Jazz honor Miller then cruise past Hornets
Utah Jazz players and fans suffered a huge loss even though the Jazz won 102-88 over the New Orleans Hornets Saturday night.
The meaningful win in the western conference is marred by the death of longtime Jazz owner, Larry H. Miller. Miller, 64, died on Friday due to complications from type-2 diabetes at his home in Salt Lake City. The fight with diabetes led to the amputation of the lower portion of Miller’s legs last month. He and his family hoped the amputation would lead to a recovery; however, just 20 days after the surgery Miller was diagnosed with calciphylaxis. Calciphylaxis is a condition where abnormal amounts of calcium are deposited in the blood vessels that supply blood to the skin, which leads to open sores that won’t heal and most often organ failure. Although people with calciphylaxis can often survive with dialysis and treatment, Miller decided against continuing dialysis.
“He didn’t want to live like that,” said his wife of 48 years, Gail Miller.
Before Saturday night’s game began, the lights were turned down with only one spotlight on, illuminating Miller’s usual seat on the front row. The sellout crowd, packed into The Energy Solutions Arena, then watched a two-minute video on Miller about his commitment to Utah and his love for its people before the stadium fell quite for a moment of silence.
The home team won the ensuing tipoff and the game began. The game started off with five lead changes in the first five minutes. With 7:08 left in the first quarter, Paul Millsap fed Deron Williams for a textbook layup, the basket putting the Jazz up by three. The three-point deficit would be the closest Chris Paul and the Hornets could get to the Jazz throughout the remainder of the game.
The 2005 NBA draft’s third overall pick, Williams, and that same year’s number four overall pick, Chris Paul, went head to head on the night. Paul led the Hornets in points, assists and steals, scoring 24 points on 11-19 shooting, going 0-3 from three-point range, 2-2 from the line, seven assists and one steal in 39 minutes played. Williams had a solid game, scoring 20 points on 9-16 from the floor, 2-3 from beyond the arc and 13 assists in 38:29 minutes played.
Williams and Paul know one another pretty well, as they played against each other in their final college season (Paul once again scored more but Williams had more assists and Williams’ team won), and both are part of the USA Senior National Team, which won gold at the FIBA Americas Championship in 2007 and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
The stand-out performer for the Jazz was Mehmet Okur, the Turkey native in his fifth year with the Jazz. Okur had a slow start, going 2-5 with three rebounds in the first quarter, but it wouldn’t stay that way for long, his hands starting to warm up in the second quarter going 4-5 for 11 points. Things slowed down a little for the big man, coming out from for the second half and hitting just one shot in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Okur hit 3 of 5, finishing off his night with 25 points, four assists, one blocked shot and seven rebounds.
“It was tough, especially before the game seeing (Miller) one more time up on the screen,” Okur said. “I’m glad we won tonight for him.”
–c.h.j@aggiemail.usu.edu