Utah Jazz bounce the Bucks for sixth consecutive win

Jazz-Bucks boxscore

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz have been rather merciless when it comes to the way they treat other teams' hopes for victories this season.

The manner in which they've overpowered opponents in the second half, especially, might even be considered cruel and unusual punishment.

Even so, you won't hear Jerry Sloan nicknaming his team the Arena Assassins or the ESA Executioners.

The Jazz coach made that clear after his team's post-break performance proved fatal to yet another foe during Monday night's 109-88 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at EnergySolutions Arena.

Coming off big second-half surges in weekend wins over the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers, the Jazz held the Bucks to 15 fourth-quarter points and dominated down the stretch to win their third game in four days.

Quite the killer instinct they're honing, right?

"I wouldn't call it killer instinct. I don't look at our team as a bunch of killers," Sloan said. "I thought the biggest thing is they executed well and passed the ball."

Like the University of Utah on Saturday, the Jazz also held a block party by stuffing 10 Milwaukee shots.

Of course, the non-killers also had a rebounding party, winning the battle of the boards 48-26, along with a hot-shooting party (54.8 percent), a second-half-defensive party (Bucks shot 27.8 percent in the final two quarters) and an extend-the-win-streaks party. The Jazz have now won six consecutive games and four straight at home since falling to the San Antonio Spurs, 94-82, in Utah on Nov. 16.

"It was a nice win," Sloan said.

And it was one that didn't require one killer of a comeback for a change.

Utah (14-5) jumped out to a quick 10-point lead over the outmanned Bucks (6-11), who were without a bevy of players including the injured Andrew Bogut.

Led by Brandon Jennings' 27 points — and some hot outside shooting early on — the Bucks actually battled back to take a two-point lead in the first half to make an unexpected game out of the lopsided match-up.

"They've got a lot of guys out of their lineup," Sloan said, "so they're scratching as much as they can. Give them a lot of credit for hanging in there and fighting the way they did."