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9:30 P.M.: Limping Jazz Shoot For 3-1 Series Lead Over Nuggets
Preview courtesy of Sports Network.
Despite missing two starters due to injury, the Utah Jazz have a chance to take a commanding 3-1 edge in their Western Conference quarterfinals set with the Denver Nuggets at EnergySolutions Arena tonight.
Paul Millsap scored 16 of his 22 points in the second quarter and finished with 19 rebounds on Friday, pacing Utah to a 105-93 win over Denver in the pivotal Game 3 of the series.
Deron Williams added 24 points and 10 assists for the Jazz, who hold a 2-1 lead despite missing center Mehmet Okur (left Achilles' surgery) and forward Andrei Kirilenko (strained left calf). Carlos Boozer tallied 18 points and eight rebounds, while Wesley Matthews scored 14 in the win.
Millsap played 33 minutes in a reserve role and went 11-of-14 from the field. He became just the second player over the last 40 years to register at least 20 points and 19 rebounds off the bench in a postseason game, joining former Dallas center Roy Tarpley (21 points and 20 rebounds), who did it vs. the Los Angeles Lakers on May 27, 1988.
"He was alive and he was very active defensively," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "He went after the basketball. We needed that."
Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups each had 25 points for Denver, which lost by three points in Game 2. Kenyon Martin started despite not practicing Thursday due to a left knee injury that caused him to miss 18 games late in the season. He had 13 rebounds in Friday's game.
“We just gave them too many layups,” Billups said. “The one thing about the Jazz is they thrive off of tricking you and getting layups and at home getting transition baskets. I thought we did pretty good with transition, but gave them too many layups.”
Okur suffered a ruptured left Achilles in Game 1 and is out for the playoffs (three-to-six months total), while Kirilenko, who also missed 15 of the Jazz’s final 17 regular season games due to a series of calf injuries, flew to Los Angeles this week to start a rehab program.
The Russian veteran, who averaged 11.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.43 steals and 1.22 blocks in 58 games this season, could possibly return for the second round of the playoffs if the Jazz can advance past Denver.
For the Nuggets, lead assistant Adrian Dantley continues to lead the team as head coach George Karl attempts to recover from aggressive treatment for neck and throat cancer.
“We have to do a better job passing the ball,” Dantley said. “We have to do a better job playing post defenders.”
The Nuggets edged the Jazz for their second straight division title and earned the fourth seed in the Western Conference. They’re in the postseason for a seventh straight year and recorded 50-plus wins for a third straight season.
Sloan’s Jazz, who are the fifth seed, have made it to the playoffs four consecutive years and have posted 50 or more victories in three out of the last four campaigns. The Jazz have finished with a winning record four straight seasons and a remarkable 23 times in the last 24 years.
This first-round playoff matchup marks the fourth time Utah and Denver have collided in the postseason, with the Jazz holding a 2-1 edge in series victories.
Denver took three of four meetings with their Northwest rivals during the regular season but the Jazz compiled a gaudy 32-9 mark at EnergySolutions Arena during the year.
Game 5 of the best-of-seven series is Wednesday back in Denver.
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