Sloan not excited about league's new no-touch rules

Granted, it went to overtime.

Still, the Jazz's 129-119 loss at Seattle on Wednesday night marked the NBA's highest-scoring game of the 2004-05 season.

For Utah, it's another triple-digit strike — just what the league had in mind when it altered defensive foul-calling interpretations to allow for more free-flowing offensive player movement and, in turn, increased point production.

"It's tough to really defend anybody," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, who obviously is not thrilled that one of his team's top tools has essentially been taken away, said when asked about the new-school officiating after losing to the Sonics.

"If you can't put your hands or your forearms on anybody, then guys can pretty much go where they want to go, and then get to the free-throw line," Sloan added. "That does increase scoring — when you are standing at the free-throw line making baskets when the clock's not running."

Dripping sarcasm noted.

Sloan's Jazz have scored more than 100 points eight times in 16 outings so far this season. That's two more times than all of last season combined.

The first six times they hit triple digits, the Jazz won. The last two, they lost.

In Seattle, Utah hit 100 with four-plus minutes still to go in the fourth quarter — and was at 110 when Sonics forward Vladimir Radmanovic hit an overtime-forcing 3-pointer with 10.5 seconds remaining in regulation.

Sloan, though, does not care about stats and facts like that so much as he does just having his players be able to play.

"I don't have a problem with it," he said of the frequent foul-calling, "but guys are scared to foul — so they almost have to let guys go, so they don't end up on the bench."

PAYTON ON STOCKTON: For all the many years one played in Seattle and the other in Utah, battles between point guards Gary Payton and John Stockton often were classics to watch.

Now, in the wake of John Stockton's number-retirement ceremony with the Jazz last week, Payton is singing the praises of his one-time foe, the NBA's all-time steals and assists leader.