Los Angeles ? Back at Staples Center, the scene of his shooting struggles the last two playoffs against Kobe Bryant and the L.A. Lakers, Ronnie Brewer could have been mistaken for a different player. Brewer knocked down five jumpers, including three in the second quarter, on the way to scoring 12 points in 40 minutes. His pull-up 14-footer with 3:02 remaining gave the Jazz a 103-97 cushion over Charlotte. "I think my teammates are giving me confidence, coming up to me, just telling me to shoot with confidence," Brewer said. "I've been working on it a little bit, trying to make it consistent. So far, it's been falling down for me, but I've still got room for improvement."
Jazz coach Jerry Sloan has stressed to Brewer how critical it is for him to hit shots when left open by the defense. "There's fourth-quarter minutes out there," Brewer said, "and I'm trying to be out there in the fourth quarter."
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Fine and dandy
Sloan acknowledged that the fines the NBA has handed down in recent days to fellow coaches Larry Brown ($60,000), Stan Van Gundy ($35,000) and Lionel Hollins ($25,000) for criticizing replacement referees did catch his attention.
From his perspective, Sloan said that he has tried to give the replacement refs greater latitude as they learn on the job this preseason.
"I've tried to have that approach to begin with," Sloan said, "because these guys are thrown in a tough situation and they're wanting to do the best they can and we want them to be as good as they can be."
Added Sloan: "They may be here all year, maybe not, I don't have any idea. But some of these guys are going to be good officials, I think."
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Okur out
After waking up with a sore back Sunday, Mehmet Okur opted to sit out the Jazz's game. Okur has enjoyed a strong preseason, averaging 10.2 points and shooting 75 percent from three-point range, but he expressed little concern about his back.
"I'm glad it's the preseason, so I've got to look forward to get healthy and play next game," Okur said. Kyle Korver (inflamed left knee) and Ronnie Price (strained left hamstring) also missed Sunday's game.
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Briefly
Paul Millsap made his first start of the preseason, alongside Carlos Boozer , and finished with 12 points and seven rebounds in 32 minutes. Boozer led the Jazz with 22 points in 21 minutes ... The Jazz experimented with a zone defense as well as playing Deron Williams at off guard opposite Eric Maynor in the second half ... Young centers Kyrylo Fesenko and Kosta Koufos bounced back from a disappointing game Saturday, combining for 20 points and seven rebounds ... D.J. Augustin scored 29 points and hit five three-pointers for Charlotte.
rsiler@sltrib.com
