Millsap's first career 3 cements Jazz win

Millsap. Money!

For one night, anyway, the rookie forward Paul Millsap filled in for daddy-in-waiting Mehmet Okur, who often hits big game-winning 3-pointers for the Jazz, and Millsap's first career three gave Utah an insurmountable lead with the shot clock running out and :07.5 left on the game clock.

Utah broke a four-game losing streak with a 104-100 win over Golden State in EnergySolutions Arena Tuesday night.

"Yeah, we told him he could shoot that any day of the week — only days I wasn't here," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. "He had a terrific game.

"Memo was having a tough time. He was not feeling well, from what I understand, and his wife's having a baby, so it was great Paul played as well as he did. We needed that."

Millsap, who battled the flu during the Jazz's lost week in the East, had just 11 points and 11 rebounds over his last five games, saying he felt like he'd hit the 'rookie wall' for a second time in the season.

But Tuesday, he had 16 points — 12 in that fourth quarter with Okur sitting out and actually preparing before the end of the game to go to the hospital to be with his wife, Yeliz. Millsap also added six rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot, much of it in the fourth quarter as the Jazz slowly turned things in their favor after being down as many as 15 in the third.

Millsap's stunning, falling-over-backward 3-pointer from the right angle came after the Jazz had called time with :20.8 left and passed the ball around, Andrei Kirilenko dribbling and trying to keep from being fouled as the shot clock began waning.

It's the kind of shot Okur is known for and why he has the nickname of 'Money.'

"We kind of playing against trap when Deron (Williams) passed me the ball," said Kirilenko, mockingly saying loudly that only the media thought the Millsap shot was a big deal. Millsap's locker is next to Kirilenko's.

When I start passing the ball to Paul, everyone start screaming, 'Shoot,'" Kirilenko said.

"I'm passing, (saying), 'Paul, shoot! Shoot!'

"He make shot. I'm like, 'Assist!"' said Kirilenko, pumping a fist in approval.

"I seen the shot clock going down. I thought A.K. was going to shoot it," said Millsap, "and he got it in my hands like a hot potato, so I got it up, and it went in."

He said he never tries such shots at practice but does occasionally take them while warming up before games.