Utah Jazz: Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap play lights out

SALT LAKE CITY — To say that Al Jefferson had a nice night against the Cleveland Cavaliers would be like saying Jerry Sloan hates to lose.

And to say that the Utah Jazz love playing at home would be like saying John Stockton (and the Jazz Dancers) sure know how to rock those short-shorts.

Of course they do.

Jefferson, Utah's 6-foot-10, 282-pound veteran center, put together a splendid all-around performance — game-highs of 30 points and 12 rebounds, along with three assists and a couple of blocked shots — and the Jazz continued their impressive early season showing with a 113-105 victory over the Cavs on Tuesday night at EnergySolutions Arena.

Jefferson scored 22 of his total in the second half, including 14 points in a superb third-period effort as the Jazz (6-3) won their fifth consecutive game and raised their home-court record to a spotless 5-0.

He wound up shooting a slick 13-of-17 from the floor.

"When Al has it going like that, I don't think there is anybody in this league that can stop him," said Cavs coach Byron Scott.

Big Al is averaging a team-leading 19.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, and at home, where the Jazz continue to feed off their frenzied crowd like that hungry shark did in "Jaws," Jefferson's numbers are even better — 24.5 and 9.3 per game.

Jazz head coach Tyrone Corbin attributed Jefferson's strong start this season to the work Big Al put in during the summer while NBA players were waiting for the owners' lengthy lockout to end.

"I go back to his work in the summer," Corbin said. "I mean, he really committed himself to getting better and in better shape. He took the whole summer to really get his body in shape, and it was a huge sacrifice on his part.

"I understand that, his sense of urgency and the importance of him getting better for us to get better. And I can't say enough about him, how pleased I am with the fact that he decided to get better with his body first and just came back with a tremendous attitude and ready to go to work."

In Tuesday night's game, Utah's bigs came up awfully big against Cleveland.

Along with Jefferson's huge night, power forward Paul Millsap made his first nine shots from the floor on his way to 19 points, and second-year forward/center Derrick Favors contributed 14 points and five rebounds. He and Millsap were both saddled with foul trouble, however, and eventually fouled out.