Official postgame quotes and notes following the Jazz's 97-96 home loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.

Notes: The Jazz are now 94-77 all-time versus the Rockets and 59-27 at home ... Utah is now 19-2 when leading after the third quarter ... Sixth-man C.J. Miles scored 15 of his 18 in the second quarter ... The Jazz are now 18-4 when Miles scores 13 or more points ... Earl Watson grabbed a season-high nine rebounds to go along with 11 points and eight assists ... Paul Millsap had 10 of his 20 points during the third quarter and recorded his 12th double-double of the season (20 points/11 rebounds) ... Center Al Jefferson earned his 20th double-double (20 points/12 rebounds).

Jerry Sloan – Head Coach (29-21this season)
On the game
“This was a tough loss. We gave them a three-point play coming down the stretch. I didn’t have a problem with (the foul on the play), but we didn’t want to foul them on the lay-up. It was what we talked about during the timeout, but that happens and I think guys are trying to do the right thing... when you’ve got to execute and continue to do what we are supposed to do. Give (Houston) credit though. They played a tough game last night and came in here and beat us.”

On the last second shot attempt by C.J. Miles
“They weren’t going to give us a lay-up. They weren’t going to give us anything. C.J. got something though. I thought it was going in the basket from where I was, but obviously it didn’t go.”

On the team’s effort despite being shorthanded
“(Houston) was shorthanded as well and they played last night. I thought they out-rebounded us a couple times in crucial situations and came up with the ball. That’s when we’ve got to be a little bit tougher. I think our guys are (always) trying to fight back. I don’t think they are (lacking) desire. They played as hard as they could, but made a few mistakes that cost us the ballgame.”

C.J. Miles – Forward (18 points, 4 assists)
On the tough loss
“It’s definitely tough on your home floor with them getting the lead and then fighting back, knowing they were going to hang around. Kyle Lowry hits some big shots, some big threes, that kept them in there and then hit one that put them up. And then, especially when you have that look at it to win the game, it makes it even tougher.”

On the effort of the team tonight
“We definitely played hard, but we didn’t win a game, and that’s the objective, to go out there and win a game. We had a lot of looks too, we missed a lot of shots too, we had some good looks that if we hit them we probably could have sealed it.”

Earl Watson – Guard (11 points, 8 assists, 9 rebounds)
On the game
“We just lost the game. They did a good play down the stretch, got a good layup, got an and one. It’s just a loss. I can’t point out one thing that’s disappointing.”

On his last second shot that missed
“Yeah it felt good when it left my hands, I just missed it.”

On worrying about the division race
“You think about that tomorrow. Tonight you just focus on the game. You reflect on the tough loss and you just think about that later.”

On his near triple-double
“Right now all I care about is losing. I don’t care about the individual performance.”

Al Jefferson – Center (20 points, 11 rebounds)
On the Rockets’ three-point play late in the game
“We just missed that one play. That could have been an easy steal because he really didn’t have control of the ball except for that split second he got it and made a big play. They wanted it more and they got it.”

On the team’s recent play
“It’s frustrating to lose. I thought we played well (despite) missing some of our key guys. We still put ourselves in a position to win, but couldn’t seal the deal and (the next two games) are big games, tough games and we’ve got to fight and play like we did tonight and hopefully things work out well.”

Notes: The Rockets snap a three-game losing streak and are now 1-1 against the Jazz this season, with each team having won on the road ... Chase Budinger has now scored double figures in a season-best five straight games ... The Rockets held the Jazz to one made three-point field goal, which is the second lowest amount of threes they have held an opponent to this season ... The Rockets won for just the fifth time this season when losing after three quarters (5-20) ... The Rockets gave up a nine point lead in the third quarter ... The Rockets won for just the third time in 10 games in Salt Lake City ... The Rockets had six players score in double figures ... Chuck Hayes had his second double-double of the season.

Rick Adelman – Head Coach (23-28 this season)
On the game
“It was just a great win. A win we really needed but it wasn’t pretty. We made a great play down the stretch and really got deep into possession on that last play.”

On last two possessions of the game
“I don’t know. You tell me what to do with this group. It’s really difficult. I thought Aaron (Brooks) was doing a good job and Kyle (Lowry). We were ahead. I knew I wanted to run so Kevin (Martin) is the best at doing it. So I just went with it. Worked out and Luis (Scola) made a great switch and stayed down and made (C.J.) Miles make a tough shot. It’s been a long week and it’s good to get a win before we go home.”

Luis Scola – Forward (14 Points, 7 Rebounds)
On the last play of the game
“I think that most of the work was Kevin (Martin). He made a great catch first of all. It was a difficult pass to catch. And then he drew contact and great finish made the basket and then made the free throw. The last defensive play, well you know when your in that situation it’s always on your side.”

On the win after tough road trip
“We were close in the first games against Dallas and we were close yesterday. I think we deserve at least one win. Losing today would have been very, very disappointing. We’re going back home now. We play six games at home and one away before the All-Star break. So this is where we need to move forward.”

Kevin Martin – Guard (22 Points, 3 Assists)
On the last play of the game
“It’s Super Bowl week you know. Shane was the quarterback right there and I was the wide receiver and I was in triple coverage. It was just like the Giants when they beat the Patriots so we wanted to dedicate that to Super Bowl week. Shane made a great pass and that was the only place he could have put it and I just threw something up and it went in.”

On if that was the way the play was drawn up in the huddle
“No, it was exactly drawn up like that but you know, the other team they still tried to stop it so it’s not going to go as smooth in the game as it is on the chalkboard when coach draws it up but that’s our fourth quarter play. We won many games on that earlier in the season so we brought it back, it’s a great play.”

— Brian T. Smith

Twitter: tribjazz