This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
There was Paul Millsap taking over with a miracle 3-pointer to force yet another five minutes. There was Devin Harris with a breakout game, shaking off his season-long slump with 24 points. And there was EnergySolutions Arena, with 19,802 screaming voices, arguably at its loudest point all year.
None of that, however, was enough to get the Utah Jazz a win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.
In what was a deflating 111-106 double-overtime defeat to a five-win team, there was also Harris missing four crucial free throws in the second OT. There was Linas Kleiza, long known as a Jazz killer, lighting Utah up for 25 points off the bench. And there was Jose Calderon with two miracle 3-pointers, one-upping Millsap and sending the road-weary Raptors to their second win in as many nights.
The Jazz let one slip away. Multiple players acknowledged as much in the locker room after the game. In a season in which Utah has been winning its games against inferior competition, there is little doubt that this one stings.
"This is a game we should've won," Jazz guard Raja Bell said. "But, not to make excuses, we're a young team still trying to figure out a way to win games. It's still a process we're going through."
Losing to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks could be pardoned. But the crowd wasn't about to let the Jazz off the hook Wednesday night, booing Utah as the buzzer sounded and the Raptors celebrated at midcourt.
The Jazz (10-6) led by as much as 30-12 in the first quarter. Yet, as fast as they built the 18-point advantage, it disappeared, as Toronto used a 13-0 run to start the second period.
"That's where we lost it," Millsap said. "We didn't play well defensively in the second quarter and it came back to haunt us. We have to close teams out when we have the chance."
Millsap was once again great, scoring a game-high 31 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Down 100-97, he hit a 3-pointer from the left wing to send the game into double-overtime. He consistently made shots when his team needed them most.
But the Raptors (6-13) made more shots. Calderon sent the game into the initial overtime with a straightaway 3-pointer. Kleiza made three of his shots from distance in the overtime periods, mocking the crowd with three fingers each time he ran up the court.
Calderon then made a rainbow 3 from 29 feet with the shot clock running out in double-overtime. That gave Toronto a 109-103 lead the Jazz couldn't overcome. And then, of course, were Harris' missed free throws, each one of them crucial, each one taking a little more air out of ESA.
"Our comeback was huge tonight," Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said. "Our guys came out and fought and battled after the first quarter. Linas really battled, got us back into the game. Everybody that walked on the floor tonight contributed, fought to win the game."
Derrick Favors started in place of Al Jefferson and scored 16 points to go along with 12 rebounds. But the Jazz really missed Jefferson, who stayed out of the game with an inflamed ankle. His scoring in the middle was sorely needed in crunch time, as was his ability to draw double-teams.
Without him, Millsap was seemingly alone. Gordon Hayward struggled mightily, going 1-of-9 from the field and scoring two points in 36 minutes. In the overtimes, Millsap was the only player on the floor who wanted the ball in his hands.
"He's our hub," Bell said. "He's our big guy. When you miss 50 percent of what you do, it affects the rest of the offense. We needed that tonight and it wasn't there."
Storylines
R Key moment • Jose Calderon hits a 29-foot jumper with the shot clock winding down to give the Raptors a 109-103 advantage.
Key stat • The Jazz shoot 24 for 36 from the free-throw line.
What it means • Utah suffers its first "bad" loss of the season, and falls to 10-6 with a road game at Dallas looming. Raptors 111,Jazz 106
DOUBLE OVERTIME
FG FT Reb
Toronto Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts
JJohnsn 38:41 1-4 0-0 1-5 1 4 2
Brgnani 40:07 10-26 2-4 2-5 4 1 25
Gray 15:24 2-3 0-0 1-4 0 5 4
Caldern 35:04 5-13 0-0 1-4 7 5 12
DeRozn 43:58 6-11 4-4 1-8 2 4 17
AJohnsn 23:38 3-5 0-0 1-1 0 4 6
Bayless 22:23 1-6 3-4 0-1 7 0 5
Forbes 0:33 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 0 0
Barbosa 25:37 6-9 1-2 1-3 2 4 13
Davis 11:16 1-3 0-0 1-5 0 3 2
Kleiza 32:52 8-16 5-5 0-5 0 0 25
Butler 0:27 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 290:00 43-96 15-19 9-42 23 30 111
Percentages: FG .448, FT .789. 3-Point Goals: 10-28, .357 (Kleiza 4-9, Bargnani 3-8, Calderon 2-7, DeRozan 1-2, Bayless 0-2). Team Rebounds: 10. Team Turnovers: 16 (15 PTS). Blocked Shots: 10 (J.Johnson 6, A.Johnson 3, Bargnani). Turnovers: 16 (Bargnani 5, A.Johnson 3, Bayless 2, Calderon, DeRozan, Forbes, Gray, J.Johnson, Kleiza). Steals: 6 (DeRozan 2, Davis, A.Johnson, J.Johnson, Kleiza). Technical Fouls: Defensive three second, 5:29 third.
FG FT Reb
Utah Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts
Hayward 36:59 1-9 0-0 2-7 3 1 2
Millsap 49:00 12-24 6-8 2-11 2 5 31
Favors 41:38 6-14 4-6 2-12 1 3 16
Harris 36:27 8-12 7-11 0-3 6 2 24
Bell 38:27 3-6 4-5 1-1 1 4 11
Kanter 17:29 2-4 1-2 1-3 0 2 5
Howard 15:36 0-5 0-0 1-5 0 1 0
Watson 21:33 2-4 0-0 0-2 3 2 4
Miles 21:10 4-11 2-2 0-2 0 1 11
Evans 6:16 0-0 0-2 0-1 0 0 0
Burks 5:25 1-1 0-0 0-1 0 0 2
Totals 290:00 39-90 24-36 9-48 16 21 106
Percentages: FG .433, FT .667. 3-Point Goals: 4-18, .222 (Harris 1-2, Millsap 1-2, Miles 1-3, Bell 1-4, Watson 0-2, Hayward 0-5). Team Rebounds: 20. Team Turnovers: 19 (21 PTS). Blocked Shots: 5 (Favors, Harris, Hayward, Kanter, Millsap). Turnovers: 18 (Hayward 4, Kanter 3, Millsap 3, Watson 3, Bell, Favors, Harris, Howard, Miles). Steals: 9 (Hayward 2, Watson 2, Bell, Favors, Harris, Miles, Millsap). Technical Fouls: None.
Toronto 23 27 19 21 10 11 — 111
Utah 32 18 25 15 10 6 — 106
Attendance • 19,802. Time • 2:49.
Officials • Bill Spooner, Derek Richardson, Curtis Blair.