UTAH JAZZ: 116
PHOENIX SUNS: 114

November 5, 2005. Salt Lake City, Utah - The Utah Jazz, winners of their first 2 contests faced against the powerful Phoenix Suns led my playmaker Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire.
Right from the tipoff the Jazz went running and the Suns had no answer for them. At the pace this game was going, it looked like a replay of the Jazz's first game. Andrei Kilirenko was absolutly on fire and was pouring in points from all over the court. The Suns began to catch fire near the end of the first quarter and narrowed the gap to 9 points.
The second quarter was a totally different story as the Suns totally dominated the Jazz in every aspect of the game. They Jazz were outrebounded by a ratio of 4:1 in this quarter, and missed many easy shots. Jerry Sloan, coach of the Jazz was absolutly furious, but his fury would turn to dismay as he watched his starting shooting guard Gorden Giricek collide with Amare Stoudemire of the runs and came down holding his elbow. Fellow foward Matt Harpring came in for Giricek, and the team soon learned that Giricek had only suffered a Arm Injury, but will still be able to play.


5 Minutes after Giricek was injured, Suns foward Amare Stoudmire drove and went up for a dunk, but Mehmet Okur was in his way and Stoudmire drew the foul on Okur, but at the same time he was injured and it also turned out to be an arm injury. Stoudmire was allowed to return to the game as well, though his injury appeared more serious than Giriceks and seriously hindered his performance.


By by the end of the 2nd quarter, the Suns had a small lead at 63 - 60, holding the Jazz to only 15 points, 30 less than their 1st quarter output.
The 3rd quarter was more of the same story but it seemed that if the Jazz were not going to score, then neither were the Suns. This quarter involved bad decisions on both sides and failed attempts to convert, with the Suns scoring 22 points and the Jazz 19, ending the quarter at 85 - 79 Suns.
As the 4th quarter came about, it was as though something lit a fire in the Jazz and everyone became a crucial part of the game. Point by point they worked their way back, and one extremely crucial point was when Andrei Kirilenko missed a 3 point attempt, Center Danial Santiago grabbed the rebound and kicked it out to Kirilenko, who attempted another 3 and missed, and Santiago jumped over Stoudemire and grabbed the board again and kicked it out to Kirilenko again, who finally made the shot to even the game. The Suns made a drive with about 2 minutes left, which gave them a 3 point lead with 50.4 seconds left, that is when everything went downhill for them. Andrei Kirilenko faked to the right and crossed back to the left, and though Steve Nash was able to keep up, Kirilenko was able to rise up over him and drain the 3. The Suns called timeout. Several positions later with the Jazz leading 114-111, and 17.1 seconds left, Walter McCarty drove to the basket, and was fouled by Giricek, the problem for the Jazz was that McCarty went through the foul and slamed the ball down, giving himself an opportunity for a 3 point play and to tie the game. McCarty made the free throw and it was 114-all. On the ensuing play, Deron Williams brought the ball down and somehow sneaked it by Steve Nash to Kirilenko in stride for the dunk. With 4 seconds left, Jim Jackson took the ball and drove in, and laid the ball in just as the buzzer sounded. Jackson celebrated, but after the review of tape, it was determined that the ball was still on his fingertips as the buzzer sounded, therefore the basket doesn't count and gives the Jazz the victory, 116- 114.
Pictures from the game
Opening Screen
Amare Showing The Fans His Muscles After A Dunk Over Okur
Amare Completely Makes A Poster Out Of Andrew Bogut
Amare Abusing Bogut Again With Another Huge Dunk Over Him
Bogut Take Out Some Of His Anger On Shawn Marion
Marion Gets Some Payback With This Fancy Dunk
Bogut Blocks Nash Back To Canada
Nash With An Wrap-Around Pass
Giricek And Stoudemire Against Each Other Again
Andrei Kirilenko Celebrates After Hitting The 3 with 50.4 Seconds Left
Kirilenko And Jim Jackson Go For A Lose Ball
Stoudemire Dunks By Okur
INJURY UPDATE

