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SALT LAKE CITY — Not much has changed for Deron Williams since his last visit to Energy Solutions Arena.
Still, he was booed every time he touched the ball, and still, he walked away without a victory over his former teammates falling 107-116 to the Jazz Saturday night in Salt Lake City.
Although the Nets earned a small 54-52 halftime lead, Williams himself struggled to find the rhythm that made him famous among Jazz fans when he wore a different uniform. He put up eight points, three assists and one steal in the first quarter, but was stripped twice in a row by Utah's defense in the final two minutes.
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Williams' luck didn't change much during the second quarter as Utah's defense held the former All Star to just three points. Williams fell short of earning a single assist, rebound or steal in the second quarter.
The real highlight for Jazz fans, however, came with about a minute and half left in the half as Gordon Hayward swatted Williams' layup attempt and followed it with a nothing-but-net three-pointer over Williams on the resulting fast break. Moments later, the shot was waived off as referees called a foul away from the ball on New Jersey's Reggie Evans, and Hayward and Williams exchanged a few friendly words.
"(Deron) is a great player and meant a lot to this community and to the Jazz," Hayward said. "Any time you get a chance to go up against a guy like that and take a victory from him, it's pretty fun."
Williams had a chance to get even with Hayward in the final seconds of the half, but missed a three-point attempt after shaking his former teammate and creating some distance.
The former Jazzman certainly looked as though he felt he had something to prove early in the third quarter, coming out and draining a baseline three and earning two quick free throws. Utah's defense quickly bounced back, stringing together three steals early in the quarter to take a 63-64 lead.
Riding the intensity and precision of their defense, the Jazz offense came alive and caused even further trouble for Williams and New Jersey's defense. In particular was Randy Foye who simply could not miss from long range as he put up 15 third quarter points exclusively from the three-point line. Foye hit his fourth three pointer with just under three minutes remaining and extended Utah's lead to 11, their largest of the quarter.
Defended by Foye, Williams forfeited what would have been the Nets' final shot of the quarter, resulting in two successful free throws for Utah's Jamal Tinsley and a 74-83 lead for the Jazz heading into the fourth.
Foye's rhythm didn't seem to be slowed in the slightest during the break. Instead, he stepped back onto the court and drained his seventh three pointer of the night just over one minute into the quarter.
Foye checked out two minutes later, but it seemed to be no matter for the Jazz who were dominating New Jersey on both ends of the floor. Marvin Williams even stepped in to fill the three-point shooting gap, knocking down a three off the glass as the shot clock expired midway through the quarter. Marvin Williams put up eight points in the fourth and returned to the bench as Foye re-entered the game with just under four minutes to play.
The good news that came out of Utah's dominating second half performance for Deron Williams? Fans barely remembered to boo when the ball was in his hands.
(Deron) is a great player and meant a lot to this community and to the Jazz. Any time you get a chance to go up against a guy like that and take a victory from him, it's pretty fun.
–Utah Jazz guard Gordon Hayward
Williams wrapped up his last visit to Salt Lake City this season with 21 points and 11 assists.
Foye, Utah's new no. 8, led the Jazz with 26 points and was 8-of-9 from the three, including the game clincher that put the Jazz up nine with two minutes to play. Foye's performance tied two Utah franchise records of made three pointers in a quarter (5) and made three pointers in a game (8). He also tied his own personal career high of made three pointers in a game.
"I give my teammates a lot of the credit. They found me when I was open, and it was just one of those nights for me," Foye said. "Every game now is huge for us. We got to treat every game like it's game seven of the playoffs."
The loss marked Deron Williams' fourth to Utah this season, while the Jazz extended their winning streak to four games and claimed the current eighth seed ranking in the west over the Lakers, with whom they were tied before Saturday's win.
