Utah Jazz: Al Jefferson says Derrick Favors 'set the tone' in win

SALT LAKE CITY — Big Al Jefferson put together another solid all-around performance in Utah's 85-73 victory over Milwaukee on Tuesday night, as the 6-foot-10 center finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and a couple of blocked shots.

But instead of pounding his chest for a job well done, the Jazz big man was quick to give credit for the victory to another of his front-line teammates, Derrick Favors.

"Derrick Favors was the one who set the tone in the first half with those blocked shots — I think he had like five in like three minutes," Jefferson said with admiration. "He set the tone and everybody started getting active. That's what we've got do to win games, at home or on the road.

"For a young player 20 years old, his offensive game wasn't there tonight but he didn't let that stop him on the defensive end. You don't see that too much from a young player; I mean, you didn't see it from me when I was his age. He set the tone for us tonight on the defensive end, and if he does it we've all got to do it."

Jefferson, who's now averaging 18.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, has always been known much more for his offensive prowess than his defense.

"My teammates trust me to get the ball into me," he said, "and they kept going to me down there and I've just got to perform."

And on Tuesday night, Jefferson and the Jazz certainly benefited from the absence of Bucks big man Andrew Bogut, the former University of Utah star missed the game for undisclosed personal reasons.

"I hope everything is good with whatever his personal reasons was," Jefferson said, "but he's a great player, man, he's a great offensive player and a great defensive player. And I just looked at it like hey, thank God."

In the first half alone, Jefferson scored 19 points, hitting 8-of-11 shots from the floor and all three of his free throws, and he also pulled down five rebounds and blocked a shot. He combined with Gordon Hayward and Paul Millsap to account for 32 of Utah's 43 first-half points.

After a relatively quiet third quarter, Jefferson took a short break on the bench and then returned with 10:34 remaining to play. He immediately made his presence felt on both ends of the court, getting to the foul line just seconds after re-entering the game.