Jazz get back on track and victimize Sonics
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by CRS-ONE
After losing six straight games, the Utah Jazz avenged themselves against the Seattle Sonics on Saturday night, winning 96-75.
With all the problems that the Jazz have been having of late, what did they do different?
- Better shot selection. Smarter shooting is the easiest way to play more effectively. They shot 39-75 from the field. That's much better than the .300ish they've been shooting of late. They let Andrei Kirilenko operate where he does best around the basket. He scored 16 points on 6-12.
- Limited the Sonics' free throw opportunities. The endless Jazz caused free throw parade ended. The Sonics were 19-23 from the stripe. That's much better than the 30+ free throw opportunities they've been giving teams.
- Actually make their own free throws. Last night they were 20-25. That's a significant improvement.
- Good defense. They held the Sonics to 75 points. Now I know that Seattle is rebuilding and are expected to be pretty awful. But that's exactly what I assumed and wound up being wrong with the Portland Trailblazers who beat the Jazz twice last week. The Jazz played adequate defense against the Sonics and didn't give them anything. Kirilenko added 5 blocks to the effort.
Carlos Boozer lead the Jazz with 21 points and 16 rebounds, and was an absolute beast in the paint. Deron Williams and Ronnie Brewer each added 18; Williams also had 10 assists.
Kyrylo Fesenko got some playing time thanks to Mehmet Okur still being out with a shoulder injury. He scored 2 points, 2 rebounds and 2 personal fouls in 11 minutes. Those aren't necessarily earth shaking numbers, but the other Jazz center Jarron Collins only scored an extra 2 points in 19 minutes. I know I'm big on Fesenko and he is still raw, but I think he'll be the large lane clogging, rebounding center that the Jazz needs.
The Jazz begin a three game east coast roadtrip tomorrow against the Atlanta Hawks.
