Utah Jazz notch fifth consecutive comeback win to cap remarkable trip

Utah vs Charlotte boxscore

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Shortly after a Charlotte Bobcats' fan loudly yelled "This is ridiculous!" at his team and anyone who'd listen at Time Warner Cable Arena, Al Jefferson had a simple message for Deron Williams at the end of the Utah Jazz's game Saturday night.

"I told him, 'Bring us home,'" Jefferson said. "And that's what he did."

Man, did he ever — and in his own ridiculous way.

With time expiring on the shot clock and only 0.8 seconds remaining in yet another wild game, Williams burst toward the basket and softly lofted up a floater.

"I knew it was good," Williams said, "as soon as it left my hand."

So very good for the Jazz, who experienced deja vu all over again — and again and again and again and, yes, again — when it dropped in.

The clutch shot proved to be the game-winning bucket in their latest scintillating, come-from-behind victory — a 96-95 doozy over the Bobcats, who once led by 19 points before becoming the latest Utah victim to have a huge double-digit lead snatched away.

"It's fun to watch them fight back," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said.

There's been no short supply of fun or fight with this team lately.

Williams' clutch play helped bring the not-to-be-denied Jazz home from their brutal Eastern Conference journey with a five-game winning streak and a 4-0 record in what has to be considered the greatest road trip in franchise, if not NBA, history.

"It's really been a special week," Jazz guard Raja Bell said. "I've never been a part of a team that's done this night in, night out for five straight nights."

Nobody in the league has — not since the shot-clock era began in 1954, at least.

In their unfathomable Tour de Comeback Victory, the Jazz fought back from double-digit deficits in Miami (22 points), Orlando (18), Atlanta (11) and, now, Queen City (19). Oh yeah, and they did it in a pair of back-to-back sets with only one day of rest/travel in between.

Combined with their double-overtime rally at home against the Los Angeles Clippers (18), the Jazz have beaten five teams in a row in a week after spotting them a combined 88 points.

"That's just what we like to do," Williams said, tongue-in-cheek. "It's our plan, our game plan, we just let teams get up on us 20 and then, you know, come back on them."