While Mehmet Okur left Friday's game in the second quarter after getting hit in the eye, the Jazz took advantage in the second half to get their longest look at playing Carlos Boozer and Paul Millsap together since Boozer's return from knee surgery. Boozer and Millsap combined for 29 points and 16 rebounds in the 101-94 victory while largely avoiding stepping on each other's toes, even though they normally play the same position at power forward.
"We know each other," Millsap said. "We know what [we're] going to do. I actually read off him and feed off him, see what he does. If he rolls, I'll come back up. If he pops, I'll just duck in the lane. We've just got to read each other." What they lose in outside shooting without Okur, the Jazz hope to gain in rebounding and rugged play with Millsap and Boozer together. For his part, Boozer noted how much easier it is to switch on defense with two similarly sized players.
"Definitely having those two rebounders in there helps," Deron Williams said. "Memo's a great rebounder, but those two guys just have a different type of knack for getting the ball."
The Jazz were outrebounded 46-40 against the Thunder, confirming coach Jerry Sloan 's concerns about frontcourt length. It was the first look, nevertheless, at what could be if the Jazz were to bring back both Boozer and Millsap next season.
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Injury update
Okur visited the eye doctor Saturday but was found to be suffering only from right eye inflammation after getting hit by Chucky Atkins . According to the team, he received medication and will practice today.
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Devil may care
It was hard enough for Boozer to watch as President Barack Obama picked Pittsburgh to the Final Four instead of Duke. Then Boozer watched as Obama picked North Carolina, the Blue Devils' archrival, to win the championship in his ESPN bracket.
Boozer, who met Obama last summer at a campaign event in Miami, got in touch with his former Duke teammate Reggie Love , who serves as Obama's personal assistant, and had some questions about the president's picks.
"I said, 'Reggie, what's up with President Barack picking the Tar Heels to win the whole thing?"' Boozer said. "He said, 'I know. He stabbed us both in the back on national TV.'"
rsiler@sltrib.com
