Utah Jazz post win over depleted Clippers

Efficiently run offense, with an impressive turnover count — five — so low it set a franchise record.

Decent defense as well.

Too bad Jerry Sloan was sick and at home.

The Jazz head coach actually might have liked what he would have seen Saturday night, especially in the second half of Utah's 101-79 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers at not-quite-sold-out EnergySolutions Arena.

The now 2-0 Jazz used an 18-0 run during a span of nearly seven minutes late in the third quarter and early in the fourth to break open a 60-60 game and pull away from the Clippers, and afterward they credited much of what Sloan preaches as the impetus for their sudden separation.

"Our defense, man," said All-Star forward Carlos Boozer, whose 25-point, 10-rebound effort marked his second 20/10 game in as many outings this season. "Our defense got us going.

"We made a conscious effort to help each other defensively," he added. "When guys got by in the second half, somebody was there to cut them off. We put a hand up on the shooter, to make it a little bit more difficult of a shot."

Just what Sloan wishes they would do every night, in other words.

"That's how we're going to win games," reserve point guard Brevin Knight said. "We've got enough people on this team that can score. The offense is a great offense, a great system. But we've got to stop people, and we did that in the third quarter. It led to us getting easy baskets."

And with both newly acquired point guard Baron Davis (sore left hip) and fellow offseason pickup Marcus Camby (bruised right heel) missing, the combination was simply killer for an 0-3 Clippers club that also had played one night earlier.

Not that the Jazz weren't shorthanded themselves.

Utah again was without would-be starting point guard Deron Williams (sprained left ankle), leaving set-up responsibilities to Knight and replacement starter Ronnie Price.

The result, fill-in coach and usual lead assistant Phil Johnson suggested, was a rather rudimentary approach that worked well.

"Without Deron," Johnson said, "we don't do a lot of creation. Everything is pretty much off of our set offense, where we have to grind it out and get good screens and execute."