With defenses focused on Memo, teammates have failed to deliver

PHILADELPHIA — Three outings into a four-game trip, the Jazz have had two shots in the last couple seconds to either force overtime or go for the win.

Both failed, with Carlos Boozer missing from the baseline Tuesday in Miami and Deron Williams missing from 3-point range Friday in Philadelphia.

Both times, the Jazz also were unable to get the ball to so-called "Moneyman" Mehmet Okur — who has four last-minute, game-winning field goals this season.

It's no coincidence.

Teams are blanketing Okur in the late-going of close games and taking their chances with other Jazz shooters.

"People know," point guard Williams said. "They're not going to leave off of him.

"He's told me on numerous occasions, 'They're not helping off me.' ... We definitely want to get it into his hands, but at the same time it's hard, because they're going to stay right on him."

That's all the more reason, Jerry Sloan suggested Friday, for others to answer the call.

"You've got to take whatever's there," the Jazz coach said. "They're not going to allow you to do everything that you'd like. ... Somebody has to step up and make shots when that's taken away from us."

TRAVEL TROUBLE: A mean winter storm that struck Philadelphia on Friday prevented the Jazz from traveling as intended following their 89-88 loss.

Revised plans called for the team to fly to Cleveland on their charter plane at 8 this morning.

The 76ers, meanwhile, were lucky to have enough players for the start of Friday's game. Eight is the minimum required to play, and 40 minutes before tipoff the Sixers didn't have that many at Wachovia Center.

The late arrivals — including 23-point game-high scorer Andre Iguodala and starting center Samuel Dalembert — were stuck in traffic, where drives that normally take about 25 minutes were taking about an hour-and-a-half.

"We had guys trickling in during our meetings," said Kyle Korver, who hit Philly's game-winning jumper, "and finally we got the big guy (Dalembert) in here and we felt a little better about that."

LOTSA HELP: Williams tied an arena record with 16 assists, matching the total set previously by both ex-Sixer guard Allen Iverson and New Jersey's Jason Kidd.

"Guys were making themselves available for me," Williams said. "They were making shots, and when they do that it makes my job a lot easier."