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Houston • Jerry Sloan raised his right arm, stretched it out and cut downward through air. Then the Jazz coach kept his limb stiff and in place before pulling out a classic Sloanism to discuss Utah center Al Jefferson's up-and-down defense this season.
After watching the Jazz be constantly abused inside by Memphis during a road loss Friday — one that saw Utah allow a season-high 56 points in the paint — Sloan said that his team needed to be more physical and aggressive guarding the interior. In general, the Jazz have to stand up opposing players, apply as much tough muscle and body weight as possible, and not be afraid to commit a foul.
But Sloan had a very specific observation about Jefferson. Utah's coach said that the center sometimes plays an entire game without earning a hard, noticeable foul. To Sloan, that is the equivalent of allowing a stranger to continually walk through a house unimpeded, then watching them go in and out the front and back door as often as they desire, all while doing anything they want while inside.
"If a guy keeps coming at you all night long he's going to win," said Sloan, prior to Utah's 103-99 overtime road victory against the Houston Rockets on Saturday. "Somewhere you have to set the stakes up and say, 'This is where I live.' And you have to protect that."
Jefferson acknowledged that his defense still explores peaks and valleys during his seventh year in the league, as everything from consistency to intensity remain elusive. But he is not shying away from the work or the search for improvement as he attempts to fine-tune his all-around game.
"That's where I've got to step it up to another level and keep it consistent," Jefferson said. "Because when I play great D, when I'm active around the basket, it really helps the team."
Big change
Jefferson ramped up the defensive and offensive aspects of his game during the second half and overtime versus the Rockets as the Jazz outscored Houston 65-47.
Solid through the first half — eight points on 4-of-7 shooting, five rebounds — the center dominated the third quarter and quickly woke Utah out of its slumber. Jefferson poured in 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting during the period while grabbing four boards and recording a block. He scored 12 of the Jazz's first 17 points in the quarter, ultimately setting the stage for forward Paul Millsap's late-game heroics.
"I came out in the second half — we all did — wanting to win," said Jefferson, who finished with 24 points, a game-high 13 rebounds and three blocks. "We knew we had to play better. Can't lose three [games] in a row — especially the way we've been losing. So I knew we had to make a run right then and there. I had a great third quarter, then Paul brought us home."
Burning hot
Millsap attempted nine shots during the first 42 minutes, 31 seconds of the game, hitting only two, and did not advance to the free-throw line.
But two made free throws with 5:29 to go in regulation marked a clear turning point as the bulky but sleek forward suddenly turned into a superhero.
Millsap scored 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting, hit all five of his free throws, collected five rebounds and grabbed one steal in the last 10:29 of competition.
How did it feel?
"It's different," Millsap said. "You just want to get the shot up and hopefully it go in. You see the rim get bigger, and everything just start going your way."
Twitter: @tribjazz —
Millsap's magic
R Jazz forward Paul Millsap's statistical line through the first 42:31 of action Saturday during Utah's 103-99 overtime road victory against Houston:
FG FT Pts Reb
2-9 0-0 4 5
Millsap's line through the final combined 10:29 of the fourth quarter and overtime:
FG FT Pts Reb
9-11 5-5 23 5