Sports / Basketball |
Good news for Rockets: Jazz take a beating(AP)Updated: 2007-04-10 21:15 Stephen Jackson scored 28 points, Baron Davis had 19 and the long-suffering Golden State Warriors climbed into the playoff picture with a 126-102 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday night. Monta Ellis and Matt Barnes scored 16 points apiece for the Warriors (38-40), whose eighth victory in nine home games put them in eighth place in the Western Conference by a tiny margin over the Clippers (37-39), who lost to Dallas earlier. Golden State (.4872 winning percentage) nudged ever so slightly ahead of Los Angeles (.4868), which has two games in hand. Al Harrington had 15 points and 11 rebounds as the Warriors blew out Utah in the middle quarters of their fifth win in six games overall, improving their improbable hopes for the club's first postseason appearance since 1994 — even if their streak of 12 straight losing seasons continues. Ronnie Brewer scored 21 points for the Jazz, who showed little playoff urgency while falling a half-game behind Houston for fourth place in the conference race and home-court advantage in the clubs' probable first-round playoff meeting. The Jazz have dropped four straight and 10 of 15 overall — including five of six since clinching the Northwest Division title. Carlos Boozer and Matt Harpring scored 17 points apiece for Utah, but point guard Deron Williams managed just four points on 1-of-8 shooting. Golden State hit 11 3-pointers, and Jackson — who had seven rebounds and five assists — scored 11 points in the third as the Warriors ran away from the struggling Jazz. The Warriors still don't control their own fate, but they're back among the Western Conference's top eight for the first time since Feb. 21. That's no small accomplishment for a club floundering through the NBA's longest current stretch out of the postseason. With 3 minutes to play, the remaining fans started a chant of "Playoffs! Playoffs!" which was surprisingly vigorous, considering it hadn't been used for 12 years. But the Warriors have a chance for a strong finish: They don't play again until Friday at Sacramento, and three of their final four games are in Northern California before a season-ending trip to lowly Portland. Golden State took control with a 25-4 run stretching over most of the second quarter, eventually turning a seven-point deficit into a 17-point lead in about 8 minutes. Utah couldn't keep pace with the uptempo Warriors, who scored 37 points in the period. Meanwhile, the Jazz's resurgent season has hit a snag since they clinched their postseason spot. Utah has lost four straight to clubs with losing records, and has back-to-back games against Dallas and Phoenix looming on the weekend. At least the Jazz didn't wait until the fourth quarter to blow this one. In their previous two games, they wasted a 17-point lead at Sacramento and a 22-point margin against Seattle. Utah coach Jerry Sloan remained rooted to the bench for most of the second half — a reliable sign of the 19-year veteran coach's profound displeasure. |
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