(Betting Express) - The Utah Jazz will kick off a short homestand tonight
versus the New Orleans Hornets at EnergySolutions Arena.
Utah will also welcome Boston to Salt Lake City, where it has won five
straight and owns a 27-8 mark this season. It is three games behind Denver for
the Northwest lead and fourth in the Western Conference standings, just a game
ahead of both Oklahoma City and Phoenix.
The Jazz had a brief two-game winning streak halted and lost for the third
time in five tries with Friday's 110-100 loss at Phoenix. Carlos Boozer logged
23 points and 16 rebounds, while C.J. Miles recorded 17 points and Paul
Millsap added 12 and 11 rebounds in losing fashion.
"They brought it to us from the jump," Boozer said. "They played fast, and we
got behind. A couple of games before that they got on us early, and we were
able to come back, but not tonight."
Deron Williams had 13 points but only six assists, which snaps a 21-game
streak of nine assists or more. Jazz center Mehmet Okur left the game because
of a stomach ailment and is questionable for Saturday.
New Orleans will close out a five-game road trip this evening and fell to 1-3
on the trek following Thursday's 93-80 setback at Denver. Darren Collison and
Marcus Thornton each scored 15 points for the Hornets, who will likely miss
out on the postseason. They're currently nine games behind eighth-place
Portland with Houston and Memphis in between.
"I don't think we've ever been talking about whether or not we can get into
the playoffs," said Hornets forward David West, who had 14 points and six
rebounds. "We've just been trying to find a level of competitiveness to go out
and play these games."
Emeka Okafor contributed 11 points and 10 boards in defeat.
The 2009-10 season series between the Hornets and Jazz is even at a game
apiece. Utah, though, is 14-5 in the previous 19 matchups between the teams.
New Orleans has dropped 14 of 18 contests in Salt Lake City.
