Chop, chop

DALLAS – A few tidbits following the Jazz’s loss at Dallas Tuesday night:

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In case you missed it because it got chopped out of today’s newspaper game story:
With Carlos Boozer in foul trouble, center Mehmet Okur – in his second game back after missing one with a mildly sprained left ankle and left knee – was assigned the unenviable task of guarding Dirk Nowitzki on a night the Mavericks star led a Dallas comeback for the ages by scoring 29 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter.
“I could have done a better job on him, maybe deny a little bit,” Okur said.
Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, too, was thinking afterward about what might have been done differently.
“There wasn’t anything, obviously, we were able to do with Nowitzki,” he said.
“We put Memo on him, and I don’t think we did a very good job,” he said. “He was sensational. Made every basket, got to the free-throw line.”

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In case you missed it, because this got chopped out of the paper too:
Utah had four turnovers in the final quarter, including one by Andrei Kirilenko with the Jazz – who closed the third quarter on a 22-6 run, and twice led in the fourth quarter by 16 – still up 79-73 and another when Boozer zipped a pass past Ronnie Brewer with the Jazz ahead 83-78.
“You could feel the momentum kind of shift in that situation,” Sloan said, “because they had the spirit, and when we turned the ball over a couple times we felt sorry for ourselves.”

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In case you missed it, because, yeah, you know why:
“We pushed (Nowitzki) to the short side of the floor one time, I think,” Sloan said. “The rest of the time he went to the long side, where he had a lot more room to operate and get on top of the basket.
“He’s a terrific player. That’s who he is. That’s what he’s been ever since he’s been in the league.”

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And finally: After going 3-18 in the back half of back-to-backs last season, the Jazz are now 0-1 this season. Their next such situation: Nov. 14 at LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. … Dating back to last season, Nowitzki has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 29 games. … Question: Where is Matt Harpring when you really need him? Answer: At home in Atlanta, preparing for eventual retirement while resting his injury-ravaged ankle and knee.

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