Sloan, who used to replace John Stockton at about the same time toward the end of the first quarter, has adapted in ways that might come as surprise to some. He's strayed from only using Ronnie Brewer in the odd quarters and Korver in the even periods. On Monday, he kept the hot-shooting Miles in longer than usual. Even bringing Kirilenko off the bench was an unexpected move that has paid off.

Though he calls zones "gimmicky," Sloan has also switched away from his preferred man-to-man defense multiple times this season depending on the situation. He did just that against the Suns, who scored 32 points against Utah's man D in the first quarter and then cooled off against a Jazz zone for just 22 second-quarter points.

Even this old dog doesn't mind mixing in some new tricks if the end result helps the team out.

"I'm trying to win," Sloan said. "That's the only thing I'm trying to do."

Though last year's team started the same five guys in the first 16 games — and in 60 of 82 regular-season games overall — Sloan said he doesn't feel like his job is all that much tougher now.

"It's like any other season," he said.

His top assistant, Phil Johnson, acknowledges that this season has had more than its share of difficulties.

"It's always challenging because you don't have that stability of having the same group out there all the time," Johnson said. "We were very lucky last year. We had very few times that anybody was out. We've already had more injuries than we had last year."

Don't expect coaches to blame medical woes for Utah's rollercoaster 7-4 season, which included a 5-0 start and a three-game losing streak.

"It's just part of coaching," Johnson said. "It's what you have to deal with. You can't dwell on the injuries. You just go ahead with what you have."

Jazz on the air

Bucks (5-7) vs. Jazz (7-4)
Tonight, 7 p.m.
EnergySolutions Arena
TV: FSN Radio: 1320AM; 98.7FM

E-mail: jody@desnews.com