The Jazz have lost six of their last seven games and have given up an average of 112.7 points on 53.6 percent shooting in that time. Even if they win their final two games, the Jazz still need help to stay out of the Western Conference's No. 8 playoff seed.

Sloan talked for close to 20 minutes, at times testily, at the shootaround, including saying to reporters, "I don't think any of you have ever coached at this level, but you've talked at this level, which you're all more intelligent than I am with making your observations."

Even if the Lakers have no chance at catching Cleveland for the NBA's best record in their final game Tuesday against the Jazz, coach Phil Jackson told reporters before Sunday's victory over Memphis that he plans to play his starters.

That means the Jazz can expect to see Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom in what could be a must-win game to avoid facing the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.

"I don't think that's the right thing to do," Jackson said, "when people buy season tickets and special-game tickets and things like that, and the league has asked us not to do that.

"I have players that are going to play their 82nd game this week, hopefully, and that's a big milestone in this game, to have played them all."

Sloan always says his preference is to play teams at full strength. "If somebody else wants to sit their players down and say, 'OK, I'm going to save them for the playoffs,' I'm not going to coach their team," Sloan said. "I've got all I can handle with this team."

Deron Williams said he expected Bryant and Co. to play for the Lakers. "Why not?" Williams said. "We've seen teams sit people out and then they struggle in the first round, so why not play everybody."

Williams said he would play even after suffering a strained left oblique in the final minute of Saturday's loss.

rsiler@sltrib.com