Al Jefferson made a pretty awful decision in the closing seconds of the Utah Jazz's 97-96 loss to the Houston Rockets in Salt Lake City. The Rockets were down two at 96-94 when Shane Battier hit teammate Kevin Martin with a set-up pass to get the wiry guard moving toward the basket. As Martin went in for what would be a tying basket with about seven seconds left, Jefferson fouled the Rocket, but not well enough to prevent him from finishing the play.
Rockets Vs. Jazz: Kevin Martin Saves Houston With Game-Winning Three-Point Play
The result was a three-point play and a lead for the Rockets at 97-96. The Jazz couldn’t answer in the last six seconds, and Houston escaped with a win.
Jefferson isn’t known as a great defender, but even the bad have to make the right play there. Just don’t foul! Martin is one of the most prolific foul-drawers in the league, and he finishes a lot of shots after the bump. It’s what he’s built his career on. If you want to prevent the bucket, foul early and hard. Jefferson was in no position to do so, and the Jazz paid the price.
It's worth noting how close that was to a turnover. Battier, one of the game's smartest players, made a risky pass into Martin, who struggled to get the ball under control before going up. Either way, it's a very non-standard play call in that situation, and it obviously caught Utah flat-footed. Score one for Rick Adelman.
Martin had 22 on the game, and Deron Williams was again a scratch due to a sprained wrist. Jefferson and Paul Millsap had duel 20-10 performances, but the Utah backcourt of Raja Bell and Earl Watson produced just 15 points on 7-17 shooting.
In other action:
Nuggets 109, Blazers 90: Denver smoked Portland in the second half, as Wesley Matthews was initially knocked out of action, and was ineffective upon his return. Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups and Nene each scored at least 20 points.
Hawks 100, Raptors 87: Joe Johnson blew up for 37 points, and Toronto lost its 13th straight game. The Raptors actually had a lead in the second half, but it was short-lived. Amir Johnson had 20 points and 14 rebounds in the loss.
Bobcats 97, Pistons 87: Stephen Jackson is often ridiculous, as he was on Wednesday when he dropped 39 points on Detroit. He hit 14-26 shots, including 3-7 threes. Ben Gordon had 20 for the Pistons, but needed 18 shots to get there.
Grizzlies 102, Wolves 84: Memphis shared the ball really well in a romp over Minnesota. Mike Conley had nine assists, Rudy Gay had seven and Sam Young added six. Kevin Love kept his double-double streak (34!), but had just 10 points and 10 rebounds to get there.
Suns 92, Bucks 77: Marcin Gortat continued his assault on mankind with 19 points and 11 rebounds off the bench in Phoenix's win. Brandon Jennings, who has pined for more playing time, played 24 minutes. He shot 2-10.
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