Once down by 19 points, the Jazz were rallying against San Antonio.

The crowd at EnergySolutions Arena was roaring Wednesday night, doing its part to help Utah against the NBA's best team.

Twice during the comeback, Memo Okur found himself with the ball at the 3-point line with an open shot at the basket. Each time, the fans inhaled, ready to explode when Okur buried one of his trademark 3-pointers, as he's done so often in the past.

But Okur didn't pull the trigger. Either time.

"That's why I need to get used to it again," Okur said Thursday. "I need to gain my confidence back a little bit."

Said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, "That's what we're dealing with ever since he's come back.

"I'm sure there are some remembrances of hurting his leg — it still troubles him some. And that's part of it, trying to get it out of your head."

Don't misunderstand.

Okur played effectively for 13 minutes in the 112-105 loss to San Antonio. He finished with three points, two rebounds and two assists. He was on the floor when the Jazz trimmed a 19-point deficit to 86-78 with an 11-0 run near the end of the third quarter.

But one of Okur's dagger-like 3s? It didn't happen.

"I should have taken those shots," he said, almost apologetically. "I got wide-open looks, but I didn't realize how wide open they were.

"I just didn't want to settle for my jumper, you know? I wanted to mix up my game — try to take it to the hoop, help my teammates."

Hesitancy is a byproduct of injury. Or so it seems. During the first round of the 2010 playoffs, Okur tore his Achilles tendon against Denver. He missed eight months.

Since his return from surgery in December, Okur has been sidelined again with a sprained ankle and a strained back.

He has played in 12 of the Jazz's first 46 games.

"The thing about my body, I have not been able to focus on one thing because I've had different injuries," Okur said. "So I am trying to focus a little bit of everything — trying to get better."

Regaining his gunslinger mentality, which has always helped stretch opposing defenses and made life easier for his teammates, remains a work in progress.

"Especially offensively, I'm still continuing to try and gain my confidence back," Okur said. "It's been awhile, you know. A little bit of this, a little bit of that. But it's coming along. Hopefully, I will be a much better player soon."

It's been Sloan's job to work Okur back into his rotation.

So far, Okur has been used as a member of Utah's second unit.

Unless Al Jefferson or Paul Millsap get into foul trouble, he gets his minutes in the second and third quarters.

"He's been taking it step-by-step," Sloan said. "First, you have to try to get him some minutes. Then, he's trying to get his basketball feeling back."

Even though the Jazz have lost six straight games and could use more of Okur's size and perimeter shooting, Sloan isn't going to hurry his recovery.

"He's been out a long time," the Jazz coach said. "A lot of people think just because a [player] is back, he'll be right where he was before he got hurt. But it takes awhile for that to happen. …

"He had a tough injury. An Achilles operation is a big setback for players. But there have been guys overcome it — who come back and play well. That's what we're hoping for him."

luhm@sltrib.com —

Timberwolves at Jazz

P At EnergySolutions Arena

Tipoff • 7 p.m.

TV • FSN Utah, NBA TV

Radio • 1320 AM, 1600 AM, 98.7 FM

Records • Jazz 27-19, Wolves 10-35

Last meeting • Jazz, 112-107 (Dec. 22)

About the Jazz • They haven't lost seven straight games since March 4-19, 2005, when they eventually dropped nine in a row. … G Deron Williams needs 77 assists for 4,000 in his career.

About the Timberwolves • They are 2-21 on the road. … They allow 109.1 points per game — most in the NBA. … They come off a 118-117 overtime loss to Oklahoma City.