It wasn’t a pretty shooting night for either team, but all five starters scoring in double figures led the Jazz (8-4) to a 98-88 win over the Nets (4-7) in Salt Lake City last night.
Though they trailed the entire second half, the Nets cut the Utah lead to five with around two minutes to go, but failed to draw any closer against the leaders of the Northwest Division.
Deron Williams led Utah with 23 points and eight assists, while sinking 12 of his 13 free throw attempts. Paul Millsap added a double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds. Al Jefferson scored 16 and grabbed nine boards, while Andrei Kirilenko and Raja Bell, both game-time decisions because of injury concerns, scored 15 points each.
The Nets, who shot under 38 percent from the field, were led by Anthony Morrow who finished with 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting, but made just two of his attempts from 3-point range. Devin Harris scored 19 points and dished out eight assists. Brook Lopez went 8-for-17 and finished with 17 points and eight rebounds while Kris Humphries grabbed a team-high 15 rebounds.
Travis Outlaw, who has been the team’s best long-range shooter this season, went just 1-of-12 from the field. The bench as a whole, meanwhile, contributed just 17 points.
Notes: Troy Murphy was inactive as he struggles to right himself in the midst of early season injuries … Terrence Williams returned after missing four games with an abdominal strain, playing just six minutes and not scoring … The Nets will return to action Friday night against the Kings in Sacramento.