If Paul Millsap did not feel quite at full strength against Minnesota, as evidenced by the bulky braces protecting his knees, he sure perfected a way to disguise it.
Millsap looked like his old dominant self against the Timberwolves. Crashing the boards, getting layups and dunks one after another. He even dished out a few assists for good measure. In the end, Millsap looked at his 28 points and 15 rebounds as the best redemption he could have hoped for in a 112-107 victory for the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night at EnergySolutions Arena.
"I felt like I didn't play to my best in Dallas and that's the reason why we lost," Millsap said. "I just wanted to come in today and start with energy and continue to do what I've been doing."
He certainly brought instant energy. Millsap collected a pair of offensive rebounds and forced a steal before the game was even three minutes old. Mix in a three-point play and it was enough to help spark a 12-0 Jazz run to open the game.
Once Millsap got going, he stayed going. He drained an 18-foot jumper and turned a flip pass from Deron Williams into a slam-dunk to give Utah a 20-6 lead.
Millsap came out strong after halftime as well. He scored three straight baskets--capped off by an uncontested dunk off a lob pass from Williams--to give the Jazz a 69-55 advantage with 8:48 remaining in the third quarter.
If that wasn't enough, he teamed with Mehmet Okur to keep Utah afloat when Minnesota made one rally after another in the fourth quarter.
Okur got the glory with his consecutive 3-pointers that sealed the victory, but Millsap helped the Jazz dodge an earlier rally, scoring a trio of baskets after Ryan Gomes drained a 3-pointer to bring the Timberwolves within one at 87-86.
By the time, Millsap scored his third basket in the ensuing 10-3 run -- on a one-hand jam off a pass from Kyle Korver--Utah had an 97-89 cushion with 5:52 left.
"He ran the floor well," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "Got some easy baskets there. He made some terrific moves around the basket with his quickness."
What made Millsap's contributions especially vital was the fact that Minnesota had 58 points in the paint compared to 46 for the Jazz. The Timberwolves also matched Utah on the boards, with a total of 40 rebounds.
Still, Millsap had no trouble operating in the paint against Al Jefferson and Kevin Love. What was the best evidence for that? He finished with nine offensive rebounds -- just three shy of what Minnesota collected as a team.
"He just came out and put us on his back," Williams said. " He was aggressive. Offensively and defensively he rebounded the ball well. He just had a complete night tonight."
Sloan had an inkling that Millsap was in for a good night after he performed strongly in practice the day before. He is impressed with how quickly Millsap has bounced back from his knee injury.
"(It's) unbelievable the way he's come around," Sloan said. "But he's always had a good work ethic since he's been here and it certainly shows."
For Millsap, crashing the boards is a simple formula for success. Rebounds lead to baskets and those baskets open up a whole host of opportunities for both him and his teammates.
"When I do that I feel pretty good," Millsap said. "I still have my offensive rebounding abilities. It gives me a lot of easy shots. I'll continue to try and use that." E-mail: jcoon@desnews.com
