Utah Jazz: Deron who? Price and Knight fill in nicely

Fans who bought tickets for Saturday's Jazz-Clippers game hoping for a point-guard show starring Deron Williams and Baron Davis might have been disappointed.

They got the understudies instead.

They also got to witness a Jazz franchise-record performance for fewest turnovers in Utah's 101-79 blowout of the Clippers at EnergySolutions Arena.

Temporary starting point guard Ronnie Price and veteran backup Brevin Knight filled in the lead playmaker parts for the injured Williams (sprained left ankle) so well — with the two combining for 13 assists and only one of the Jazz's five turnovers — that Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy joked that perhaps those two should keep playing their extended roles on a permanent basis.

"I think they should trade Deron Williams. They probably don't need that guy anymore if they can do that well ... ," Dunleavy said, tongue-in-cheek. "I'd make that move. Maybe we could talk about it."

Phil Johnson, who assumed coaching responsibilities for an absent and under-the-weather Jerry Sloan, also gave the pair of point guards a postgame "bravo!"

"Anytime you have one turnover from your point guards and 13 assists, that's pretty darn good," Johnson said. "They executed the offense. They got us into it, and offensively we played pretty well through the game."

Though he struggled shooting again (only 2-for-8), Price dished out seven assists and scored six points. He coughed up the ball once, but countered that with one blocked shot and a steal in his second start this year.

It was Knight who was on the floor, though, when the Jazz really blew the game open. Utah led 64-60 when he entered late in the third and built a commanding 90-66 advantage by the time he subbed out midway through the fourth.

The former Clipper, provided a big spark with eight points, six assists and zero turnovers.

"Brevin is obviously a veteran guy. He's been around. He knows exactly what he's doing," Dunleavy said. "He's a good floor general, a playmaker and defender."

Knight, who's now in his 12th NBA season, dished out credit to the entire squad. Though there were some dazzling behind-the-back assists, Knight said the Jazz simply made the safer, "right passes" more often instead of going for "the spectacular passes."

"That's a credit to all of us," he said.

Good ball movement, Price pointed out, definitely helped.