Utah Jazz: Bench needed on the road

Utah's second unit was quiet in losses at Los Angeles

Like star treatment and ESPN showing dunk highlights, it's pretty much an NBA given that bench players perform better at home.

"Been that way," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, "as long as I've been in basketball."

So it's no surprise to Sloan, who's been in the league 40-plus years, that Jazz subs usually play better in front of the enthusiastic doctor with wacky signs and props, and that Laker backups do better in front of Jack Nicholson.

But why does he think reserves seem more, well, reserved on the road?

"They sleep better at home, I guess," Sloan said.

(Insert your own Holiday Inn Express joke here.)

Utah's backups scored a postseason-high 39 points in Game 4 at EnergySolutions Arena. The Jazz, who have had much better bench play overall in this series, are counting on their reserves to spark them again in Los Angeles in tonight's pivotal Game 5.

"It's gotta come from everywhere. The bench has got to be into it," said Jazz point guard Deron Williams. "We've just got to have everything going right for us."

Small forward Matt Harpring, one of the first guys off of Utah's bench, says the Jazz reserves are now confident they can give the team a much-needed edge, even on the road. Utah's subs actually scored one more point in the two road games in this series (59 away, 58 home), but they only shot 36.7 percent in L.A. versus 46.5 percent in Utah.

They hope that trend changes tonight.

"I think it's easier to be a starter and a bench player to play better at home. It's homecourt advantage for a reason," Harpring said. "But if we (reserves) can match that same energy we had the other night when we come out in Game 5, we have a good chance to win."

But for whatever reason — perhaps mostly mental — it isn't always easy.

"Players that really like to compete, they're going to compete all the time wherever you are ... ," Sloan said. "We need everybody to play well. And as you saw in the game the other day, our bench has to play well. That's usually the deciding factor in a lot of these games: how well your bench plays."

Deep threat Sasha Vujacic has been the only consistent role player off the bench for the Lakers, whose subs have yet to outscore their Jazz counterparts. Harpring, Kyle Korver, Paul Millsap and Ronnie Price have each had their moments for Utah.

Carlos Boozer said the starters are just hoping for "the same energy" from the reserves when they spell them.

"They've been terrific for us all season," he said. "We love our bench guys."

STAR POWER?: EnergySolutions Arena is louder than the Staples Center and more intense, Harpring said, but the Lakers' home has proven to be a difficult venue for the Jazz. They lost both regular season games there in 2007-08, the first two games of this series and are only 3-16 all-time at the arena against the Lakers.

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