Utah Jazz: Motivated Suns rise to occasion

PHOENIX — It was billed as a fight between the Jazz and Phoenix for fourth place in the NBA's Western Conference — and, mostly importantly, homecourt advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

Never mind Oklahoma City is in the mix too.

Phoenix played like its postseason life was on the line Friday, and the Jazz didn't, falling 110-100 to the Suns at US Airways Center.

"Just a bad game," Jazz point guard Deron Williams said.

It was disappointing indeed for 44-25 Utah, which could have clinched its season series with the Suns — and put a huge dent in their hopes for fourth — with a win.

Instead, both 42-25 Oklahoma City and 43-26 Phoenix are now within a game of fourth-place Utah — with the Suns just percentage points behind the Thunder for fifth.

"The same thing happened when we played Denver (earlier this season)," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, who was ejected from the game in its final seconds after making contact — he said he was protecting himself — with referee Michael Smith.

"If we're gonna make any headway at all with the tough games we have left ahead of us, we have to be prepared to compete — not just come out and try to get time in," Sloan added. "Because we were just putting our time in, and not playing any defense, and taking some horrible shots."

Phoenix showed it had come to play from the get-go, with Amar'e Stoudemire — who finished with a season-high 44 points and 14-for-16 field shooting — scoring its first 11 points as the Suns took a 11-2 lead.

But, more critically, 18 of Stoudemire's 44 came during a fourth quarter in which Phoenix's lead went from 14 to as many as 19 and never dwindled below double digits.

"He took it to us, man," said Boozer, whose 23 points and 16 rebounds both were team-highs. "Dominated at the end."

"He (Stoudemire) always is gonna be dominant, because he's a great player," Sloan added. "But, you know, I thought it was like a pickup game because guys drove to the basket, went inside. We kind of stuck our hand out to see if we could stop them, but you can't stop them that way."

By halftime, Phoenix was up 57-37 —and the Jazz were two usual starters.

Utah already was missing small forward Andrei Kirilenko, sidelined by a strained calf.

Center Mehmet Okur exited in the second quarter, the victim of an apparent stomach virus that had the big Turk so sick he was given fluids intravenously.

Still, the Jazz were down just 81-67 heading into the fourth.

Some nights, that might seem insurmountable.

But these were the Suns, and history shows Utah already this season came back from 17 in the second half to beat them in January and 11 at the start of the fourth quarter to beat them earlier this month.