
They are closing in on a month since their last loss, 25 days and counting for the Jazz, whose winning streak stands at an NBA-best nine games after Wednesday's victory over Houston.
"It's a lot more fun to win," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "That's what you play for. We had to go through some tough times, but if you keep your focus and try to stay after what you're trying to accomplish and see what you can do." The Jazz's last loss came Feb. 8 at Golden State. They have won 10 consecutive games at EnergySolutions Arena and could notch only the ninth double-digit winning streak in franchise history with a victory Friday against Denver.
"We knew these two games this week were huge for us, just because of where these two teams are in front of us," Deron Williams said. "We got through the Rockets, now we've got to move on to Denver and worry about them."
The Jazz have not lost since welcoming back Andrei Kirilenko (ankle surgery) and Carlos Boozer (knee surgery) after the All-Star break, though their only two road victories during the streak came against Minnesota and Golden State.
"What'll show me what we can do is when we get out on the road," Sloan said. "Our fans help us win a lot of games here. Our guys play better, they seem to play with a lot more confidence. We've got to be able to do it out on the road. You go out on the road, win eight or 10 in a row, then I'll know we're a pretty good team."
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For sale by owner
Williams confirmed that he is trying to sell his Harley Davidson-edition Ford F-350 pickup through the Internet. Williams' truck was listed in a classified ad on KSL.com, which now has a link to Jay's American Car Care Center ( http://jaysaccc.com )
Williams, who is working with a go-between on the sale, is asking $60,000 or best offer for the truck, which has only 3,800 miles.
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Scoreboard watching
The Jazz went into Wednesday in the thick of a Western Conference playoff race in which teams Nos. 2-8 were separated by only 4? games. Williams was asked how closely he was paying attention to the standings at such an early date.
"It's tough," Williams said. "You want to pay close attention because everything's so tight, but at the same time, you win a couple games you're higher, you lose a couple you're lower, so we've just got to take it one game at a time."
rsiler@sltrib.com