--The Jazz finished the season 7-8 on the road against the Eastern Conference and will have their choice of losses to lament come April. They dropped games on the road this season to Miami, New York, Charlotte, Indiana, Atlanta, Chicago and New Jersey.
Saturday's loss to New Jersey also ensured that the Jazz will finish the year with a losing road record. They are now 16-21 on the road this season and need to win their final four road games just to match last season's record. --Jazz coach Jerry Sloan turned to C.J. Miles in the first half with Andrei Kirilenko in foul trouble and Matt Harpring struggling and was rewarded as Miles gave the Jazz a lift and finished with eight points and two steals in 12 minutes.
Sloan turned to Kirilenko in the second half and second-guessed himself after the game. Kirilenko never got on track after landing on the bench with two early fouls and finished with just two points in 22 minutes, missing three three-pointers in the second half.
Kirilenko missed an open three-pointer in the final 90 seconds, got beat on the game-winning play by Richard Jefferson and threw an ill-advised inbounds pass to Mehmet Okur in the deep corner as the Jazz tried to set up a shot with 1.5 seconds left.
"I debated on whether or not to go back with (Miles)," Sloan said, "but I went with the guys that kind of we've been there with. Probably, maybe wish I'd have gone with C.J."
--Carlos Boozer's 30 points in the second half were just three shy of Karl Malone's franchise record. Boozer made his first 10 shots of the half before following up his own miss with 1:43 to play. He set his career high with a 41-point game last March against Washington.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "This is one of those games you wish you could go back and play all over again." -- Jazz forward Carlos Boozer after Saturday's loss to New Jersey.
