Feeling Good
Oakland,Ca – With Deron Williams playing at his best and Andrei Kirilenko and Carlos Boozer nearing possible returns, the Utah Jazz are feeling optimistic as they near the All-Star break.
Williams and the Jazz look for their fourth straight win Sunday when they visit the Golden State Warriors.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made the Jazz -1.5 point spread favorites for Thursday’s game against the Warriors. Current NBA Public Betting Information shows that 67% of more than 203 bets for this game have been placed on the Jazz -1.5
Injuries have played a large part in Utah’s disappointing first half. Williams missed almost an entire month with an ankle injury and Boozer (knee) and Kirilenko (ankle) have each missed extensive time. The Jazz (29-22) are in eighth place in the Western Conference, a half game ahead of the ninth-place Phoenix Suns.
Boozer and Kirlenko’s absences have required Williams to carry an even bigger load and after a frustrating 3-7 slump by his team during the last two weeks of January, Williams has stepped up to help Utah win four of its last five and three straight for the first time since a four-game winning streak Jan. 5-12.
On Friday, Williams scored 34 points for the second straight night in Utah’s 111-107 win over the Sacramento Kings. He scored 23 after halftime when the Jazz rallied from 10 points down.
"Our energy picked up in the second half. Right now, I’ve got to step up for my team like that. I felt like I let them down a little bit when I came back, and now I’ve got to be more aggressive and more assertive," Williams said.
Williams, who missed Monday’s win over Charlotte with a thigh bruise, is averaging a team-leading 18.5 points and 31.8 points in his last four games.
"The last two or three games he has really been alive," coach Jerry Sloan said. "You have to fight through with injuries. We have tried to be patient with him and when he gets back, he gets back."
Friday’s win also snapped the Jazz’s four-game road losing streak and improved their record to 9-16 away from Salt Lake City. After Sunday’s contest, they begin a five-game homestand, with four games coming after next weekend’s All-Star game.
Utah finished with 34 wins going into the All-Star break last season.
"I think we’re going to be OK after all of this," said Mehmet Okur, who had 28 points and 11 rebounds on Friday. "Hopefully Boozer and A.K. are going to come back right after the All-Star break, and we can get back to where we were last year as one of the best teams in the game."
Golden State (16-35), meanwhile, has lost three of four and six of its last nine. It’s coming off a 115-105 loss to Phoenix on Friday.
The Warriors tried to rally from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit, pulling within two twice in the final five minutes, but couldn’t take the lead. Corey Maggette scored 25 points and Stephen Jackson added 24.
"We stopped playing defense," guard Jamal Crawford said. "Our defense was terrible at the end of the game."
Golden State is giving up a league-worst 111.3 points per game.
Sunday opens a five-game homestand for the Warriors, who are 11-12 at Oracle Arena this season.
The Jazz beat the Warriors 119-114 on Jan. 5, led by 25 points from Williams. They’ve won four straight and eight of 10 in the series. Williams has averaged 27.0 points in the last four meetings.
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Posted: 2/8/09 2:55AM ET