• SBR RECORD 30-11-3
• 1ST QUARTERS 14-2
**if the BULLS were not so injured i would pick them at (-5.5) over Memphis (Game)
As two of the Western Conference's best home teams, it's safe to say the Utah Jazz and the Phoenix Suns will be going all out to try to lock up home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Three head-to-head meetings over the final six weeks might determine if either one can secure it.
The Suns look for an eighth win in nine games overall and a sixth straight victory at US Airways Center on Thursday night when they host the Jazz in a potential first-round playoff preview. Phoenix (39-24) went nearly two months (Dec. 1-Jan. 26) without winning three in a row after three separate four-game winning streaks during the first month of the season, but has gotten back on track of late.
One game out of a playoff spot on Jan. 27, the Suns have since gone 13-3 to pull into the West's No. 5 slot - one-half game behind Utah (38-22). They've won seven of eight and have limited opponents to 92.0 points per game - 11.2 below their season average - while winning five straight at home. That doesn't mean Phoenix's offense is taking a back seat. Amare Stoudemire finished with 30 points and 14 rebounds and the visiting Suns scored 70 second-half points Wednesday in a 127-101 rout of the Los Angeles Clippers.
While the Suns embarrassed the Clippers on their home floor, Utah was unable to do the same Monday. The Jazz fell behind Los Angeles by 17 points in the fourth quarter. They mounted a late rally, but came up short and lost 108-104.
Utah fell to 6-10 in games decided by five points or fewer, with three of those defeats coming in Jerry Sloan's club's last five games. "You're going to have 10 or 15 games that you look back on after the season and say maybe you should have won those," Sloan said. "But the other teams have those games as well, so you can't worry about those games once they're over. I automatically forget - because I can't remember.'
Though the Jazz were unable to rally from 17 points down in Los Angeles, that's exactly what they did when the Suns visited Salt Lake City on Jan. 25. Phoenix hit 13 3-pointers and built a 96-79 lead with 2:38 left in the third quarter before Utah began its comeback. Rookie Wesley Matthews scored 15 of his season-high 21 points from that point on, and Andrei Kirilenko scored 10 of his 25 down the stretch as the Jazz pulled away for a 124-115 win.
•• UTAH JAZZ •• (PK) 1ST QTR •••
GL cheers to all
• 1ST QUARTERS 14-2
**if the BULLS were not so injured i would pick them at (-5.5) over Memphis (Game)
As two of the Western Conference's best home teams, it's safe to say the Utah Jazz and the Phoenix Suns will be going all out to try to lock up home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Three head-to-head meetings over the final six weeks might determine if either one can secure it.
The Suns look for an eighth win in nine games overall and a sixth straight victory at US Airways Center on Thursday night when they host the Jazz in a potential first-round playoff preview. Phoenix (39-24) went nearly two months (Dec. 1-Jan. 26) without winning three in a row after three separate four-game winning streaks during the first month of the season, but has gotten back on track of late.
One game out of a playoff spot on Jan. 27, the Suns have since gone 13-3 to pull into the West's No. 5 slot - one-half game behind Utah (38-22). They've won seven of eight and have limited opponents to 92.0 points per game - 11.2 below their season average - while winning five straight at home. That doesn't mean Phoenix's offense is taking a back seat. Amare Stoudemire finished with 30 points and 14 rebounds and the visiting Suns scored 70 second-half points Wednesday in a 127-101 rout of the Los Angeles Clippers.
While the Suns embarrassed the Clippers on their home floor, Utah was unable to do the same Monday. The Jazz fell behind Los Angeles by 17 points in the fourth quarter. They mounted a late rally, but came up short and lost 108-104.
Utah fell to 6-10 in games decided by five points or fewer, with three of those defeats coming in Jerry Sloan's club's last five games. "You're going to have 10 or 15 games that you look back on after the season and say maybe you should have won those," Sloan said. "But the other teams have those games as well, so you can't worry about those games once they're over. I automatically forget - because I can't remember.'
Though the Jazz were unable to rally from 17 points down in Los Angeles, that's exactly what they did when the Suns visited Salt Lake City on Jan. 25. Phoenix hit 13 3-pointers and built a 96-79 lead with 2:38 left in the third quarter before Utah began its comeback. Rookie Wesley Matthews scored 15 of his season-high 21 points from that point on, and Andrei Kirilenko scored 10 of his 25 down the stretch as the Jazz pulled away for a 124-115 win.
•• UTAH JAZZ •• (PK) 1ST QTR •••
GL cheers to all
