SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz couldn’t blow this one — playing against an undermanned Milwaukee Bricks, err, Bucks, team that was without Andrew Bogut, Mike Dunleavy and Beno Udrih.

The Jazz did let the Bucks get close in the fourth quarter before clamping down and holding them without a basket for nearly eight minutes. Utah earns solid marks for winning a game it should have.

GUARDS: Just when Devin Harris plays a game that Jazz fans are accustomed to seeing from their point guard, he gets hurt. Harris dished a season-high six assists before suffering a strained left calf. He only took two shots and went scoreless in 17 minutes. Raja Bell was in the starting lineup again, but only played 12 minutes. He sat out the entire fourth quarter. He hit a 3-pointer in the third quarter to make it 49-40, and again played well on defense. Milwaukee’s starting backcourt of Brandon Jennings and Carlos Delfino combined to shoot 4-for-26, so that certainly raises Utah’s grade. Grade: A-

FORWARDS: There’s a reason why Paul Millsap is a fan-favorite. He left the game with a knee injury early in the fourth quarter, but quickly returned. His shot was on, as he went 6-for-7 from the field and had 13 points and 12 rebounds. Gordon Hayward was also much better than he was on Monday night, as he had 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting. Milwaukee’s starting frontcourt made 7 of 26 attempts and was badly outplayed by Millsap and Hayward. Grade: A

CENTERS: Al Jefferson was dominant offensively with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Enes Kanter continues to provide the Jazz with a spark when he plays. The Jazz were fortunate that Andrew Bogut didn’t play, and surprisingly let Drew Gooden have a big night with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Grade: B+

BENCH: Derrick Favors is reaching fan-favorite status with the highlight-reel plays he provides on a nightly basis. He blocked five shots, scored six points and had seven rebounds. Alec Burks scored seven of his nine points from the free-throw line and dished six assists. The Jazz’s bench outscored the Milwaukee reserves 31-16. That’s big. Grade: A-

COACHING: It’s fun to watch what type of lineup combinations coach Tyrone Corbin comes up with. He started the fourth quarter with Jamaal Tinsley at point guard, Burks, Kanter, Miles and Favors. After he replaced Kanter with Jefferson, the Jazz held the Bucks without a basket for nearly eight minutes. Fans are probably still questioning why Bell is starting, but you can’t argue with the results in three home games. Grade: A

The Jazz survived their first true test of the 2011-12 lockout-shortened season.

Peaking midway through the second quarter Tuesday, then sucking wind and simply holding on during the fourth period, Utah found just enough life to fight off the Milwaukee Bucks, 85-73, at EnergySolutions Arena before a crowd of 17,756.

The Jazz began the game playing their best basketball of the season. Utah continued the progress it made Monday during a home win against New Orleans, aggressively pushing the ball toward the basket on offense and clogging the lane on defense.

Utah shot 48.6 percent from the floor and outscored Milwaukee 30-18 in the paint during the first half. The Jazz collected 30 rebounds and Derrick Favors set a career-high with five blocks in just two quarters. It was 43-34 Utah at the break, and the Jazz (3-3) displayed rhythm, motion and chemistry previously unseen since their Dec. 27 season debut.

Then the human body took over.

Playing their sixth game in eight nights, Utah quickly became worn down and soon appeared exhausted. Devin Harris and Josh Howard were lost to injuries, Milwaukee (2-3) pulled within 49-46, and the Jazz turned to veteran point guard Jamaal Tinsley – out of the league during 2010-11 – and three players 20 or younger to build a bridge toward the end.

“We felt it. … The toll of so many games and the travel on everybody is showing and it’s what everybody’s going through,” Utah coach Tyrone Corbin said.

The Bucks never made it through. Milwaukee shot just 30.5 percent (29 of 95) from the floor and a sub-zero 9.5 percent (2 of 21) behind the 3-point line, failing multiple times to capitalize on 24 Jazz turnovers and claim victory.

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Swaying like a beaten-down boxer but never hitting the mat, the Jazz survived. Lifted up by a combined 15 fourth-quarter points from Paul Millsap, Gordon Hayward and Al Jefferson, Utah used a 17-6 run that bridged the third period with the fourth to finally put the Bucks away.

“One thing that I noticed, when it started getting bad on the offensive end we still played really hard on the defensive end,” said Jefferson, who scored a season- and game-high 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting, adding 10 rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

“We can’t use [the schedule] for an excuse because everybody [has] a tough schedule. It[‘s] either going to hit ‘em early or hit ‘em later,” Jefferson said. “Everybody has to go through a little stretch like that. We’ve just got to be ready to play.”

The Jazz kids were primed again Tuesday.

Recent NBA Draft lottery picks Alec Burks, Enes Kanter, Favors and Hayward combined for 32 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists, with each playing a key role in Utah’s survival.

“We’re all, what, 20, 21? Gordon’s the oldest one: 21,” Burks said. “We’re all young and we’re going to keep running. We’re just trying to bring as much energy as possible.”

Burks did just that, slashing away as soon as he entered the game. The No. 12 overall pick during 2011 reached the free-throw line a game-high 10 times and dished out six assists, trying to prove to Corbin he deserves minutes on the hardwood.

Meanwhile, Jefferson tipped his hat to Favors, saying the No. 3 pick during 2010 “set the tone.” Jefferson acknowledged there’s no way his 20-year-old self would’ve recorded five blocks in an NBA game. Favors did it in two quarters. And after the Jazz gutted out their toughest win of the season, moving to .500 for the first time since March 23, 2011, Favors had a confession: scoring’s fine, but he wants to make his real name swatting shots in the lane.

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SALT LAKE CITY — The NBA’s compacted 66-game schedule lends itself to more injuries and less time to recover from the aches and pains of playing back-to-back nights or three games in four nights.

It also leads to a bunch of strained and pained players like the Jazz had at the end of their 85-73 win over Milwaukee. Both Josh Howard (strained left quad) and Devin Harris (strained left calf) left early with injuries.

Thus, team trainers like Utah’s Gary Briggs, will take on an even more vital role this season in keeping players on the court.

“We’re playing so many games so fast, the guys’ bodies are beat up and you want to try and give them a chance to get their feet back under them as soon as you can,” Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. “But you need to have the time together to continue to develop.”

Film sessions and shootarounds are longer now than they will be later, Corbin explained.

“You have to make sure that the guys understand what you want them to do, and I have a feel for what they think will give them a batter chance to succeed, too,” he said. “So there’s a little more input from the player and that’s just so we make sure we’re on the same page as much as we can as soon as we can.”

Knowing players’ bodies respond on their own time schedule, Corbin said they have to be careful because they can’t “overload” guys and expect them to perform as well in games.

“Games are coming back-to-back,” Harris said, “and we knew that coming in and honestly we can’t do much about it but just try to take care of our bodies and just try to focus. We have less practice time so we’ve got to fix a lot of this stuff in in-game situations.”

PRACTICE?: The Jazz had their first home back-to-back Monday and Tuesday games since November of 2008. With that scheduling quirk, came another oddity: a shootaround on the morning of the second game.

Usually, the Jazz have a late-morning breakfast meeting to discuss strategy for that night’s game.

“We need to continue to develop,” Corbin said. “It’s an opportunity to get the guys out of bed for a little bit, just to come over and do some things, get their blood flowing a little bit.”

The players didn’t mind — after they woke up later than usual, that is.

“It’s good to get up, get moving, get our heartrate up instead of just sleeping and being lazy,” Al Jefferson said. “I didn’t want to hear it, but once we got up it’s best for us to do it because we’re a young team.”

Added C.J. Miles: “Anytime you get a chance to be able to sit down and talk about things and break things down, you’ve got to take it.”

NO FREEBIES: Jefferson averaged 3.6 free throws per game in his first seven seasons. But coming into Tuesday’s game, the center had only taken six in four games in 2011-12.

That, despite making 67 field-goal attempts.

Tyrone Corbin is becoming more comfortable with each passing game.

The Jazz coach has not hesitated to make noticeable moves, such as starting Derrick Favors and temporarily benching C.J. Miles. And when Corbin’s been forced to challenge a player via a tough in-game conversation — he’s already pushed Devin Harris and Miles, among others — the second-year leader has not hesitated.

Asked about learning just how far he can push his young, rebuilding team, Corbin paused before saying, “It’s not a set thing.”

“You wish guys would go out and do the right thing all the time and that I would do the right thing all the time,” said Corbin, prior to Utah’s home game Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks. “It’s just a thing where things happen and you have to respond to it. If a guy’s struggling, you have to encourage him. If a guy’s not giving effort, you have to push him. So that’s just a part of the business, man.”

No Ute

Former University of Utah star center Andrew Bogut was a late scratch Tuesday and didn’t play for Milwaukee due to personal reasons.

“It’s a personal situation and he’s excused to go and deal with it,” Bucks coach Scott Skiles said before tipoff.

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He added: “I really don’t want to say anything more … out of respect to Andrew.”

Bogut, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2005 NBA Draft, is averaging 14.3 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

He drew praise from Corbin and Utah center Al Jefferson during a Tuesday morning shootaround.

“He’s a versatile player who can really pass the ball, who can make moves in the low post,” Corbin said. “His game has continued to get better.”

Jefferson added: “Bogut’s a special player. … I love playing against him because he makes me step up.”

No leader

Six Jazz games have been played and Corbin still hasn’t named a team captain.

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Tyrone Corbin is becoming more comfortable with each passing game.

The Jazz coach has not hesitated to make noticeable moves, such as starting Derrick Favors and temporarily benching C.J. Miles. And when Corbin’s been forced to challenge a player via a tough in-game conversation — he’s already pushed Devin Harris and Miles, among others — the second-year leader has not hesitated.

Asked about learning just how far he can push his young, rebuilding team, Corbin paused before saying, “It’s not a set thing.”

“You wish guys would go out and do the right thing all the time and that I would do the right thing all the time,” said Corbin, prior to Utah’s home game Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks. “It’s just a thing where things happen and you have to respond to it. If a guy’s struggling, you have to encourage him. If a guy’s not giving effort, you have to push him. So that’s just a part of the business, man.”

No Ute

Former University of Utah star center Andrew Bogut was a late scratch Tuesday and didn’t play for Milwaukee due to personal reasons.

“It’s a personal situation and he’s excused to go and deal with it,” Bucks coach Scott Skiles said before tipoff.

Story continues below

He added: “I really don’t want to say anything more … out of respect to Andrew.”

Bogut, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2005 NBA Draft, is averaging 14.3 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

He drew praise from Corbin and Utah center Al Jefferson during a Tuesday morning shootaround.

“He’s a versatile player who can really pass the ball, who can make moves in the low post,” Corbin said. “His game has continued to get better.”

Jefferson added: “Bogut’s a special player. … I love playing against him because he makes me step up.”

No leader

Six Jazz games have been played and Corbin still hasn’t named a team captain.

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