This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Houston • Jazz coach Jerry Sloan was in full experimentation mode Saturday night.
After watching his team indulge in yet another weak, slow start, Sloan got creative. He used a variety of lineups, adjusting Utah's rotation on the fly and inserting players at will just to find a spark.
The movement worked, and the Jazz rallied from 16 points down to pull out a 103-99 overtime victory against the Rockets.
But to discover success, Sloan first had to scrape the barrel. All 12 Utah players recorded at least six minutes of action, while reserves C.J. Miles and Earl Watson took the court for at least 17.
Sloan's most unique rotation came during the second quarter, with a lackluster Utah squad staring at a 49-33 deficit. Employing a blend of first-tier starters and rookie bench players, Sloan turned to Watson, Deron Williams, Gordon Hayward, Jeremy Evans and Al Jefferson at once. At the same time, primary rotation players Paul Millsap, Andrei Kirilenko and Raja Bell were stuck on the sideline.
Sloan then pushed the agenda further during the early third quarter, turning again to Hayward, and teaming the rookie with Williams, Kirilenko, Millsap and Jefferson.
"Probably in [Hayward's] behalf, I shouldn't have put him out there as a young player, maybe," Sloan said. "But he's going to get experience anyway."
Hayward acknowledged that random insertions are never easy. But he survived the fire, and said he is always prepared to enter a contest at any time.
"You can't control who he decides to put in the game. You just try to be ready on the bench and focus the whole time," Hayward said. "And when he puts you in, just go out and compete."
High praise
Even Sloan could not hold back when discussing Millsap's remarkable second-half and overtime performances. The Jazz forward recorded 23 points during the final three periods, including 12 of Utah's 14 points in OT.
"Paul had some unbelievable finish where he shot the ball coming down the stretch," Sloan said. "And D-Will got him the basketball so he could do something with it."
No speech
It did not take an inspired halftime speech from Bell or a scolding from Sloan to turn around Utah's night — and end a tough two-game run that had seen the Jazz lose two contests while never leading.
Several players said that nothing special occurred in the locker room during the break, while Sloan acknowledged that he is not prone to pump-up talk.
"I never do say anything hardly," Sloan said. "They know what they're supposed to do. And I thought they did a good job of trying to do it."
bsmith@sltrib.comTwitter: tribjazz First Quarter
Rockets 27, Jazz 19
The Jazz manage just two points in the opening 3:25. It's 18-10 when C.J. Miles scores nine points in the final 2:50.
Jazz Rockets
8-23 FGs 11-19
1-6 3s 0-4
2-2 FTs 5-7
10 Reb 11
4 TOs 2
Top scorers
Jazz • Miles 9
Rockets •Scola 10