Short handed Jazz beat Grizzlies

Facing a slew of injuries and off a disappointing loss at Oklahoma City on Wednesday where the team was criticized for a lack of energy, the Utah Jazz defeated the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth straight time with a 101-91 victory Friday night at the FedEx Forum. Point guard Deron Williams continued to demonstrate his All Star form, while Ronnie Brewer and Andrei Kirilenko responded admirably in rare starting assignments.

Williams scored 27 points and added 11 assists to lead all scorers, while Ronnie Brewer made the most of his opportunity to start at the shooting guard position by contributing 21 points. Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur added 13 apiece with Matt Harpring posting 12 off the bench for the Jazz. O.J. Mayo led the Grizz with 23 points, while Hakim Warrick and Mike Conley each chipped in 15 off the bench.

After the game, Williams commented that the team’s listless loss to the OKC Thunder provided a healthy dose of motivation:

"We came out last game without a lot of energy. I'm still dwelling on that loss. I'll dwell on that loss all season. It was a loss we shouldn't have had."

His backcourt mate Brewer concurred:

"That game against Oklahoma City left a bad taste in our mouths. We couldn't stay down because we had a young team in the Grizzlies."

In the other locker room, the Grizzlies’ Mayo criticized his team for their lack of intensity from the opening bell:

"We're one of the youngest teams in the league. But we're not one of the hardest-playing teams in the league. We have to come out playing hard and not wait to be down 10 or 15 points."

The Jazz play the Mavericks in Dallas on Saturday night, return home for a game against Minnesota on Tuesday and then fly back to Texas to play the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Memphis hosts the Detroit Pistons on Monday before hitting the road for contests at Charlotte on Wednesday and New York on Friday.