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(KSL Sports) The Utah Jazz open up its preseason tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers, the team that knocked Utah out of the playoffs in the second round last year.
They'll play in Anaheim, Calif. minus several star players. Carlos Boozer is nursing a sore hamstring and will not play. Neither will the Lakers' Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.
However, this gives other Jazzmen like C.J. Miles and Paul Millsap extra minutes. Both will start with Andrei Kirilenko coming off the bench.
"We want to make sure we try to get in as many guys as possible because everyone deserves a chance," says Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. "That doesn't guarantee you win, but hopefully it guarantees you effort out of everyone. That's the most important thing."
"We can play the preseason when everyone's not playing 40 minutes. Booz might not play 40," says Miles. "So then we can step in there and play 15 minutes a night, 20 minutes a night, whatever it may be. It's a big deal."
The Jazz and Lakers tip off tonight at 8 p.m. at the Honda Center in Anaheim.