The Utah Jazz have been on a tear since the New Year, and last night they beat the Milwaukee Bucks 98-87 to sweep a four game homestand at the Energy Solutions Arena.
The Jazz pretty much were in control of the Bucks from early on. The only lead that Milwaukee had was during the opening of the game, where they went up by 5 on the lead. From then on, the Jazz had complete control, and they flirted with a thirteen point lead in the fourth quarter.
The Jazz were lead by Deron Williams (33 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 steals), who flirted with the ever elusive 4 x 5. Carlos Boozer had a quiet night with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Mehmet Okur, who has had some great games recently, seemed to have took the night off with 9 points. That allowed Bucks center Andrew Bogut to come up big for his team with 23 points and 10 boards. Maurice Williams (21), Michael Redd (16) and Charlie Bell (11) all scored in double figures for Milwaukee.
One of the biggest criticisms of the Jazz this season is how they’ve been unable to close out teams in the fourth quarter, sometimes giving up a substantial lead and the game to their opponents. Last night, the Jazz showed that they can defend and execute down the stretch. They outscored the Bucks in the final quarter 27-15, not so much because the Bucks were having an awful offensive game but more so because they were playing some tough defense.
In fact, the Jazz’s defense was looking pretty good last night. They didn’t foul the Bucks too often (18 to Milwaukee’s 33), which severely limited their free throw attempts. Milwaukee only had 18 attempts on the night.
Compare that to Deron Williams, who made a killing from the line (16-20). He outshot the Bucks from the charity stripe!
The Jazz are 6-1 since Kyle Korver joined the team. He had 7 points in last night’s game. Somehow, he also wound up with 2 blocks.
Last night’s game sold out the Energy Solutions arena. Their next game is on Thursday, as they go on the road to take on the Denver Nuggets.
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