Jazz claim first road win this season
PHOENIX -- The Utah Jazz accomplished a couple of notable firsts Saturday night.
A day after losing to Phoenix at home, the Jazz picked up their first road win of the season by beating the Suns 112-104 at US Airways Center.
It was also the team's first win in three tries against longtime Jazz player and coach Jeff Hornacek, whose Suns beat Utah in the two previous meetings in November.
"We just needed a win bad," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said.
Rookie point guard Trey Burke hit a big 3-pointer to give the Jazz an eight-point lead with 1:13 remaining. Utah, which lost 87-84 in Phoenix on Nov. 1 and 112-101 on Friday at EnergySolutions Arena, held on to improve to 3-15 overall and 1-9 on the road.
Burke hit four 3-pointers and finished with a team-high 20 points, a career best, and contributed six rebounds and three assists. This was his sixth game back from a finger injury that kept him out of the first 12 games of the season.
The Jazz's starting playmaker called it a "confidence booster" for a team that has now won two of three after beginning the season 1-14.
"I think we played hard yesterday, but they played harder than we did," Burke said. "We watched film (Saturday) morning and had a team meeting. We know that they're a really good transition team, so we tried to get back early on so they could see Jazz jerseys."
Guard Goran Dragic scored a game-high 24 points and had nine assists for Phoenix. The Suns (9-8) had their two-game winning streak snapped.
Seven Utah players scored at least 12 points as the Jazz reached a season high in points, including a 34-point fourth quarter. It was only the third time the Jazz surpassed the century mark in scoring in 18 games this season.
"We said it from the start of the game, 'You can't give them life,'" said Hornacek, who was a Jazz assistant until being hired as Suns coach in the offseason. "You come back from winning (Friday) night and I think they thought they were good.
"Our guys thought they could just show up (Saturday) and win the game, and in this game it doesn't happen that way. But they don't want to listen to it. Coaches are telling them they have to be ready and that's what happens."
Forward Richard Jefferson scored 15 points and added five rebounds and three assists for the Jazz.
Forward Marvin Williams and Derrick Favors each scored 14 points, guards Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks had 13 apiece and reserve forward Jeremy Evans chipped in with 12 points.
Forward Channing Frye had 17 points for the Suns, who wrapped up a tough stretch of eight games in 12 nights.
Both teams had big runs in the first half, with Utah going on a 13-0 spurt to take a 30-23 lead in the second quarter. Phoenix closed out the half on a 17-4 surge for a 53-49 halftime advantage.
The Jazz, who have had a rough year on the road, took a 78-77 lead into the fourth quarter and never trailed again.
Guard Gerald Green, who hit four treys and 14 points, tied the score at 86 with the second of his consecutive 3-pointers with 8:04 remaining.
Burke quickly scored for Utah and Jefferson sank a deep shot to put the Jazz ahead 91-86.
The Suns, who only shot 47.4 percent from the field, couldn't get any closer than four points after that point as Utah played unusually clutch basketball down the stretch.
"Hats off to the Jazz. They came out and just beat us," Frye said after contributing 17 points and six rebounds. "I think that they were just faster to the balls. They executed their offense and we just let them run their stuff."
NOTES: Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin and Suns coach Jeff Hornacek were teammates in Phoenix during the 1988-89 season when the Suns averaged 118.6 points while going 55-27. The Jazz coach believes Hornacek is attempting to duplicate that high-scoring output with his Suns, who averaged 101.6 points coming into Saturday. "He has the guys who can create the pace," Corbin said. "He's trying to score 30 points a quarter, to get up into the 120 range and he's playing with that pace." ... Hornacek waited to visit with the Jazz coaching staff after his team won in Utah on Friday night. "I try and tell our players it semi-drives me nuts when guys are out there (talking) with their buddies while they're warming up for the games," Hornacek said. "Maybe I'm too old school, but I usually don't talk to the guys beforehand. After the competition, you go say 'hello' and buddy up." ... After playing three times in November, the Jazz and Suns don't play again until Feb. 26 in Utah. ... The Suns have made eight-plus 3-pointers in nine consecutive games, the first time they've done that since and 11-game streak in 2008.
