Jazz eager to win on road News Utah Jazz

MINNEAPOLIS ? They were talking about it even before playing for the final time in a five-game homestand that ended with Monday night's victory over Atlanta ? a win, incidentally, that capped the first time since March of 1996 that they have won at least five straight in a homestand lasting five games or longer. They were talking about it plenty more on Tuesday, too.

"It" is winning on the road, and it is something the 34-23 Jazz hope to do tonight when they visit Minnesota for their first of 15 games played away from Utah over the season's final 25 outings. "We've got to be better on the road, and I think (Wednesday night) will be a good start," said power forward Carlos Boozer, who ? back from arthroscopic knee surgery ? played for the first time after missing 44 straight games when the Jazz blew away the Hawks. "And we'll move forward from there." The Jazz swept their homestand, including victories over both of last season's NBA finals participants in the runner-up Los Angeles Lakers and the champion Boston Celtics. Besides winning five straight overall, they have won eight of their last nine games. And they are 25-6 this season at EnergySolutions Arena. But they also are just 9-17 on the road, including 2-7 so far in 2009. And that is not nearly good enough for anyone involved. "Most teams play better at home," point guard Deron Williams said prior to practice Tuesday. "But we do have to play better on the road." "We've got to find out how to win on the road," center Mehmet Okur added, "so hopefully it starts (Wednesday night)." Asked to pinpoint the difference between how they play at home and how they play away, Okur admitted to being at something of a loss. "We have no idea," he said. "That's why we keep losing." Perhaps the best way to overcome the woes, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan suggested Tuesday, is to simply not worry about where games are being played. Sloan is well aware that after Wednesday night's visit with the Timberwolves and Saturday's home game against Sacramento, a crazy March awaits with nine of 15 on the road. And the season ends with five of eight away from EnergySolutions in April. "But you know what? I haven't played that much attention to it," he said. "I know that we have some games on the road. I know that we have some back-to-backs. "But I'm only concerned about what we do today. I mean, there's not a player out here who can look at 26 games and say, 'This and this and this is going to happen.' You just get ready to play, and go home after the game, and get ready to play the next game. To me, it's not that difficult. "We need to win ?? wherever we are," the Jazz coach added. "And you can't win thinking, 'We have to play four in five nights, so I can't work today.'?" ? So never mind, Sloan would suggest, that the Jazz have seven back-to-back sets in the season's last seven weeks. And forget they will play four in five nights two more times this season, including once in a brutal stretch at San Antonio, at home against Golden State and the Los Angeles Clippers, and in L.A. against the Lakers ? over the season's final five nights. None of that, to him, matters. "We're just going to have to play one game at a time ? you know, that old simple little theory of playing one game at a time," he said. "Try to focus on that, and see if we can win some games." E-MAIL: tbuckley@desnews.com