SAN ANTONIO — Big Al is back in the starting lineup.

The Utah Jazz waited as long as they possibly could to determine Al Jefferson’s availability for tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs, but the starting center will give it a go.

The Jazz’s usual starting center missed Friday night’s 102-99 win over the Philadelphia 76ers because of an inflamed right ankle.

Jefferson worked out and warmed up at the AT&T Center under the watch of trainer Gary Briggs, and they determined 45 minutes before the 6:30 p.m. MT tip that his health had improved enough to try to play.

Jefferson’s return sends his one-game replacement, Derrick Favors, to the bench.

In Big Al’s center spot Friday, Favors scored 20 points and had 11 rebounds in the Jazz’s first win of the season. Before Jefferson was ruled out against the 76ers, however, coach Tyrone Corbin had decided to reinsert Paul Millsap into the starting power forward position.

After two rough starts at power forward and a monster game at center, Favors hopes to keep the momentum going after his big performance.

His plan, Favors explained, is to “just try to play the same way I played. Really not try to go out and get the same numbers, but go out there and do what I did on defense and everything else will come.”

Along with Jefferson, the Jazz’s opening lineup includes Devin Harris, Raja Bell, Gordon Hayward and Millsap.

The Jazz will continue their difficult beginning to the 2011-12 season with back-to-back home games on Monday (New Orleans) and Tuesday (Milwaukee).

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Los Angeles • Coach Tyrone Corbin cautioned against overreacting. Center Al Jefferson said the Jazz must stick together. Devin Harris and Gordon Hayward know Utah missed way too many makeable shots.

But after the lifeless Jazz were blown out 96-71 by the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night at Staples Center, there was no getting around a single fact: Utah’s 2011-12 debut was historically bad.

How bad?

The Jazz set a franchise-low for points scored during a season opener, according to the team’s public relations staff, eclipsing a 37-year-old mark. The then-New Orleans Jazz lost 89-74 to New York on Oct. 17, 1974.

Utah (0-1) barely fought off two other inglorious franchise lows. The Jazz shot just 32.2 percent (29 of 90) from the field Tuesday, edging a 29.3 floor percentage that’s an all-time worst. In addition, Utah’s 25-point deficit was just one point better than a 26-point loss to Dallas on Oct. 31, 1986 that holds the record as the Jazz’s biggest season-opening loss.

Corbin wasn’t surprised his rebuilding team danced with futility after watching Utah miss a staggering variety of open looks. And as the clanking shots mounted, the Jazz’s defense fell apart.

“The [Lakers] came out and they were the aggressor,” Corbin said. “They ran the ball down the floor and got the ball where they wanted to and we didn’t get the shots to fall in that we wanted to, so we pressed a little bit.”

Utah appeared unfocused, unmotivated and unprepared just minutes into the fallout. Now, the Jazz have entered a lockout-shortened 66-game campaign staring at unforgiving NBA life from the bottom up.

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“We just have to find some continuity, some rhythm, where everybody knows what everybody likes to do,” Utah forward C.J. Miles said. “I don’t think we’ve gotten to that point where everybody knows where everybody likes to be.”

Down by 29 during the fourth quarter, Utah watched early-game miscommunication turn into in-game yells, and the faces of everyone from Raja Bell to Gordon Hayward tightened.

Bell gathered the Jazz’s other four starters together during an extended timeout, raising his voice and attempting to motivate his teammates.

But the Lakers (2-1) nullified the chatter with action, continuing to roll and turning a 25-8 run to start the third quarter into a total rout.

By the start of the fourth, Jefferson sat on the bench. The Jazz’s leading average scorer and rebounder last season had his right knee heavily wrapped, his face was in his hands and he was 2 of 16 from the field.

Nothing was working for Utah, and the Jazz were left to watch a near frame-by-frame reply of the worst moments from a bitter 2010-11 campaign.

Jefferson said the “basketball Gods” weren’t on his side Tuesday, adding he was already past the loss by the time Utah’s locker room opened to the media. But after the Jazz struggled through exhibition play and entered the regular season searching for everything from a true No. 1 player to a team identity, he acknowledged the blowout to the Lakers was a wake-up call.

“No need to panic,” he said. “We know what we got to do. … We just had to be better than what we was. It’s a wake-up call, but it’s not the end of the world.”

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SALT LAKE CITY — Jazz center Al Jefferson has first-hand experience of what it’s like to guard a healthy Mehmet Okur.

For six seasons, Big Al drew that defensive assignment when he played for Boston and Minnesota. Last year, Okur was hampered by a surgically repaired Achilles tendon and back issues, so Jefferson didn’t get the opportunity to face a fully functioning Memo in Utah practices.

But he’s getting more than enough of a full-strength Memo in camp action this week.

“I used to guard him when we played against them (Jazz) all the time. He wasn’t fun to guard,” Jefferson said. “He’s not even fun to guard in practice right now.”

The 6-foot-10, 280-pound Jefferson quickly rattled off one big reason why.

“Yesterday, he had me running off a double screen,” Jefferson said. “I ain’t never run off a double screen in my life.”

Because of the 6-11 Okur’s outside potency and inside efficiency, Jefferson’s current practice problem will present a defensive dilemma for Jazz opponents.

“That’s the good thing about having a healthy Memo,” Jefferson said. “(He) opens everything up.”

Former Jazz All-Star power forward Carlos Boozer used to benefit from that, Jefferson recalled.

Focus on Boozer, and defenses risked getting torched from afar by Okur. Focus on Memo, and defenses risked getting burned inside by Boozer.

Now Jefferson looks forward to reaping the rewards while other centers deal with Utah’s defense-stretching big.

That’s right. Jefferson, the likely starting center, raised the interesting possibility that he’ll be on the court at the same time as his possible backup, Okur. That is one of many combinations Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin could go with this season considering his big man depth.

“He just really opened the game up for Boozer,” Jefferson said. “That’s basically what he’s going to do for me and all of the other post players here. It’s going to spread the floor.”

And force opponents to make tough decisions.

“You come help on me, you’re going to have him out there hitting that wide-open 3,” Jefferson said. “And if you worry about him, you’re going to have me down there on the one-on-one.

“They’re going to have to pick and choose their poison.”

Depending on personnel, that same scenario figures to happen with Okur playing center alongside power forwards Paul Millsap and Derrick Favors.

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SALT LAKE CITY — Coming into camp, Jazz center Al Jefferson felt better physically than he had in a long time, maybe ever.

Big Al spent most of the extended offseason on a workout mission in Santa Barbara. While dropping fat and adding muscle, the 280-pound Jefferson spent so much time at the Jazz-recommended P3 performance facility, he could give tours.

“The only good thing about the offseason going longer,” Jefferson said, “was that it was just more time for me to work and get better.”

The Jazz are excited to reap the rewards of Jefferson’s working vacation in SoCal.

“His work in the summer’s really showing,” Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said.

Utah worked mostly on defensive adjustments the first couple of practices, and Jefferson has shown more agility and athleticism while rotating and getting back on D.

He’s sacrificing his body a bit, too.

Corbin said Jefferson took three charges in the first two sessions.

“I don’t remember him taking many charges at all last year,” a smiling Corbin said. “His position is better. He feels good about how he can move and react and get back to one spot, and (has) quickness of doing both.”

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Shirley Lewis, the live-in girlfriend of Jazz center Al Jefferson, was arrested and booked into Salt Lake County jail late Thursday night after allegedly hitting and biting the 6-foot-10, 280-pound player.

According to a probable cause statement, a verbal argument at Jefferson’s Cottonwood Heights mansion between Lewis, 38, and Jefferson, 26, escalated to violence when she allegedly hit him and bit him on the back. Two children were present at the time, police say.

“The police department was called to a residence [Thursday] night on a report of domestic violence,” said Cottonwood Heights Sgt. Dan Bartlett. “Officers arrived and determined that domestic violence was in fact committed and arrested a female.”

Police would not reveal who actually made the call.

Jefferson refused Friday to discuss the incident during Utah’s media day for the 2011-12 season.

“It’s a personal matter and I’m done talking about it. I want to discuss basketball,” Jefferson said. “I know you’ve got some good questions about basketball, right?”

Reporters gave Jefferson space. But Big Al did take a moment took reflect on a strong seven-year professional career that sometimes has been overshadowed by off-the-court drama.

“It’s life, man. Life is full of adjustments, full of changes,” Jefferson said. “It’s life.”

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Lewis, listed in jail records as 5-foot-7 and 170 pounds, was booked into jail just before 9 p.m. Thursday.

She bailed out shortly thereafter, but missed her 10 a.m. arraignment in Holladay Justice Court, where she is charged with assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child, both class B misdemeanors.

The arraignment hearing was later rescheduled for Jan. 18 before Judge Augustus Chin. A court clerk said the hearing was reset because officials were unsure whether Lewis knew she had to appear.

Jefferson averaged a team-high 18.6 points and 9.7 rebounds during the 2010-11 season, his first with the Jazz.

While playing for Minnesota, he was arrested in February 2010 for suspicion of DWI and was suspended by the Timberwolves for two games after the incident. He accepted the suspension, apologizing to his teammates and fans.

Jazz CEO Greg Miller said the organization will “stay out of” Jefferson’s latest incident and acknowledged he didn’t feel qualified to comment since it involves the center’s personal life.

Utah coach Tyrone Corbin said he spoke with Jefferson about the reported assault, and trusts him to do the right thing and handle his own business.

“He’s done handled himself extremely well through it and it’s a family matter,” Corbin said. “We’re proud of the way he handled things.”

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Enes Kanter couldn’t believe it.

He was wearing a Jazz uniform, walking on Utah’s practice court and about to run through the first day of training camp for the 2011-12 season.

The 161-day NBA lockout was finally over, and the No. 3 overall pick of the 2011 draft was moments away from ending three years of basketball solitude.

Was Kanter excited?

You better believe it.

Is he confident he can play in the post against some of the best athletes in the world during a shortened 66-game campaign that will feature an abbreviated preseason?

Heck, yes.

“I’m just not scared,” said the rookie center during media day for the 2011-12 season. “I’m just going to go on the court and do my best and try to help my teammates.”

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Kanter was surrounded by his new teammates Friday, with everyone from Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap to newly signed Earl Watson and a 100-percent healthy Mehmet Okur flashing smiles and answering questions.

Jefferson openly discussed his improved shape and renewed athletic focus, proudly recounting his time spent during the offseason at a high-performance training facility in Santa Barbara, Calif.

“I worked real hard, man,” Jefferson said. “Now it’s just time to show it on the court.”

He refused to discuss his personal life, though, specifically a domestic assault incident late Thursday involving his live-in girlfriend.

“It’s a personal matter and I’m done talking about it. I want to discuss basketball,” Jefferson said. “I know you’ve got some good questions about basketball, right?”

Reporters soon gave Jefferson space. But Big Al did take a moment took reflect on a strong seven-year professional career that sometimes has been overshadowed by off-the-court drama.

“It’s life, man. Life is full of adjustments, full of changes,” Jefferson said. “It’s life.”

Twitter: @tribjazz

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Revisit the basketball exhibition game where Utah Jazz members and other NBA players including Jimmer Fredette came to Salt Lake Community College for the Pro Players Charity Classic.

Jazz regulars Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, C.J. Miles, Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, Eric Watson, Ronnie Price and Jeremy Evans all saw action, along with last summer’s Utah draft picks, Enes Kanter and Alec Burks.

Other players included former Jazzman Wesley Matthews and other “name” Jazz opponents like Chauncey Billups, Stephen Curry, Corey Maggette and Anthony Tolliver.

Utah Jazz’s Al Jefferson on charity game, fans, Burks, Millsap (watch video)