SALT LAKE CITY — LeBron James and Dwyane Wade will be in town tonight for the Miami Heat’s only game against the Utah Jazz this season.

That’s the bad news for the Jazz, who tip off against the red-hot Heat at 7 p.m. MT (ROOT Sports).

The good news is that they’ll get two starters back on the court for one of their marquee home games of this compressed season.

Paul Millsap sat out Wednesday’s game against the Houston Rockets with a severely bruised left heel, but the hard-nosed power forward is not about to be sidelined for two consecutive games.

Forget the official game-time-decision listing. Millsap admitted his foot is still tender, but he said he’s good to go against Miami.

“I’m feeling good,” Millsap said after this morning’s shootaround. “I feel like I can get out there and compete, so I’m going to give it a try.”

Point guard Devin Harris also returned to the team and went through this morning’s prep session after sitting out the final 15 minutes of Wednesday’s 104-83 win over Houston due to nausea.

The Jazz will be without starting shooting guard Raja Bell for the fifth game in a row because of his strained left adductor, and backup point guard Jamaal Tinsley (stomach flu) will be a game-time decision.

The Heat, meanwhile, will be without big man Chris Bosh for personal reasons.

Even so, Miami brings a nine-game winning streak into Utah, including a late-night win at Portland on Thursday.

Millsap said the team is well aware of the up-and-down game Wade and James like to play, and he called the Heat one of the fastest squads in the NBA on both ends of the court.

“We’ve got to be secure with the basketball,” Millsap said.

Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said Gordon Hayward will begin against Wade and Josh Howard will start on James, but Utah (16-18) needs a team effort to have a chance against Miami (28-7).

At least the home team comes into this one with a little bit of momentum, having snapped a four-game losing streak against the Rockets on Wednesday.

SALT LAKE CITY — A somewhat unexpected thing happened to the Utah Jazz on the way to what would’ve been their fifth straight setback.

Surprise! They found a way to win instead.

Thanks to a superb performance off the bench by swingman C.J. Miles and a gritty effort by point guard Devin Harris, the Jazz snapped out of their midseason slump with an impressive 104-83 victory on Wednesday night over the Houston Rockets — the same team that started Utah’s tailspin with a 101-85 decision on Feb. 19.

Ten days (and three more disappointing losses) later, though, Miles and Co. shook off their doldrums with a much-needed win that pulls the Jazz (16-18) back within a couple of games of .500 and, more importantly, helps restore the confidence level that had slowly but steadily been slipping with their recent slump.

Miles scored a season-high 27 points on some slick 10-of-16 shooting from the floor, including three 3-pointers, and he provided the spark Utah needed after falling behind 26-18 at the end of the first quarter.

“I was just trying to be aggressive was my biggest thing, just keep playing,” said Miles, who came into the game averaging 9.2 points per game — and scored three times that many in Wednesday’s win. “I’ve got to put in a lot of work, just stay ready so when I get those minutes.

“We’ve had a couple of injuries (Paul Millsap and Raja Bell), so I was able to stay on the floor a little longer. The biggest thing is to keep playing in the flow of the game and it’s going to come.

“I’ve got in the habit lately of, when I’m open, rushing as fast as I can ’cause I’m open and shooting shots clear off the back of the rim or whatever it may be,” Miles said. “I told myself ‘just relax’ and, over the (All-Star) break, I had a chance to be in the gym and remind myself the reason why you’re here and what you can do and the reason they put you in the position you’re in. And I came out of the break like, that’s too much pressure I put on myself to not be able to play the game the way I’ve been playing.”

Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin was certainly pleased with Miles’ performance.

“C.J. was huge for us,” he said. “Any time we can get him or the perimeter guys to make shots from the perimeter or put the ball on the floor and attack the basket, it makes our offense flow a lot better.

“I thought he did great job of coming out and focusing on getting us going — he got himself going and made shots, he attacked the basket, and we did a good job of executing our offense as a result.”

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Utah Jazz point guard Devin Harris was feeling sick to his stomach and couldn’t finish Wednesday night’s game.

By then, the damage had already been done, as Harris pushed the tempo and helped turn an eight-point deficit into a 104-83 blowout victory over the Houston Rockets.

”It was all Devin,” Jazz center Al Jefferson of Harris, who finished with 19 points before leaving late in the third quarter. ”He attacked. He was a one-man factory tonight. We got behind him. He set the tone, especially after that first quarter.”

The Jazz initially looked like a team that had dropped four straight, turning the ball over 10 times in the first quarter and falling behind 26-18.

The Rockets still led 36-28 after a 3-pointer by Goran Dragic with 7:31 left in the second before the Jazz closed on a 21-8 run, including eight straight points by Harris.

”That’s the Devin I used to love and hate because he used to do that to us,” Jefferson said of Harris’ days in Dallas. ”He did it the last couple of games, really stepped it up and attacked the basket. That’s going to really get us going.”

C.J. Miles provided the rest of the offensive punch, scoring a season-high 27 points off the bench on 10-of-16 shooting, including three 3-pointers. He started the comeback with nine points in the second quarter, including six straight and nine of 13 in a 4-minute stretch as Utah pulled to 36-35.

”Miles went off on us and we had no answers for that tonight,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale said.

Utah also stepped it up defensively to halt a four-game losing streak and the Rockets’ four-game winning streak.

Utah’s losing streak started in Houston 11 days earlier with a 101-85 loss thanks to several 3-pointers by the Rockets – 10 in all and seven by point guard Kyle Lowry.

This time, the Rockets started 0 of 4 from beyond the arc and finished 6 of 23.

And Lowry, who scored 32 points in the first meeting, was held to 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting.

Shooting guard Kevin Martin fared even worse, going 2 of 10 and finishing with just six points – about 12 below his season average. Luis Scola led Houston with 18 points.

Jefferson gave Josh Howard plenty of credit on defending Martin.

”He had a hand in his face every time he shot the ball,” Jefferson said.

After the ugly first quarter, Utah won just about every statistical category. The Jazz held a 58-32 advantage on points in the paint, 50-34 edge in rebounds, 30-22 edge on fast-break points, and 14-8 edge on second-chance points.

”They pushed us on transition … and we just didn’t get back and play with the defensive intensity that we needed,” Lowry said.

”I think we definitely felt like we got outworked tonight. Those guys played with the intensity and tenacity that a desperate team, (one on) a four-game losing streak, (that) wanted to get a win.”

The Jazz won despite playing without injured starters Paul Millsap and Raja Bell. Millsap missed his first game this season because of a bruised heel while Bell sat out his fourth straight with a strained adductor.

Jefferson added 14 points and 10 rebounds for Utah, and Howard, starting again with Bell out, finished with 14 points. Gordon Hayward had 10 as five Jazz players scored in double figures.

”It’s a great win for us,” Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. ”We talked at the beginning of the year about not having losing streaks of three games or more. This is the first one this year for us. We don’t want any more of those.”

As the rout was on Wednesday, the second half turned into the Jeremy Evans show.

Evans was honored before the game as the first Jazz player to win the NBA’s Slam Dunk contest. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert declared Feb. 29, leap day in a leap year, as Jeremy Evans Day.

Evans didn’t disappoint the crowd, which saw him throw down a pair of dunks, block three shots and hand out two assists.

”To get the award was amazing, then to come back (home) with a win after All-Star break fun,” Evans said.

It didn’t bother him that fans can only celebrate his special day every four years.

”I’ll take every four years, every five if I have to,” he said. ”It’s exciting.”

The win was a needed boost for the Jazz, who started the season 10-5, but lost 11 of 14 in February entering Wednesday night’s game.

Despite the win, it doesn’t get any easier as LeBron James and the Miami Heat come to town Friday night followed by a road game at Dallas.

”It’s big,” Howard said of Friday’s game against the Heat. ”The atmosphere is going to be crazy because of the guy coming in with that team, but we have to approach it like any other game and try to learn.”

NOTES: Evans edged Rockets forward Chase Budinger for Saturday’s Slam Dunk title, but Budinger insisted before the game there were no hard feelings. ”He had a spectacular dunk, a very unique dunk. I’m happy he won,” said Budinger, who lost by a percentage point. … Lowry was assessed a fourth-quarter technical after hitting his second 3-pointer. … Utah outscored Houston 31-18 in the second quarter as the Rockets shot 31.6 percent and were outscored 18-2 in the paint. … Utah was 16 of 16 from the free-throw line, and held Houston to 39 percent shooting.

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz will be down two starters for tonight’s home game against the Houston Rockets.

Both Paul Millsap and Raja Bell will be sidelined for the 7 p.m. tip at EnergySolutions Arena. The Jazz will also be without backup point guard Jamaal Tinsley, who has stomach flu.

Millsap was examined today by team orthopedist Dr. Lyle Mason after injuring his left foot Tuesday in Sacramento. The good news is that X-rays taken of Millsaps severely bruised left heel were negative. He was ruled out, however, and will miss his first game this season.

Bell will miss his fourth straight game because of his strained left adductor. He hopes to be back by Friday’s game against Miami.

In their place, Josh Howard and Derrick Favors will start for the struggling Jazz. Other starters include Devin Harris, Gordon Hayward and Al Jefferson.

Utah (15-18) is hoping to snap a four-game losing streak, which incidentally began against the Rockets in Houston a week ago Sunday.

NBA dunk champion Jeremy Evans along with Rising Stars Hayward and Favors will all be honored before the game by Jazz brass and Utah Gov. Gary Herbert.

Email: jody@desnews.com

Twitter: DJJazzyJody

Blog: Jazzland.blogs.deseretnews.com

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz have reached the All-Star
break. It’s always the time when you reflect on where you
are in the season. For the Jazz, they enter the break
with a record of 15-17. Your own preseason expectations
will determine whether or not you view being two games
under .500 as positive or negative.

Overall, I think the Jazz have played ok. I didn’t see
Utah as a playoff team and as of today they aren’t.
They’ve basically done what I expected them to do.
They’ve played well at home and struggled on the road.
They’ve lost to teams that are better than they are and
with a few exceptions (vs. Raptors, @ Hornets and @ T-
Wolves) they’ve beaten the teams they should beat.

The Jazz have had a lot of bright spots so far this
season. A few that come to mind are the wins at Denver
and Memphis. Both of those games allowed the Jazz to see
that they are capable of playing good basketball away from
Energy Solutions Arena. Another bright spot has been the
play of rookie Enes Kanter. I wasn’t sure he would get a
ton of playing time early. I was prepared to see the Jazz
send him down to the NBDL so he could get minutes. Not
only has he gotten playing time but he’s made the most of
it. Kanter is averaging five points and five rebounds in
just under 15 minutes.

Utah’s other rookie is turning heads as well. Alec
Burks’ minutes haven’t been as consistent as Kanter’s but
Burks has done everything he can to prove to the coaches
that he deserves more of an opportunity. The knock on
Burks coming out of college was that he wasn’t a good
outside shooter. So far this season he is shooting 41
percent from the field and 39 percent from behind the arc.
Those aren’t great percentages but they’re better than
some of Burks’ teammates that are getting his minutes.

The thing I’m most curious about moving forward is what
direction the Jazz go in with regards to playing time for
the “young guys.” If the playoffs were to start today, at
15-17, the Jazz would be on the outside looking in. They
are two games out of the 8th spot in the West. I don’t
see them making a ton of headway especially with the
brutal schedule they face when they return from the break.
The Jazz will play six out of their next eight games on
the road. Based on this team’s track record away from
SLC, they’ll probably be much further away from the
postseason than just two games at the end of that stretch.

Assuming I’m right, and the playoffs aren’t in the Jazz
future, it is the responsibility of the franchise to
prepare their young and talented players for the years
ahead. Guys like Derrick Favors, Kanter, Gordon Hayward
and Burks should be getting a major bump in playing time
as the season moves on. The argument I always hear is,
“But the vets give you the best chance to win right now.”
That logic only works if you’re winning. The Jazz are a
.469 team and playing guys strictly because they’re vets
only impedes the maturation of the guys that will be the
team’s future stars. I’ve said many times that Jazz fans
are ready to deal with some losing as long as they can see
that the future is bright.

So, what can we expect from now until the end of the
season? I would expect to see more of the same. This
team will continue to be competitive at home and struggle
on the road. That’s just what inexperienced teams do.
This team has enough talent to get some surprise wins and
then turn around and leave you scratching your head by
losing to an inferior team. For me, I’m going to embrace
watching this team develop. I am not going to set my
expectations too high.

The good thing for Jazz fans is that this team is fun to
watch. They’ve got young and exciting players that are
worth coming out to the arena and seeing play. Wouldn’t
it be amazing if the Jazz did go with the youth movement
AND somehow made the playoffs? I know it’s unlikely but
stranger things have happened.

SALT LAKE CITY — There hasn’t been much to cheer about lately for the Utah Jazz.

With Wednesday night’s disheartening 100-98 defeat at Minnesota, the Jazz have lost three straight and eight of their last 10 games going into the annual NBA All-Star break.

But perhaps Jazz fans can set those frustrations aside for a few days and find a reason to cheer on a couple of their own during All-Star Weekend in Orlando, Fla.

Utah’s young duo of 6-foot-8 swingman Gordon Hayward and 6-10 forward/center Derrick Favors will play in the 2012 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge that tips off tonight at 7 p.m. MT. The selection of Hayward and Favors marks the first time since 2008 that the Jazz will be represented in the annual game that features first- and second-year NBA players.

Favors was added to the Rising Stars roster on Tuesday after San Antonio’s Tiago Splitter dropped out due to an injury.

“I think it shows that the Jazz have some young talent,” said Hayward, who’s averaging 9.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in his second season with the Jazz. “And it’s great that D-Fave’s gonna be able to go, and it’ll be cool to be just out there representing the Jazz.”

Many NBA players look forward to the annual All-Star break as a chance to take some time off, catch their breath and get re-energized for the second half of the season. And that may be even more true in this condensed NBA season.

But Hayward’s happy to be spending his “off” weekend in Orlando.

“You only get this opportunity your first two years in the league,” he said, “so I think you’ve got to be excited about being able to play and represent your team.

“It’s still going to be relaxing. It’s still going to be fun. We still get the time off, but we get to play basketball while we’re at it. It’ll be fun.”

Favors, who has averaged 8 points and 5 rebounds a game as the primary backup big man to starting center Al Jefferson and power forward Paul Millsap, was pleased to be added to the lineup that’s playing for “Coach” Barkley against a similar squad coached by legendary NBA big man Shaquille O’Neal.

“I’m excited just to go out there and be in front of that crowd and be a participant in that game,” Favors said. “I’m proud, and it’ll be good to be going to play with someone who’s on your team and be comfortable out there.”

SALT LAKE CITY — The NBA announced today that Utah Jazz guard Devin Harris , forwards Derrick Favors and Paul Millsap, and center Al Jefferson are featured on the 2012 NBA All-Star ballot, which was unveiled today during a special tip-off event in Orlando, Fla., the host city of NBA All-Star 2012. NBA All-Star balloting began today at 10:15 a.m. MT. The 61st NBA All-Star Game will be played at the Amway Center on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012.

Harris was a 2009 NBA All-Star selection and has started the first six games for the Jazz, averaging 10.2 points and 4.2 assists. Favors, Jefferson and Millsap are vying for their first-ever All-Star selections. Jefferson currently leads the Jazz in scoring at 18.2 points per game, while also contributing 8.4 rebounds, 1.60 blocks and 1.00 steal. Millsap is the Jazz’s second-leading scorer, averaging a near double-double at 12.0 points and 9.2 rebounds to go with 2.00 steals per game. An NBA All-Rookie Second Team selection last year, Favors is averaging 8.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.33 blocks in 24.8 minutes in his second NBA campaign. Fans are also permitted to cast write-in votes for other Jazz players not listed on the ballot.

SALT LAKE CITY — Just before Tuesday’s tipoff, the Milwaukee Bucks announced that they’d play without former Ute standout Andrew Bogut , starter Mike Dunleavy and shooter Beno Udrih.

And the Utah Jazz finished with two key players, Devin Harris (calf) and Josh Howard (quad), in the training room with strained muscles and a roster full of worn-out athletes who’d played six games in eight nights.

Throw in the fact this contest was the tail end of a back-to-back for both teams and, well, even a mother might’ve struggled to appreciate its unique ugliness.

One coach didn’t mind its appearance.

Neither did Tyrone Corbin’s Jazz players, who evened their record at 3-3 with a gritty-and-beauty-challenged 85-73 win over the Bucks at EnergySolutions Arena.

“It wasn’t a pretty game on either end — a lot of turnovers, a lot of missed shots,” Harris said. “It was a kind of grind-out game.”

Utah was as sloppy as you might expect for a team playing its sixth game in eight nights. The Jazz had 24 turnovers, didn’t score more than 23 points in a quarter and allowed 23 offensive rebounds.

Thanks to their gutsy defense, they came out looking like Homecoming Kings compared to the depleted Bucks, who only shot 30.5 percent against a Jazz squad that was last in the NBA in defensive field-goal percentage.

“Defensively, we really stepped up tonight,” Jazz small forward Gordon Hayward said. “And we’re going to have to keep doing that.”

Getting repeat Mark Eatonesque performances would be nice, too.

Twelve of Milwaukee’s 66 misses (29-95 shooting) were sent the other direction by the swat-happy home team.

“Derrick Favors was the one who set the tone,” Jazz center Al Jefferson said.

Favors had a career-high five blocks, all in the first half when Utah held the Bucks to 34 points.

“That’s what I do,” Favors said. “Play defense, block shots, rebound — just bring some energy out, just try to get this win.”

Jefferson and Paul Millsap each blocked a pair of Bucks’ shots. That interior defense sent Milwaukee shooters scurrying outside, where they missed 19 of 21 3-pointers.

“They did a great job of converging on the inside and making them make outside shots,” Corbin said. “That’s the thing we want to continue to build on, make sure we protect the basket and paint.”

Offensively, the Jazz were boosted by Big Al’s season-high 26 points. He also had 10 rebounds.

Millsap added 13 points and 12 boards, Hayward chipped in 12 points and Earl Watson dished out eight assists, filling in nicely for Harris after the starter left in the third quarter. Favors finished with a line of six points, seven rebounds and five blocks.

“Guys fought it out,” Corbin said. “Everybody’s a little beat up, and we used everybody on the roster.”

SALT LAKE CITY — Even as the Jazz pulled their season record to 3-3 with a 12-point win over Milwaukee on Tuesday, there was the nagging possibility that this might be as good as it gets. Home, hearth, family, friends, victory.

It’s a nice deal. Too bad for them it can’t last forever.

There’s always the dreaded road ahead.

Maybe they should start working on a plan for that, too. It will be here, sooner than they want.

You think life is hard at home? Comparatively, it’s a piece of cake — and that’s an intended metaphor. Finding good chocolate cake in a strange town isn’t easy. Neither is winning.

The Jazz played their third home game of the season, holding off the paper-thin Bucks. That makes them perfect at home and perfectly awful on the road. Tuesday was the second of 12 games this month at EnergySolutions Arena.

On the bright side for the Jazz, that means they can unpack — a rarity in professional basketball. The only times they’ll have to get on a plane in January is for quick trips to Golden State and Denver, plus a visit to Dallas. Otherwise, they’re as home-bound as a goldfish.

But then comes February: nine road trips in 15 games, and March with 12 of 19 on the road.

In other words, they’ll want to win almost every game this month, in order to avert disaster later.

“Absolutely, especially if you’re a young ballclub,” said Jazz coach Ty Corbin.

Most disconcerting to the Jazz is the fact they are in fact young, which doesn’t play to their advantage. Logic would dictate the road favors youth. They have fresh legs and strong arms. But almost inevitably the youngest teams have problems when they hit the highway.

“They struggle with it,” Corbin said.

Teams don’t get good until they learn to win on the road. The Jazz didn’t have a winning record on the road until 1994-95, just about they time they got serious about going to the NBA finals. By that time John Stockton and Karl Malone were into their early 30s and had been in the league a decade.

If ever the Jazz were to have a hand-delivered gift, Tuesday would have been it. They were at ESA, where had already established a modest winning pattern. Milwaukee guard Beno Udrih was out with a bad shoulder. Starting guard Mike Dunleavy also sat out with a groin injury. Center Andrew Bogut was absent so he could attend to what his coach called a “personal matter.”

The Jazz’s problems so far this year have ranged from defense to shooting to spacing, and points beyond. Corbin continues to experiment with his young lineup. Never mind a large number of Bucks were on MIA list. The Jazz need wins, anywhere they can pick them up.

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

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.

SALT LAKE CITY — As bad as they’ve played at times, it might come as a surprise that the Utah Jazz can even their record with a win tonight.

One guy that won’t get in their way: 7-foot Andrew Bogut .

The Milwaukee Bucks center and former University of Utah star is not with the team and won’t play tonight because of personal matters.

Mike Dunleavy (groin pain) and Ben Udrih (left shoulder pain) will also miss the Jazz-Bucks game.

“We have an opportunity to improve our record to 3-3 tonight, but it’s not going to be easy,” Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said after his team’s morning shootaround. “Milwaukee’s a good ball club. We’re going to have to compete against them as if they’re coming in here to win.”

Both the Jazz (2-3) and Bucks (2-2) are coming off of games Monday night. Milwaukee lost in Denver 91-86, and Utah edged New Orleans 94-90 at EnergySolutions Arena.

That location tidbit makes tonight’s showdown an anomaly. This is the first back-to-back set with two home games for the Jazz since Nov. 2008.

This was Utah fans’ only chance to catch an up-close-and-person glimpse of the former Ute standout, who is averaging 14.3 points and 10.0 rebounds this season.

Earlier today, Corbin credited Bogut for being a solid passer with strong low-post moves.

“He’s a versatile big guy who’s continued to get better and learned this game,” Corbin said.

This game (7 p.m. MT tipoff, ROOT Sports) will conclude a six-games-in-eight-nights beginning of the season for the Jazz. It’s also the second of three home games Utah has this week and one of 12 contests at ESA in January for the young team.

Utah will go with the same starters as Monday: Devin Harris, Raja Bell, Gordon Hayward, Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson.

Email: jody@desnews.com Twitter: DJJazzyJody

SALT LAKE CITY — Raja Bell is a smart NBA player.

He can do math, too.

So, yes, he’s aware that hitting 5 of 17 field goals through four games falls into the rough start category.

“I would like to be a shooting a higher field-goal percentage,” said the 12-year veteran, who’s shooting 29.4 percent. “But, ultimately, I don’t think it really matters if I make or miss my three shots in a game.”

Obviously, Bell wants to make those precious few shots (4.25 per game, to be precise) — if not get more looks.

But the veteran isn’t the only offensive goat on a struggling 1-3 team that’s averaging just 90.5 points on 40 percent shooting.

Scoring is just one part of his job. Considering his gritty defensive style and other Jazz weapons, oodles of offense isn’t necessarily what the team needs from him.

As the starter, Bell gets the first crack at Kobe Bryant, Manu Ginobili and other top-notch scoring threats.

“He knows how to play different guys,” Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said.

Asked for an assessment of his 2011-12 start, the 35-year-old said he’s making an extra effort on defense because his offensive game hasn’t arrived yet.

“If something’s not working, you’ve got to try to make a difference somewhere else,” Bell said. “I think I’m doing a good job defensively.”

So does Corbin, who defends Bell’s defense.

That’s why the second-year coach has kept him in the starting lineup even while some fans plead for rookie shooting guard Alec Burks — a more explosive scorer — to get more playing time and/or to start.

“I feel comfortable with what he’s doing. He’s playing his defense,” Corbin said. “I thought he did a good job on Ginobili in the first quarter (Saturday), and then he had that run in the second quarter.”

When Bell was on the bench, mind you.

But the guard’s effort isn’t predicated on his shots falling or not.

“All I can do is go out there and play hard,” Bell said. “If Ty and (coaches) think that I’m a good fit, then I’ll go out there and try to do my best.”

Offensively, Bell knows he has nowhere to go but up.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t feel like it necessarily clicked for me last year on offense and I’m struggling again,” he said. “But I’ll keep plugging away at it. The one thing I know I can control is busting my (behind) defensively, so that’s what I’m doing.”

DISCUSSING D: The new Jazz defense (allowing 104.0 points per game) remains a work in progress, which will require more talking and effort to help each other out.

“Communication falls into rotations,” Jazz forward Josh Howard said, “because you’ve got to talk on defense, not saying nobody didn’t talk (Saturday). We’ve just got to want it a little bit more.”

SALT LAKE CITY — Earl Watson, C.J. Miles, Enes Kanter, Josh Howard and Derrick Favors on the floor to start the fourth quarter. A 13-point second-quarter deficit. No Al Jefferson in the lineup.

Factors that seemed to stack the deck against the Jazz actually didn’t, and Utah pulled out a stunning 102-99 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night. The Jazz earn mostly high marks while picking up their first victory of the season.

GUARDS: If Devin Harris has proved anything in his time in Utah, it’s that he’s no John Stockton or Deron Williams. He doesn’t play like a true point guard, and tries to be too much of a scorer. Harris, who committed what could have been a game-costing turnover with 13.8 seconds left, got his points though against the 76ers, leading Utah’s guards in scoring with 19 points.

The Jazz got their best true point guard play from Watson, who pushed tempo and moved the ball around. He finished with one more assist than Harris despite playing three fewer minutes. Raja Bell was a forgotten man, playing just 18 minutes. Rookie Alex Burks did not play. Grade: B+

FORWARDS: Paul Millsap had an off shooting night and is taking too many 3-pointers, but played hard like usual and finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Gordon Hayward hit a clutch jumper with 30.2 seconds left to give the Jazz a 101-97 lead, and also made some nice passes in crunch time. Howard played 24 minutes and did a decent job, although he shot just 2-for-6 from the field. Grade: B+

CENTERS: Favors started the game in place of Jefferson at center and looked nothing like the player who struggled against the Lakers and Nuggets. He hit some short-range jumpers and showed off his athleticism near the basket while finishing with 20 points. Kanter provided some valuable minutes. He had four points and six rebounds in 15 minutes. Grade: A-Grade: A-

BENCH: Watson and Miles were Utah’s two most effective players coming off the bench. Utah’s reserves outscored Philadelphia’s 31-29. You can’t ask for much more than your bench beating the other team’s bench. Grade: A-

COACHING: Fans may have wanted to summon a doctor to check Corbin’s temperature when he started the fourth with Watson, Miles, Kanter, Howard and Favors. It was a high-risk, high-reward type of move and it paid off handsomely. Corbin put together other creative lineups during the game, and seemed to make the right changes when he needed to. Grade: A

OVERALL: The Jazz avoided being 0-3 for the first time in 32 years. It wasn’t always pretty, especially in the first half, but they got the job done and gave their fans a reason to stay interested this early in the season. Grade A-