Utah Jazz bench dominates Hornets' reserves

An NBA roster has 12 players available for a game for a reason. An 82-game schedule is a grind, and to expect the starting five to always carry a team is unrealistic.

While the Jazz got plenty of production from the starters in their 116-90 win over the New Orleans Hornets Wednesday night, it was the bench play that was a major reason the starters were all on the bench for most of the blowout in the fourth quarter.

Simply put, the Jazz reserves dominated the Hornets bench players.

"We talked all year about that is one of the strengths of the team," said shooting guard Kyle Korver, who led the charge with a 5-of-9 shooting, 15-point, six-rebound, four-assist night. "It is starting to show up. We are getting guys a little more healthy, so guys are starting to go back to the bench. It shows how deep we really are. We have guys that can really play, we really do."

Korver's big night was not the only one that stood out for the reserves. Matt Harpring was impressive in his 12 minutes of action. He had 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

"Matt Harpring gave us a big lift off the bench," said coach Jerry Sloan. "He hadn't played for a game or so, but came in and gave us a big advantage to be able to get up and down the floor and hustle on the boards. He did things to help get you going."

The comparison to the Hornets' bench was firmly in the Jazz's favor. Utah's bench players scored 48 points compared to 28 for New Orleans. They grabbed 25 rebounds to nine, had 11 assist to five and turned the ball over only five times compared to eight.

"It was one of those games that things fell for us on the bench side," Harpring said. "Things went our way, and we took advantage of it."

It was a good thing, too. Deron Williams was suffering from flu-like symptoms and wasn't even sure if he was going to play. It certainly was nice for the Jazz to be able to have the Olympian on the bench the entire fourth quarter.

"That's what we're there for," Korver said. "We didn't have the best start. We gave up a lot of points in the first quarter, but the guys came in and played really well, played hard."

Andrei Kirilenko gave yet another stellar performance in his sixth-man role when he entered the game. He provided energy and production. He hit 5-of-10 shots for 13 points, had eight rebounds, three assists and a steal.

"We had a lot of guys play well," Sloan said.

With the Jazz still five games away from the midpoint in the long regular season, and considering the injury bug that has plagued the team, it is a nice thought for them to think they can count on getting contributions from everyone that steps on the court regardless if that is at the opening whistle or not.

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E-mail: mblack@desnews.com