Los Angeles ? As the Jazz opened the playoffs Sunday against the Lakers, Mehmet Okur was reduced to a spectator, missing Game 1 with the strained right hamstring he suffered in last Monday's victory over the L.A. Clippers.
Okur was hopeful he could try to practice Monday morning and possibly return for Game 2. But Okur has done no court work, including before Sunday's game, and continues to undergo treatment sessions. Asked about playing Tuesday, Okur said: "It's hard to tell right now. This is the kind of injury you can't tell like 'tomorrow' or like 'a couple days' or whatever. We're taking day-to-day and stuff. But everything's going well for me right now."
Okur said his hamstring had loosened up a bit, but he's still struggling to run and jump. With Okur out, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan opted to start veteran Jarron Collins at center and Kyle Korver at small forward, believing he needed a shooter in the lineup.
Collins finished with seven points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes, but went 1-for-5 from the field. Korver had seven points on 2-for-6 shooting, and C.J. Miles , back from a dislocated left index finger, scored six points on 2-for-9 shooting.
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Unkind words
Sloan raised eyebrows with his comments Tuesday that the Jazz's odds looked "pretty bleak" in this series against the Lakers. He did so again when asked Sunday about some of the point totals -- 113 being the latest -- his team has given up recently.
"We're not a nasty team," Sloan said. "Most of the teams that we've had here been pretty nasty in that they will get after you from daylight to dark. We're just learning how to get after it a little bit more as we go along with younger guys.
"Part of that's my fault. I take full responsibility for that because I haven't probably been nasty enough with them."
Told about Sloan's assessment, Deron Williams said: "I think we definitely have it. I don't think we've showcased it this year.
"I don't think we've been the same team confidence-wise as we have been in the past, because pretty much we've got the same group of guys we've had for the last two years, that's advanced in the playoffs and been to the Western Conference finals.
"It's just a mentality that we have that we haven't brought out and we do have to get if we want to win this series."
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Big game
Since returning from knee surgery, Carlos Boozer 's previous highest scoring game had been 25 points in the Jazz's April 11 loss to Golden State. He eclipsed that with 27 points -- including 14 in the third quarter -- on 11-for-16 shooting Sunday.
"I feel like my lift is coming back a lot, my conditioning's there, and I'm just playing ball," Boozer said.
rsiler@sltrib.com
