Miles makes helpful contribution

LOS ANGELES — Starting small forward Andrei Kirilenko played a season-low 10 minutes and sat out the entire fourth quarter Monday, going scoreless with no shots, three assists, one rebound, one steal, one block and four fouls — very un-Kirilenko-like numbers — in the Jazz's 109-93 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Asked afterward by a reporter if there was anything more to Kirilenko's limited playing time, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan turned the tables.

"I don't know — unless you want to put something there," he said. "You guys are good at that. I don't have anything."

Rather, Sloan dwelled on the play at small forward of reserve swingman C.J. Miles, who recently lost his backup shooting guard spot to new addition Kyle Korver.

"He kept us alive, made a couple steals," Sloan said of Miles, who had two points, one rebound, one assist and actually was credited with one steal in his 12 off-the-bench minutes — including nine minutes in the second quarter.

"I just thought (backup small forward) Matt (Harpring, who played a season-high 27 minutes) was playing a little better, and Andrei (Kirilenko) was struggling a little bit. (Kirilenko) had two fouls, so that's why I put C.J. in the game," Sloan added. "He deserves to play, because C.J. has worked very hard in practice every day. He stays and works extra. I think the light has really gone on him for him to make himself a better player."

Sloan again bemoaned not having enough playing time to share among swingmen Kirilenko, Harpring, Korver, Miles and starting shooting guard Ronnie Brewer.

"There are not enough minutes a lot of times when you have that many people playing the two positions," he said.

Except for a game in which he got injured and played just 15 minutes, Kirilenko's minutes Monday were 13 below his previous season-low.

They were also 24 below the season-average coming into the game for usual 11.5-point scorer Kirilenko, who requested to be traded in the offseason — but instead has averaged more playing time than anyone else with the Jazz except point guard Deron Williams and power forward Carlos Boozer.

ROAD WOES: With the Jazz winning Monday for just the second time away from home since late November, Sloan accepted responsibility for some of the club's recent road woes.