Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Jazz won a must-win game. Their last home game of the regular season and a loss would basically end their season. They got a win behind one a great performance, but there was no celebration in the locker room.
It took a mighty effort from Al Jefferson to put down the pesky Timberwolves who were without their best big men. They were a team decimated by injuries that only had 25 wins and still took the Jazz down to the last minute. The 107-100 score was not as close as the game actually was. But a win is a win, same today as early in the season.
Normally after a win players are fooling around in the locker room. Jefferson and Paul Millsap will make jokes about other players haircuts, shoes, pants, coats, hats and whatever else Enes Kanter was wearing at the time. There would be a buzz in the room about where they were going after. Rarely anything off the wall, but jokes would be made with reporters and between the team.
Al Jefferson produced his best game of the year--by all accounts, the best of his NBA career--to help the Jazz to a crucial 107-100 victory over the Timberwolves, as Utah fights the Lakers for the NBA's only unclaimed playoff spot. Jefferson contributed a career-high-tying 40 points, along with 13 rebounds and six assists, and he was the outright game-high in all three of those categories. It has been more than 12 years since the last time that any NBA player scored 40-or-more points in a victory in which he was the outright game-high leader (not tied) in points, rebounds and assists; the last to do it was Shaquille O'Neal, playing for the Lakers against the Wizards, on March 23, 2001. In fact, to give you an idea of both the rarity of the accomplishment and the quality of the few players who have done it, consider that prior to Shaq, the last few players to do that were Patrick Ewing (1991), Larry Bird (1980), Artis Gilmore (1977), Bob McAdoo (1976) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1975).
There was none of that after this win.
Don't be confused they were happy, there was some merriment, but the team didn't want to believe that this was their last home game and acted like it was business.
"Never celebrate after a win, unless you got something clinched," said Randy Foye. "But as of now it's all business. You just got to look at them and they are a good team they have a lot of good pieces there. We just can't take them for granted we have to give them everything we have."
They have a playoff of bust mindset, nothing else matters for the team. They were ready to move on, they didn't want to enjoy the victory, but get ready for Monday night. Mo Williams was asked if they get to enjoy this victory at all.
"No. No," Williams said. "We got another one of Monday."
Another one on Monday summed up the team's mentality after the game. How could Jefferson stay hot? What could other players do? How can they keep their momentum going? That was all they cared about.
Jefferson's night will be hard to replicate. He ended with 40 points, tied for his career-high and most in a Jazz uniform, 13 rebounds and six assists, he was the outright game leader in all those categories. [According to Elias Sports](<http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/utah/utah-jazz >) Bureau "It has been more than 12 years since the last time that any NBA player scored 40-or-more points in a victory in which he was the outright game-high leader (not tied) in points, rebounds and assists."
The last to do it was Shaquille O'Neal with the Lakers in '01. There had only been five other players to do it: Patrick Ewing, Larry Bird, Artis Gilmore, Bob McAdoo and Kareem Abdul-Jabaar. Rare company indeed.
Even the 40-10-5 line is uncommon, as it should be, the last player to do it was Kevin Durant over a season ago. In the last handful of years the only players to do it are Durant, Blake Griffin, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. On the biggest night of the season, when his teammates needed him to he puts up that kind of performance.
"Big Al, unbelievable, that was unbelievable by him," Foye said, who was 5-7 on 3-pointers and ended with 16 points. "He just said to me everything was moving in slow motion for him. He's like when I took a shot I knew it was going in like it was moving in slow motion."
Even with one of the biggest nights of his career, Jefferson wasn't in too much of a joking mood. He knows that his goal isn't just personal accomplishments, but a playoff spot. He saw that his team was more focused than happy and ready to move on.
Big Al, unbelievable, that was unbelievable by him. He just said to me everything was moving in slow motion for him. He's like when I took a shot I knew it was going in like it was moving in slow motion.
–Randy Foye
"Yeah because even though it is a win, we can be happy, but you can't relax," Jefferson said. "After these two games, if everything goes the way we want, then you can relax just a little bit then you got to get ready for the playoffs. I think this is the most focused I've ever seen this team here. We have to get the win, but at the end of the day we know our job right now."
While there was a lot of good in the end. There is a lot to pick apart from this game. J.J. Barea scored 23 points and the T-Wolves hit 20-21 free throws. The Jazz had 18 turnovers, Gordon Hayward had five points, Paul Millsap struggled in the first minutes of the second half.
"Me, honestly I say forget it, start from scratch," Jefferson said. "Focus, be ready to play Monday. I say forget it, learn from the mistakes we made tonight. Forget it."
Two games left, need to win both and hope the Lakers, who will be without Bryant, will lose at least one of their remaining games to give the Jazz a shot. For the Jazz all they can worry about is the rematch on Monday.
