• Jazz Beat Nuggets to Open NBA Preseason

    October 2, 2009 -
    It’s only preseason, but I’ll take any opportunity to see the Jazz beat the Nuggets, who rank just behind the Lakers for the coveted title of my most hated team in the NBA. The Jazz opened their 2009-10 campaign with a 103-87 victory over Denver.

    The game wasn’t televised here in Arizona, so I didn’t get to watch. My schedule didn’t allow me to catch a radio feed on the internet either, so this review will be based on the box score and commentary from a few fans who attended the game in SLC (thanks Pater, Redneck, and Genki from JazzHoops). From what I gather, there were reasons for Jazz fans to be encouraged. Here are a few of the highlights:

    - CJ Miles scored 16 points on 5 of 7 shooting including 2 for 2 from behind the arc. He also had 3 steals and the team’s only block.
    - Carlos Boozer received a mixed welcome from fans, but there were more cheers than boos (not to be confused with Booz-es). He appeared to be putting in real effort on defense, which we can only hope continues throughout the season.
    - Deron Williams had 16 points and 6 assists in 21 minutes and looked like he could do anything he wanted on the court.
    - Kosta Koufos had a rough outing, going 1 for 8 from the field.
    - Brewer, Millsap, Price, Okur, and Maynor all looked solid.

    On a lighter note, the rookies apparently got their official welcome to the NBA when Maynor led the team out on the court, followed by two other roster hopefuls. Problem was nobody else joined them, so those three stood there in the layup line waiting for the rest of the team. Maynor had a big grin when he figured out they had just been tricked.

    In summary, the team appeared to be in great shape, putting forth improved effort on defense, and running the offense with precision. You can’t read much into a preseason game, but you also couldn’t hope for a much better start for the Jazz.

1 comments:

  1. Anonymous  

    October 2, 2009 at 8:53 PM

    Thanx for the jazznewzz. We don't get much from the St. George, UT paper

    Great blog. Keep up the good work

    Paul Elliott

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