Auburn Hills, Mich. » Jazz coach Jerry Sloan was interested in seeing Wednesday how rookie Wesley Matthews would do against the Pistons' Richard Hamilton . Fifteen seconds into the game, though, Sloan watched as Matthews was called for his first foul.
Hamilton hit a runner as part of a three-point play, but Matthews won praise from Sloan for continuing to battle on defense. Hamilton made just 2 of 8 shots in the first quarter -- one of which was blocked by Matthews -- and finished 4 of 12 for the night.
"I was really impressed by the fact that he got his first foul and kept playing," Sloan said. "I mean, that's what young guys don't usually do, but he has a mentality.
"I was glad that he really went back, tried to get his body on him, keep him from getting easy shots. He's going to score, but you just hope he has to work for all that."
For his part, Matthews said of Hamilton: "You can't back down from him. He likes to create contact. He's a veteran, All-Star, all that, so it's just a matter of playing smart."
Call back
With the Jazz leading 114-104 with 1:05 remaining, Sloan decided he'd seen enough of his team struggling to close out the victory. He brought back Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer from the bench, though Williams admitted doing a double-take at first.
"I tried to substitute a couple guys, we got cute with the basketball and I had to win the game," Sloan said. "It's not a matter of just making sure I get everybody in the ballgame. It's a matter of winning the game.
"I thought we would know better what to do with it when we were trying to finish up, but turnovers and things like that don't give you a chance to relax."
Must-see TV
The Jazz have captured the attention of local viewers, with the team announcing Wednesday that ratings for recent games on FSN Utah have ranked second among NBA teams on regional sports networks to only the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Jazz games in 2010 have averaged a 6.0 rating, increasing to a 7.0 rating for games since Feb. 1. The Jazz's Feb. 9 victory over the Clippers was their most-viewed game with a 9.9 rating and was watched by more people than any local news broadcast.
