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It stands out that the Jazz were pretty disappointed to learn about Houston's win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night at the Staples Center.

Judging by the comments, it's pretty obvious that Utah expected to gain a game on the Rockets, since the Lakers and Kobe System are one of the best homecourt teams in the NBA.

"I wish they would've lost," head coach Ty Corbin said.

"It was disappointing, but you have to push on," Al Jefferson said.

The Jazz are still 1.5 games out of eighth place, even though they leapfrogged the Phoenix Suns with their win over Golden State on Friday night.

And even if Utah's had issues with the Spurs on the road, the Jazz are confident that they can go down south and beat the best team in the Western Conference.

"We think we have a good chance to win," Jefferson said. "In a way, it helps that we're playing them back-to-back. It gives us some insight as to what they want to do, how they want to run offense and what they want to do defensively."

The key to beating an efficient San Antonio team? Defensive smarts, Corbin said.

"We have to know where the shooters are," Corbin said. "We have to get out to the shooters. When they swing the ball, we have to be attentive. And then, we have to know where the third guy is. It's got to be a complete defensive effort."

Tony Jones