Utah Jazz: Boozer still getting up to speed

NEW ORLEANS — One change to the Jazz's starting lineup was made, necessitated by C.J. Miles' injury. Another — opening with Paul Millsap over Carlos Boozer — was pondered but ultimately dismissed.

"I think about it every day," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said before Sunday's win at New Orleans about starting Millsap. "We need guys, and maybe Boozer can get himself together a little bit more coming off the bench."

Boozer, benched during the third quarter of Friday's loss to Minnesota, suggested after Sunday's game that he doesn't like the idea.

"Not for me," the two-time All-Star. "I want to start. Period."

In an effort to reverse his offensive woes, Boozer — still recovering from a knee injury that cost him about half the season and required arthroscopic surgery — said he spent about hour and a half working out Saturday at Tulane University here with assistant coaches Scott Layden and Tyrone Corbin.

He also applied plenty of heat to his knee, both before and during Sunday's game.

Boozer responded with a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double that included 5-for-10 field shooting in 31 minutes.

"He had a great first half defensively, and things went very well for him," Sloan said afterward. "I still think his conditioning is behind a little bit.

"He's got to continue to work, so he can get stronger and stronger as we get closer to the end of the season."

As pleased with Boozer's early game work as he was, though, Sloan still sat him the entire fourth quarter.

Millsap, who wound up with three points on 1-for-4 shooting, finished instead.

"It's the worst thing in the world," Boozer said of watching the end.

Miles, meanwhile, didn't play because of the dislocated shooting-hand finger he sustained Friday.

Usual backup Andrei Kirilenko started instead, helped the Jazz to their highest-scoring first quarter this season and contributed 16 points on 7-for-12 shooting in 32 minutes.

"You put Andrei on the floor," Sloan said, "he gives you another guy to pass the ball to. ... He got some decent baskets because he moved hard without the ball, and guys found him for shots."

Miles said his finger was still quite sore, and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to play Wednesday in his native Dallas.