DETROIT -- It took 12 minutes for them to really get rolling, but with the start of the second quarter, the Jazz unleashed all their offensive strength on the Pistons and rode the momentum from their 35-point quarter to a 115-104 win at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit Wednesday night.
"I felt like we came in and shared the ball (in the second quarter). We got the ball moving…and we helped each other on defense," Paul Millsap said in a post-game interview on FSN. "(We just) continued to do what we do. We don't make too many adjustments. If we got an off night, it's because we didn't come out and play hard enough. No adjustments, just going out there hard enough and just doing it."
While the Jazz let loose in the second quarter to end the half having already racked up 63 points, they also turned up their defense and limited the Pistons to just 14 points to head into the break with a 20-point lead on their struggling Eastern Conference opponent.
The second quarter ended up being just the thing that gave the Jazz their 42nd win of the season as Detroit outscored Utah 31-24 in the third and 30-28 in the fourth. As Utah slightly decreased their defensive pressure in the second half, they also committed 10 turnovers after giving up just five throughout the first two quarters.
Despite the increase in their giveaways, Deron Williams said the Jazz still felt confident about being able to get their second straight win away from Salt Lake City.
"We're playing a lot better on the road, and we just have a lot more energy. That's the biggest thing. It's seemed like we've always lacked confidence, lacked energy, and for the most part, we don't do that anymore," Williams said.
Late in the fourth quarter, as the Pistons applied some heavy pressure with full court defense, head coach Jerry Sloan put Williams and Carlos Boozer back in the game for the final minute to guarantee that Detroit's 9-0 run would be held to single-digits.
The move, although not the most necessary tweak of the night, kept the Pistons at bay after the play of Utah's bench allowed Detroit to cut the lead with a slightly threatening run on their home court.
Williams, Millsap and Mehmet Okur posted 18 points apiece in Utah's win, while Williams achieved a double-double with 12 assists. Millsap flirted with a double-double off the bench and fell just one rebound shy of the mark.
"That's what makes our team so tough; anybody can step up on any given night. That's what's gonna help us out in the playoffs when guys don't really know who to focus on," Millsap said. "When everybody gets involved, and everybody's on the bench cheering for each other and we're sharing the ball and playing good help defense...we can win games."
With their win over the Pistons, the Jazz moved to a four-game winning streak with two more matchups to take care of on the road before returning to EnergySolutions Arena March 15.
"We're more locked in on the game," Millsap said of Utah's recent success away from home. "That's what you gotta do when you're on the road ‘cause it's just you against the world."
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