Utah Jazz forward Paul Millsap will undergo surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb this Thursday, Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today.
Millsap injured the thumb in the Game Six loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on May 16. Following x-rays, Jazz physician Dr. Lyle Mason preliminarily diagnosed the thumb injury as a torn ulnar ligament.
A second opinion by Dr. Steven Huish today confirmed that Millsap suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, and Dr. Huish will perform surgery to repair the ligament on Thursday in Salt Lake City.
A report on the surgery and an estimated timeline for Millsap’s recovery will be provided on Friday.
Originally selected by the Jazz in the second round (47th overall) of the 2006 NBA Draft, Millsap has appeared in all 164 regular season games and all 29 playoff games in his first two seasons. He averaged 8.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in 20.8 minutes per game this season.

The AP reports: Kobe Bryant scored 34 points, 12 in the fourth quarter, and Los Angeles held off a furious rally by the Utah Jazz for a 108-105 victory Friday night in Game 6, putting the Lakers in the Western Conference finals for the first time in four years. It was the only win by the visiting team in the series and kept the Lakers from having to host a Game 7 on Monday… Utah trailed by 19 points at halftime and 16 after three quarters, but got within two in the final minute… Utah was 5-for-8 on 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and had a chance to tie it just before the buzzer, but Mehmet Okur and Deron Williams both missed from beyond the arc in the final seconds and Utah’s season was over… Reserve Paul Millsap added 15 points for Utah and led the Jazz on a 14-5 run early in the fourth quarter that set up the thrilling finish.
InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Lakers shot 50.0%, the Jazz just 38.1%. But the Jazz took 97 shots, the Lakers just 70. The Jazz hit a respectable 9-of-24 three-pointers, the Lakers a terrific 7-of-11. As usual the Lakers took way more free throws, going 31-of-38, the Jazz 22-of-25. The Jazz owned the boards, and dished a few more assists.
For the Lakers, Kobe Bryant (9-of-19) had 34 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists (but 5 turnovers). Pau Gasol on an inefficient 17 shots had 17 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks. Derek Fisher on an amazing 5 shots managed 16 points and 3 steals. Lamar Odom (4-of-8) had 13 points and 9 rebounds. Vladimir Radmanovic (5-of-7) had 12. Sasha Vujacic (5-of-7) also had 12.
For the Jazz, Deron Williams on an inefficient 21 shots had 21 points and 14 assists. Mehmet Okur (just 6-of-18) had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Ronnie Brewer scored 13. Carlos Boozer (awful 5-of-16) had 12 points and 14 rebounds, and fouled out. Andrei Kirlenko also scored 12, with 3 steals.

The AP reports: Kobe Bryant scored 26 points despite not attempting a field goal in the fourth quarter, and the Lakers extended the stunning home success by NBA teams in the second round of the playoffs by beating the Utah Jazz 111-104 on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals… Bryant, who also had six rebounds and seven assists, scored only three points in the final period, all from the foul line after the outcome had been decided. He shot 6-for-10 from the floor and 13-of-17 from the foul line… Lamar Odom had 22 points and 11 rebounds, Gasol added 21 points, six rebounds and eight assists, Vladimir Radmanovic scored 15 points and Derek Fisher added 14 for the Lakers, who were 17-1 during the regular season when all five starters scored in double figures… All five Utah starters also scored in double figures led by Deron Williams, who had 27 points and 10 assists. Carlos Boozer added 18 points and 12 rebounds, Ronnie Brewer scored a career playoff-high 16 points, Mehmet Okur had 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Andrei Kirilenko scored 12 for the Jazz.

The Deseret Morning News (Linda Hamilton) reports: Forward Andrei Kirilenko missed Thursday’s Utah Jazz practice at the Zions Bank Basketball Center as he was dealing with issues with his visa.
InsideHoops says: Kirilenko just should have pretended to be that actor who played Ivan Drago in the Rocky movie. No one is going to prevent Drago from doing anything. His own crowd turned against him! You have to feel for the little guy.
UPDATE: The Salt Lake Tribune says it’s just about Kirilenko’s family traveling this summer, and this isn’t going to affect Kirilenko in the playoffs in any way.

The Los Angeles Times (Steve Springer) reports: Kobe Bryant left no doubt after the Lakers’ practice today that he’ll be on the court Wednesday for Game 5 against the Utah Jazz at Staples Center in the Western Conference Semifinals. Bryant said his lower back, which he injured in Game 4 on Sunday in Salt Lake City, was “sore, tight and stiff.” “I’ll play [Wednesday]. I can’t imagine it’ll be any worse than it was last night. It was pretty bad,” he said. Bryant will undergo round-the-clock treatment the next two days involving electrical stimulation, ice, heat, massage and stretching exercises.

The AP reports: Andrei Kirilenko blocked Kobe Bryant twice in overtime and converted a three-point play with 35 seconds remaining as the Utah Jazz beat the Los Angeles Lakers 123-115 on Sunday, tying the Western Conference semifinals at 2-2. The Jazz went 8-for-8 from the foul line in overtime and outscored the Lakers 15-7 in the extra 5 minutes. Deron Williams had 29 points and 14 assists, while Carlos Boozer scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half and grabbed 12 rebounds. Mehmet Okur added 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Kirilenko finished with 15 points and five blocks — stuffing Bryant twice as the Lakers tried to rally in overtime… Los Angeles rallied from a 12-point deficit in the final four minutes to force overtime. Derek Fisher scored 10 straight for the Lakers and blocked a shot by Williams just before the end of regulation with the score tied at 108. The Lakers struggled in overtime and didn’t score until a layup by Bryant with 1:10 remaining cut Utah’s lead to 112-110.
InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Jazz shot 52.5%, the Lakers 47.4%. But the Lakers took 97 shots, the Jazz just 76. Three-point shooting was close, but the Jazz had 37-of-45 free throws, the Lakers just 14-of-25. Rebounding was even but the Jazz won the assists category 32-20. Turnovers were almost even.
For the Jazz, Deron Williams on just 13 shots (9-of-13, 3-of-4 threes) had 29 points, 14 assists and 2 steals. Mehmet Okur had 18 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Andrei Kirilenko only only 4 shots (4-of-4) had 15 points and 5 blocks, though 0 rebounds and more turnovers than assists. Carlos Boozer (just 5-of-15) had 14 points and 12 rebounds. Kyle Korver scored 14 plus 2 steals, and Matt Harpring had 12.
For the Lakers, Kobe Bryant (just 13-of-33) had 33 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists. Lamar Odom (10-of-18, just 5-of-10 free throws) had 26 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks. Pau Gasol (terrific 11-of-16) had 23 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Derek Fisher (5-of-8, 4-of-5 threes) had 15 with 2 steals. Sasha Vujacic (4-of-6, 3-of-5 threes) scored 11.

The AP reports: So much for Carlos Boozer’s slump and the Lakers’ unbeaten run through the playoffs. Boozer scored 27 points and tied a career playoff-high with 20 rebounds to lead Utah to a 104-99 victory Friday night, cutting Los Angeles’ lead in the Western Conference semifinals to 2-1. The Jazz handed the Lakers their first loss of this season’s playoffs and got back into the series by doing at home what they couldn’t do on the road. The Jazz hit exactly half their shots and forced the Lakers into 18 turnovers, looking very little like the team that stumbled through two straight losses in Los Angeles to open the series… The Jazz took the lead early in the second quarter and never gave it up. Utah held off a late push by the Lakers and league MVP Kobe Bryant, who had 34 points, seven assists and six rebounds but could not carry the team alone. Nobody else scored more than 13 points for Los Angeles… Utah’s offense was stagnant in the first two games, but on Friday the Jazz started hitting from the outside and moving the ball around enough to clear the inside for the layups their offense is designed to create. Boozer started slowly, but finished 12-for-21 and had 11 points and seven rebounds in the fourth quarter.
InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Jazz shot 50.0%, the Lakers 48.5%. Both teams struggled from three-point range, but the Jazz were slightly better (and Mehmet Okur hit four threes). The Lakers were better at the free throw line, going 30-of-37, the Jazz 20-of-28. Rebounding was close, but the Jazz had 21 assists, the Lakers 14. And the Lakers threw the ball away more.
For the Jazz, Boozer had 27 points and 20 rebounds. Mehmet Okur (8-of-14, 4-of-7 threes) had 22 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, but 5 turnovers. Deron Williams (6-of-12) had 18 points and 12 assists. Andrei Kirilenko (5-of-9) had 12 points and little else. Matt Harpring (4-of-8) scored 12 off the bench.
For the Lakers, Kobe Bryant on just 20 shots had 34 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists (4 turnovers). Lamar Odom (3-of-3) had 13 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks. Derek Fisher (3-of-6) had 13 points and 3 steals. Pau Gasol (6-of-10) had just 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, but 5 turnovers. And Luke Walton scored 11 with 2 steals off the bench. Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic combined to go 0-for-9 for 0 points.

Nineteen teams have recovered from 2-0 deficits to win a best-of-seven series, including two last postseason.
The Utah Jazz defeated the Houston Rockets 4-3 in their first round series after dropping the first two games, and the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Detroit Pistons 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals after falling behind 2-0.
New Orleans, which owns a 2-0 lead in its Western Conference semifinals series against San Antonio, is out-rebounding the Spurs by an average of six rebounds (50-44) and is shooting .491 from the field, while San Antonio is at .417. Game 3 is tonight in San Antonio (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
New Orleans’ Chris Paul has recorded a points/assists double-double in six of his first seven playoff games, including three 30-point, 10-assist games.
The Celtics own a 1-0 lead in its best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals series against Cleveland, with Game 2 tonight in Boston (7 p.m. ET, ESPN). In their 76-72 Game 1 victory, the Celtics held LeBron James to only 12 points on 2-of-18 shooting. James, however, fell one rebound and one assist shy of a triple-double, finishing with 12 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. James has made fewer than two baskets once, on Dec. 29, 2004, when he shot 0-of-5 against Houston.
The Los Angeles Lakers took a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals series against Utah, defeating the Jazz 120-110. One of the reasons the Lakers are in control of the series is the defensive effort their frontcourt has made against All-Star Carlos Boozer. Boozer, who led Utah in scoring during the regular season (21.1), was limited to 15 points in Game 1 on 6-of-14 shooting. In Game 2, he was held to just 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting.
The Lakers are averaging a playoff-high 114.7 points, out-distancing the next closest team, New Orleans (102.4 ppg) by 12.3 points. L.A. also is shooting a postseason-best .491 from the field and averaging a playoff-off 26.5 assists.
The postseason’s best defense belongs to Boston, which is allowing only 85.3 ppg on .397 shooting from the field.
Orlando scored a 111-86 home victory in their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals series against Detroit to avoid going down 3-0. Rashard Lewis recorded a playoff career-high 33 points, shooting 11-of-15 from the floor and 5-of-6 from three. In the first two games of the series, played in Detroit, Lewis scored a combined 38 points, shooting 15-of-41 from the floor and 2-of-12 from three. During the regular season, Lewis shot .483 in home games compared with .429 on the road.
- NBA News

The AP reports: The Los Angeles Lakers celebrated Kobe Bryant’s MVP award the best way possible. Bryant had 34 points, eight rebounds and six assists Wednesday night, and the Lakers beat the Utah Jazz 120-110 to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals and remain the NBA’s only unbeaten team in the postseason… Derek Fisher, who played for Utah last season, added 22 points, Pau Gasol scored 20, and Lamar Odom had 19 points and 16 rebounds for the Lakers, who shot 57.4 percent from the field and made 35 free throws—22 more than the Jazz. Seven Utah players scored in double figures, led by Deron Williams, who had 25 points, including three 3-pointers in the final minute, and 10 assists. Paul Millsap added a career playoff-high 17 points and 10 rebounds, Mehmet Okur scored 16 points and Andrei Kirilenko added 14. Okur and Kirilenko both fouled out in the final minute. Carlos Boozer was held to 10 points—all in the second half. He played less than seven minutes in the first half because of foul trouble… The Lakers led 55-40 before Williams made a 3-pointer for his only points of the first half. It was 63-49 at halftime, and it might have been worse for the Jazz had Millsap not scored 13 points—three more than his previous playoff high.
InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Lakers shot 57.4%, the Jazz 44.6%. The Lakers nailed 7-of-11 three-pointers, the Jazz 7-of-18. The big story was free throws: 35-of-43 for the Lakers (Bryant and Gasol had 12 FT attempts each), 13-of-16 for the Jazz. The Jazz had the slight edge in both rebounds and assists, and Utah committed five fewer turnovers than L.A. did. The Lakers blocked 9 shots, the Jazz just one.
For the Lakers, Bryant had 34 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, but 5 turnovers. Derek Fisher on just 10 shots (and 4-of-5 threes) had 22 points and 3 steals. Pau Gasol on just 11 shots had 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks. Lamar Odom on just 10 shots had 19 points and 16 rebounds.
For the Jazz, Deron Williams (9-of-17) had 25 points and 10 assists. And six other Jazz players scored between 10 and 16 points. Andrei Kirilenko had 14 points and 5 assists. Paul Millsap (7-of-13) was the team’s second leading scorer with 17 points and the only good Jazz rebounder tonight with 10 boards.

David Archuleta, a finalist on American Idol, will perform the national anthem prior to the Utah Jazz home game this Friday night, May 9, at EnergySolutions Arena. The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
However, if David is voted off of American Idol tonight, his Utah Jazz pregame performance won’t happen. It’s a contract thing.
I’ve never been an American Idol viewer but actually have seen most of this season, and I don’t think he’ll be voted off tonight. I predict that the kid with the dredlocks who sang Bob Marley and Bob Dylan last week is probably the one to go. Marley and Dylan are two of my favorite singers ever, but the kid couldn’t really pull it off.