Battered Jazz unable to finish

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Mehmet Okur bruised a muscle near his rib cage on one play and got fouled so hard on another that the normally mild-mannered Turk jumped to his feet, bowed up to Jake Voskuhl and drew a technical foul.

Andrei Kirilenko lost a tooth, which he discarded along the sideline before teammates, referees and a trainer searched to retrieve it.

Yet the Jazz don't think physical play is what hurt them the most in Friday's 101-89 loss at Charlotte. Rather, they were simply sore about allowing it to happen in a fashion quickly becoming all too familiar.

"I think they (were) more passionate than we are, especially at the beginning of the game," Kirilenko said after yet another slow Jazz start. "I think we (were) kind of — not sleepy, but — out of our game. We didn't pay attention, and they force us to pay for this. It's pretty hard to chase a team when you get 20 points down."

Utah mustered only a season-low 33 points before halftime, indeed spotted the Bobcats a 20-point lead heading into the second half and — one game after rallying from 21 down in the fourth quarter at Atlanta — ultimately was unable to worm its way out of this one.

"Can't keep climbing out of holes," said point guard Deron Williams, who bemoaned what he called yet another "lackadaisical" start. "I don't know what it is. I have no clue. It's got to stop, though. There is no reason for it."

"I don't know what the deal is," forward Matt Harpring added after the 19-8 Jazz fell to 2-2 on a five-game trip that ends tonight at Memphis. "You can't do that (play from behind, and hope to win) over time. We've been doing that from the beginning of the season, it seems like, and you can't rely on that. You can't give another team 20 points, and then try to do it in 24 minutes."

Yet — despite double-doubles from not only Bobcats big men Emeka Okafor (21 points, 10 rebounds) and Promiz Brezec (14 points, 11 boards), but also guard Raymond Felton (18 points, 12 assists) — the Jazz did very nearly notch their 20th victory of the season.

With three-and-a-half minutes remaining and the Bobcats' lead down to just five at 89-84, Harpring blew what should have been a gimme bucket inside.

"I should have made the layup," he said.

But the veteran swingman did not, and — instead of continuing in the Jazz's direction — momentum swung back the Bobcats' way.

Charlotte sub Matt Carroll — who, besides accidentally clocking Kirilenko with his elbow on a 3-point shot, finished with a spirit-crushing 16 points — made a basket and the free throw that followed coming out of a timeout after Harpring's miss.