| Williams overcomes sickness, but not enough to carry teammates |
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| Written by Admin |
| Monday, 28 May 2007 18:05 |
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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -Deron Williams' ailing stomach wasn't what caused the Utah Jazz to lose for the first time at home in the playoffs. He just didn't have the strength to carry his teammates, although he did come close. Williams, sick for two days with the stomach flu, had 27 points and 10 assists on a night he wasn't even sure he was going to play. But he was also one of only two Utah players with more than three field goals in San Antonio's 91-79 win Monday night. The Spurs took a 3-1 lead in the series by allowing Williams and Carlos Boozer, who scored 18, to score more than half of Utah's points and shutting down the rest of the Jazz. Williams was 11-for-21 and Boozer 9-for-16 from the floor. The rest of the Jazz combined to make 12 shots from the field. Utah's frustration boiled over at the end. Coach Jerry Sloan and guard Derek Fisher were ejected in the final minutes. The Spurs had already taken control by slowing Utah's offense and forcing the Jazz into bad shots as they tried to catch up. Fans joined in the protest by lobbing debris on the court, making the finish even uglier. Nobody could blame Williams for the loss. Williams scored 18 of Utah's 42 points in the first half, going 7-for-11 and pestering the Spurs defensively. He and Boozer were the only Utah players with more than one field goal until Fisher hit a 21-footer with 10:50 left in the third quarter to get the Jazz within 50-42. At the end of the third period, Boozer and Williams were still the only members of the Jazz with more than two field goals. Williams was the last player to come onto the court at the start of that quarter, sitting on the scorers' table and grabbing a few extra moments of rest. But Williams came out with the most energy of any of the Jazz, scoring on a layup and jumper during a 10-2 run that helped Utah get within 63-62 at the end of the third period. In the fourth quarter, the shots stopped falling for the Jazz. Utah opened the period by going 5-for-13 as the Spurs slowly rebuilt their lead, mostly from the free throw line. Duncan went 3-of-4 from the line, Ginobili made all three after being fouled by Fisher on a 3-pointer. Then Ginobili added another from the line with 3:11 left that put the Spurs up 83-73. Ginobili drove for a layup with 2:34 to go after getting around Fisher. |
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