Utah Jazz: Wesley Matthews provides a lift

Utah Jazz rookie Wesley Matthews lost his starting job three games ago to veteran C.J. Miles. But that hardly means that Matthews has been forgotten by Jazz coach Jerry Sloan.

Matthews gave the Jazz a spark off the bench on Saturday night at EnergySolutions Arena, helping Utah to a 97-76 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. He finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in 34 minutes of action. But Matthews was more concerned with his one negative statistic.

"I've got to cut down the turnovers," he said.

"I had four turnovers. That's too many. I can't be doing that."

Miles, on the other hand, struggled. He didn't shoot well — making only one of his six attempts — but Sloan was more upset by his defense, or lack thereof.

"C.J. didn't get into the flow tonight," said Sloan. "He struggled a great deal. He was one for six, but what was worse was his not running the floor and getting beat on defense. If you are missing shots, you've got to play good defense. That's why I put Wes in there and I thought he did pretty well."

Matthews, an undrafted free agent out of Marquette, was able to earn his way into the Jazz starting lineup by a combination of hard work and the ill health of several Jazz veterans — including Miles, who missed the first 17 games of the year recovering from thumb surgery.

He's back to being a reserve now, but he's still earning playing time with his effort.

"What (Matthews) did was come out to compete," said Sloan. "He fought to get through screens and got a moving screen called on them. He did a good job of showing he wanted to be on the floor — unlike some of the other guys. Some of them seem like they are bored out there and don't want to play hard."

Matthews shot the ball well, too, making six of his nine shots — including a 3-pointer.

"I thought Wesley Matthews was the key to the game," said Jazz forward Carlos Boozer. "He came in and played great for us. He gave us a lift off the bench."

Matthews would still like to be in the Jazz's starting lineup, but he knows better than to sulk about it.

"You can't hang your head," he said. "Right away it was kind of a shock, but it's a business and I'm just blessed to be in this position. I'm very thankful to the Jazz organization and everybody. It's a job and when your name is called you have to be prepared."

Miles, meanwhile, has had several outstanding games since his return from injury — but Saturday night wasn't one of them. Still, he's happy the Jazz got back on the winning track after consecutive losses in his first two games as a starter this season.

"I'm pressing a little bit," Miles admitted.

"In the last game I didn't do so well, so I was looking to have a big game and I can't get caught up in that or start rushing everything I do. But Wes did a great job and had a great game, running the floor and doing everything he does. He's a solid basketball player."

e-mail: lojo@desnews.com