This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
New York • With their season on the brink of collapse, the Utah Jazz suffered one of their worst defeats of this wacky year Saturday, dropping a 113-84 games to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
It was the Jazz's seventh loss in eight games.
The Jazz were coming off three straight losses by a combined five points, including an 89-88 at Chicago on Friday in which the Jazz led before a 3-pointer by Marco Belinelli with 5.9 seconds remaining.
After that loss, it was clear the Jazz were tired of dramatic finishes. On Saturday, they just looked tired, and the Knicks took care of the drama early.
Despite playing without stars Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, they had runs in the first half of 15-0 and 18-2 and led 55-38 by halftime. The Jazz were without Paul Millsap due to right knee inflammation.
Alec Burks and Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with 14 and 13 points respectively. Meanwhile, J.R. Smith led the Knicks with 24 points while Steve Novak shot 7-of-12 from he field for 20 points.
The Jazz were held to 37.7 percent shooting, while the Knicks shot 50.7.
boram@sltrib.com
Twitter: @tribjazz