Last weekend’s trips to Cleveland and Indiana were anything but a smooth road for the Utah Jazz.
On Friday, Utah (7-4) ran into a massive speed bump named LeBron James, who all but single-handedly defeated the Jazz by scoring 34 points in the second half for a 99-94 win.
The following night, Indiana proved more than just a dip in the road. The Pacers stole the wheels from right underneath a road-weary Jazz team for a 117-94 rout in Indianapolis.
Friday night, James scored 16 points in the third quarter and 18 more in the fourth using a variety of jaw-dropping dunks, scoops and three-point shots.
The King simply had the Midas touch — even his mistakes turned to gold. Early in the fourth quarter, James lost control of the ball, chased it down and batted it to teammate Damon Jones just before it bounced out of bounds. Jones rattled in a 3-pointer, giving James another assist.
James finished just shy of another triple-double against the Jazz with 40 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Former Cavalier Carlos Boozer led the Jazz with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Boozer had a chance to tie the game at 94 with two minutes to go when he received an entry pass from Deron Williams in the paint. The wide open Boozer spun around for a layup, but James swooped in and knocked the ball out of Boozer’s hands to save the Cavs.
Against the Pacers, the Jazz developed an allergic reaction to defense. Indiana scored on 58 percent of its shots — easily a season-high for a Jazz opponent.
The streaky Pacers, who won their first four games and lost the next six, faced little resistance from the Jazz as they jumped out to a 19-point lead in the first quarter.
Indiana torched the net from beyond the arc, going 11-of-23.
The long, athletic Pacers had every reason to be the less energetic team, as Saturday’s game was their fourth in five nights.
But it was the Jazz who had the tired legs. Only two Utah players scored in double figures — Boozer had 19 and Andrei Kirilenko had 12 — and the rest of the team looked sloppy with 19 turnovers. Point guard Deron Williams alone had six turnovers to go with six assists.
The Pacers, considered one of the worst teams going into the season, have won eight of the last 10 against Utah.
The Jazz hope their first home game in a week will help reverse their fortunes. Utah will host the New Jersey Nets tonight at EnergySolutions Arena.
The Jazz will get a break from superstar shooting guards against the Nets as Vince Carter is out due to a sprained right ankle. Last year, Carter sank a game-winning 3-pointer near half court to beat the Jazz in Salt Lake.
Williams gets the opportunity to face off with his childhood idol Jason Kidd.
“It was great playing with Kidd (for Team U.S.A. this summer),” Williams said. “His ability to see the play and make passes is crazy. He really gave me a lot of pointers.”
Nets forward Richard Jefferson is leading the team with a 24.2 point-per-game scoring average and rookie Sean Williams is providing the interior defense that the Nets had been lacking. The former Boston College star is averaging nearly 10 points, five rebounds and 2.4 blocks.