Utah Jazz players post All-Star numbers

It wasn't quite the likes of the famous 61-point post-All-Star-snub grudge game that Karl Malone spitefully delivered the day after fans voted the Lakers' A.C. Green to be a starter over The Mailman in 1990.

Still, Friday's game was a strong one for the slighted standouts from Utah.

If voting were based solely on this 110-90 blowout over Oklahoma City — played a day after it was revealed that no Jazzmen were selected to be on the Western Conference's team — Utah might've landed at least one player on the All-Star squad.

Heck, the Jazz might've gotten three spots instead of getting the brush-off.

Jazz point guard Deron Williams notched his 20th double-double of the season with team-highs of 24 points and 12 assists. Though he had six turnovers, he also picked up four steals and hit 3 of 6 attempts from 3-point range.

Power forward Paul Millsap flirted with a triple-double, tallying 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in another stellar game while filling in for injured two-time All-Star Carlos Boozer.

And center Mehmet Okur, a 2007 All-Star selection, fired in 20 points with seven boards.

Take that, Jazz-rebuffing coaches.

Isn't that so, overlooked guys from Utah?

Well, that's not exactly the tone Jazz players had in the locker room after they snapped their four-game losing streak. There were no bitter "told-you-so" remarks or second-guessing.

Williams even said he thinks snub is too strong of a word to describe how he feels about not getting picked again.

"Nah, our record's not good enough," he said after Utah improved to 26-21.

"If we're in the East, maybe. If we're in the East, definitely," he added with a smile. "I wouldn't really worry about it. I could use the rest this year. I'm going to go and stay off my feet somewhere and relax."

Just not in Phoenix.

Millsap said he didn't "want to get my hopes up so I could be considered a snub," but he was surprised for his teammates.

"It's tough, but the guys that are in there deserve to be in there. There are a lot of good players in the West," Millsap said. "And, you know, Deron should be an All-Star; Memo should be.

"It's just shocking," he added, "that nobody from our team got voted in."

That's kind of what the thunderstruck team from Oklahoma was thinking — especially when it comes to Utah's gold-medal-winning Olympian and second-team All-NBA point guard.

"He is one of the best players in basketball," said OKC coach Scott Brooks of Williams. "It is hard to believe he is not an All-Star. That is the way it goes, and he is a terrific player."

"I think he should have been an All-Star," added Thunder forward Kevin Durant, who might've felt snubbed himself. "He's a motivator for this team, and they have a great team. He is playing great this year, and he played really well tonight."

And he didn't even need 61 points to do it.

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