on a three-point play by Lopez with 5:50 to go.
However, Boozer made a layup, Andrei Kirilenko(notes) sank two free throws, DeronWilliams hit a jumper and Mehmet Okur(notes) added a layup in an 8-2 run that put awaythe game.
“We were there in the fourth,” Lopez said after posting his sixth straightdouble-double. “We were down a bit and then we came storming back and we wereright there. It just fell apart on us at the end again. I don’t think you canfault our effort though.”^NOTES: Utah shot 56 percent from the field and had 31 assists, one shy of theiropponent team high, recorded by the Hawks on Sunday. The Nets had only 10players in uniform with Chris Douglas-Roberts(notes), Yi Jianlian(notes), Jarvis Hayes(notes), TonyBattie(notes) and Keyon Dooling(notes) all hurt. Douglas-Roberts missed his third straightgame with a knee strain. … Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia sat next to the Nets’bench. … Kirilenko played 24 minutes and moved past Adrian Dantley for sixthplace in Jazz history for minutes played.