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Jazz coach Jerry Sloan was looking for energy, toughness and fight. The in-demand assets sat just a few seats down from him on Utah's bench.
Reserve Earl Watson: energy. Reserve Ronnie Price: toughness and fight. Reserve Gordon Hayward: all three.
The trio keyed a resurgence from the Jazz's speedy second unit, whose spark allowed Utah to fight back and knock off the Memphis Grizzlies 98-92 Saturday night at EnergySolutions Arena before a crowd of 19,732.
Paul Millsap scored a highly efficient 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Jazz (23-11), while Deron Williams added 19 points.
But it was Utah's secondary rotation that made the largest impact. The Jazz's bench combined for 32 points, highlighted by 13 from Hayward.
"We needed life and, fortunately, we got some," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said.
The Jazz again started slow, falling behind 14-6. Off nights from starters Al Jefferson (3-of-12 shooting) and Andrei Kirilenko (four points) put Utah farther in the hole.
Then Price went on the attack. Rarely used since reserve center Mehmet Okur was activated and the Jazz's rotation deepened, the human sparkplug reverted to his former tenacious self after viewing video of recent performances.
Price said that he saw himself slipping, not fighting on defense and not playing with his normal, sharp style. That changed Saturday.
"My main mindframe - and hopefully for the rest of the year, if I can keep this mindframe - is just to be a defensive spark," he said.
He was pure fire Saturday. Price fought and dove for loose balls, cheered on his teammates and bumped chests with opponents.
Williams said that Price's intensity was "contagious." One game removed from challenging himself and the Jazz to perform more consistently and display better execution, Williams said that Price's passion and fight could not be ignored.
"I thought he played great tonight," Williams said. "Flew around, got steals, deflections. Turned the intensity up. … When he does that, it rubs off on everybody."
Utah reclaimed sole first place of the Northwest Division with the victory, moving a half-game ahead of Oklahoma City.
Zach Randolph's game-high 27 points and 16 rebounds topped the Grizzlies (14-19), who played without leading scorer Rudy Gay (flu).
"We didn't make enough plays," Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said.
Utah started the game without veteran reserve center Mehmet Okur (back). The Jazz lost forward C.J. Miles (flu) after tipoff. Then center Francisco Elson was ejected late during the second quarter following his second technical foul.
As a result, Utah was again forced to improvise, relying on rarely used rotations and putting the ball during crucial moments in the hands of players whose time has recently been limited. The Jazz's makeshift approached peaked at the start of the fourth quarter, when a second unit composed of Watson, Price, Hayward, Jeremy Evans and Kyrylo Fesenko took the court with a 71-69 advantage. It was two veteran point guards, two rookies and a third-string center versus the Grizzlies. Utah won, and Hayward continued his midseason ascension.
The rookie forward played all 12 minutes of the fourth quarter for the fifth consecutive game, and is averaging 13.6 points while shooting 53.5 percent from the field during his last three contests.
"Playing more with these guys and playing more minutes helps out to get a feel how they play," said Hayward, who acknowledged that his once-shaky confidence is steadily increasing. "They can feel how I play, and it makes it easier for both of us."
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Storylines
R In short • The Jazz knock off the Memphis Grizzlies 98-92 Saturday night at EnergySolutions Arena.
Key stat • Utah's bench combines to score 32 points, led by Gordon Hayward's 13.
Key moment • The Jazz end the game on a 17-9 run.