The Jazz have spent the first 52 games of their injury-ravaged season following one step forward with one step backward. They can only hope to leave for the All-Star break headed in the right direction after Wednesday's game against the Lakers.
Whatever momentum the Jazz hoped to take into the break was squandered with Sunday's 116-96 loss to Golden State. The Jazz's three-game winning streak came to an end with a loss in which coach Jerry Sloan said his players barely made an appearance. The Lakers will be playing their only game in Utah this season, thanks to a quirk in the schedule. Having completed a 6-0 trip in which they beat both Boston and Cleveland, the Lakers will be playing the second game of a back-to-back set after hosting Oklahoma City.
It will be the Lakers' first visit back to Utah since they ended the Jazz's season with a Game 6 victory in the Western Conference semifinals in May. The Lakers also snapped the Jazz's 19-game home winning streak last season as well.
The Jazz can only hope they will be playing their final game without Carlos Boozer (knee surgery) and Andrei Kirilenko (ankle surgery), both of whom are expected to return for the first game back from the All-Star break or soon after.
WARRIORS 116, JAZZ 96: The Jazz ended up on the wrong end of an 18-2 run in the third quarter as Golden State broke open a tied game. The Warriors won the quarter 38-24 and led by as many as 25 in the fourth quarter on their way to the rout. Golden State had seven players score in double-figures and totaled 116 points despite hitting only six three-pointers. Corey Maggette led the Warriors with 24 points off the bench.
