Jazz cleaning up on glass

No team likes giving up second-chance points to an opponent, and the Utah Jazz seem to be playing well enough now that they can concentrate on inhibiting opponents on the glass.

In Wednesday's 94-72 win over Indiana in EnergySolutions Arena, the Pacers were able to get just six points off second-chance opportunities. In the last 20 or so games, Utah has held opponents to zero, two, three, four and five second-chance points, all the while being in double figures in their own "second-chance points" category every time but once..

"Second-chance points will kill you, so as long as you don't give up second-chance points, anybody can go get the ball," said Jazz backup forward Paul Millsap, known as the three-time king of NCAA rebounding and getting 5.1 boards a game as a rookie. He had five rebounds in 18 minutes Wednesday.

But like everyone else on the court, Millsap had to take a boards backseat to forward Carlos Boozer.

Boozer was extra-quick to the ball for rebounds, as though he had money riding on each one. He said he didn't, but rebounding turned out to be the bigger part of his double-double, and his teammates scrapped hard for what was left.

Utah outrebounded the Pacers 47-35, really turning itself loose on the boards in the second quarter when the total was 18 for Utah and nine for the Pacers.

That helped Utah break open a two-point game to lead 50-37 at the half.

"It's just my job," said Boozer about his boarding-house reach for the ball. He had nine boards in that second quarter and 13 by the half, and he finished with 16 rebounds for the game to 14 points, his 37th double-double of the season.

"I've got my guards playing great defense, and when they make (the opponent) miss, I feel like it's my job, my responsibility, to get after the rebounds and go get them so we get the ball back," said Boozer, who had 10 defensive and six offensive boards.

Forward Matt Harpring was one of those guys diving on the floor to corral the ball, getting four hard-fought-for rebounds.

"Well, Boozer gets them all," Harpring said, breaking into a grin, "so we have to fight for the rest.

"We know when he's in there, if you want to get one, you'd better dive or do something—hit him in the stomach, and then go get it."

"Sometimes we're laughing at each other," said forward Andrei Kirilenko of the effort put into getting rebounds this night. Kirilenko had four.