SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 Sports) - Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan gave his tired and beat up team Tuesday off, but the Jazz aren't making any excuses after Monday night's loss to Atlanta. Deron Williams is expected back for Wednesday's game against Charlotte, Andrei Kirilenko, still in doubt.
Utah is still one of the NBA's hottest teams, having won 17 out of 20, but the Jazz couldn't find the magic down the stretch Monday night against the Hawks. "We play 3 games in 4 nights," stated C.J. Miles, "there's gonna be days like that - everybody's been through it - all we can do is rest (Tuesday) and get ready for Wednesday."
Added Carlos Boozer, "We didn't do a good enough job on defense - a little too much Joe Johnson - but we fought hard, missed some free throws, had a chance but didn't make the right plays."
With Jazz regulars Williams and Kirilenko in street clothes for the Atlanta game, some of the guys who don't play much had to contribute. "I admire them for trying to do that," said Utah head coach Jerry Sloan, "We could've laid down and given the ballgame away - which I was concerned about, but I was happy to see us fight back - try to do the best you can and at least the effort was there for the most part."
