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 — It was an interesting day for Josh Howard.

First, on Monday afternoon, the Utah Jazz reserve forward got punished to the tune of a $25,000 fine for his flagrant foul in last Saturday’s game against San Antonio.

Then the nine-year NBA veteran went out and punished the New Orleans Hornets a little bit in Utah’s 94-90 victory on Monday night at EnergySolutions Arena.

Howard, who had 18 points and seven rebounds in Utah’s loss to the Spurs, followed that up with a solid 13-point performance against New Orleans as the Jazz improved their early season record to 2-3.

“I’m coming around as far as my legs go,” said Howard, a former All-Star with the Dallas Mavericks who was a free agent before signing with the Jazz on Dec. 15. “Our defense was good in the fourth quarter. Ultimately at the end of the day, you’ve got to have defense to win games. The offense will come eventually, but the main focus right now is defense.

“I don’t know my role right now, you know, I just go out there and play and try to be a veteran leader. That is my role, as far as myself defining it, but for the most part the team is trying to focus on defense, and we played great defensively over the last six minutes, and that was the main thing.”

Howard hit a big jump shot midway through the fourth quarter to tie the score at 80, and his two free throws with 3:48 remaining gave Utah an 85-84 edge and put the Jazz ahead for good.

Then with little more than a minute remaining and the Jazz clinging to a precarious three-point lead at 89-86, Howard came up with a huge offensive rebound that allowed Utah to run more precious time off the clock before Devin Harris hit Paul Millsap flashing down the lane for a slam dunk that made it 91-86 with under a minute to go.

“Oh, yeah, I snuck in there,” Howard said of grabbing a critical carom off the offensive glass. “I had to get my young Wake Forest alum (Al-Farouq Aminu) away from the ball. That was a big possession.”

Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin has certainly noticed Howard’s contributions and says the cagey 31-year-old forward could be in line for additional playing time.

“He’s getting in better shape, man, and he knows how to play,” Corbin said.

“I love his approach to the game and he’s going to continue to get better as he gets in better shape.

“If he continues to work and learn what we want to do and be effective for us, right now he’s a tough matchup for teams. He does a good job of putting pressure on other teams and getting stops. He wants to be in there and he’s doing a lot of extra stuff still to get in the game. There’s a lot of upside to what he’s doing.”

Harris hit 7-of-8 free throws, and his ability to get to the foul line certainly wasn’t lost on Corbin.

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-

SALT LAKE CITY — Chalk one up for the young guys.

And while you’re doing that, mark a win down for the Utah Jazz.

The Jazz bounced back from a pair of rough road games to open the season with a riveting 102-99 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers Friday night in their home opener at EnergySolutions Arena.

Derrick Favors had a humongous night with 20 points and 11 rebounds after filling in for usual starting center Al Jefferson, who sat out with an inflamed right ankle.

Fellow second-year player Gordon Hayward also made a big impact in this game, hitting a clutch jumper in the final minute and scoring 15 points.

Devin Harris scored 19 points and Paul Millsap, reinserted in the first five, added a strong double-double with 14 points and 12 boards as the Jazz improved to 1-2.

Jrue Holiday led Philadelphia (1-2) with 20 points.

The Jazz were in an unfamiliar position at halftime.

They actually went to the locker room with a lead — 53-51.

Harris had 14 points at the half, including 13 in the second quarter when the Jazz rallied out of a 13-point deficit.

The Jazz also received double-digit performances from Millsap (11 points) and Favors (10) in the opening half.

Both Millsap and Favors started — Millsap because he’d been put back into the opening lineup to help Utah get off to a better start, and Favors because of Jefferson’s injury.

Philly jumped out to a 29-22 edge at the end of the first quarter, and then upped its lead to as many as 13 points as the Jazz looked lost and listless.

Harris was even taken out — getting replaced by backup point Earl Watson — four minutes into the game. But the starting point guard came out with a vengeance in the second quarter.

Interestingly, Favors had eight first-quarter points on a day when he was benched and then named a starter within hours.

Rookie Enes Kanter also contributed with a strong interior defensive presence, finishing with four points and six rebounds.

C.J. Miles added 10 points, Watson scored nine and Josh Howard had eight in what was easily the Jazz’s best game of the season.

The Jazz travel to San Antonio for a New Year’s Eve showdown with the Spurs.

EMAIL: jody@desnews.com

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SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) – The Utah Jazz are expected to play their first home game of the season Friday. For the businesses in downtown Salt Lake the news couldn’t be better.

With the Jazz back, millions of dollars will go back into the Utah economy, some were worried those millions would never return. Now, stores around Energy Solutions Arena are breathing a sigh of relief.

The Jazz are back.

“It’s going to be good to get out there and see what happens,” said Paul Millsap, Utah Jazz Forward.

“Feels great to get back home,” said Tyrone Corbin, Utah Jazz Head Coach.

They’re not alone; fans are already waiting for autographs, and businesses near Energy Solutions Arena are jumping for joy.

“We’re excited to have them back,” said Makayla Denton, Manager, Thaifoon Taste of Asia.

“Ecstatic, super excited,” said Susan Shrum, Operating Partner, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar.

“There’s no question on Jazz nights we’re a lot busier,” said Brady Lambert, Manager, Ben & Jerry’s.

Months ago many wondered if there would be any games at all. A lockout threatened to cancel the entire NBA season. Finally after 149 days, owners and players came to a new collective bargaining agreement, and games are now back on.

“We’ve been waiting for it since the lockout, so it feels great,” said Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz Forward.

With the Jazz back on home court, restaurants downtown are anticipating a big boost in sales.

“Last Wednesday we had one of our biggest Wednesdays we’ve had in over a year,” said Denton.

“And that was just a preseason game?” asked Reporter Brian Carlson.

“Yah, that was a preseason game,” Denton said.

“(Normally) we do about 200 covers in about 5 hours,” said Shrum.

“And on a Jazz night?” asked Carlson.

“We do 200 in an hour and a half,” Shrum said.

For restaurants like Fleming’s that means an extra $10,000 a night.

To handle the crowds expected Friday, ABC 4 is told, restaurants are not only adding extra food and extra staff; they’re also creating food specials just for Jazz fans.

SALT LAKE CITY — Paul Millsap is getting his wish. He’s an NBA starter once again.

Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin changed his starting rotation for tonight’s home-opening game against the Philadelphia 76ers, inserting last year’s starting power forward back into the first five while putting Derrick Favors in a reserve role.

Favors has gotten off to a rough start this season after getting into early foul trouble in both blowout losses to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets. He’s averaging 5.0 ppg and 8.0 rpg.

Millsap, meanwhile, has been the Jazz’s most consistent player. The sixth-year player is leading the team with 15.5 points per game and has averaged eight rebounds.

“(Favors) gets a chance to watch a little bit coming off the bench and relax a little bit, I hope, and be ready to come in the game,” Corbin said. “Paul is used to starting so he’ll know how to handle the anxiety and just go out and play and play aggressively, and not worry about not fouling.”

The other four starters will remain the same, with Devin Harris (point guard), Raja Bell (shooting guard), Gordon Hayward (small forward) and Al Jefferson (center).

The Jazz spent Thursday watching film and dissecting what went wrong (and right) on both offense and defense in the two losses in which they lost by an average of 21 points.

One thing, in particular, stood out about the Jazz’s performances.

“I don’t think we came out with the kind of effort we had in training camp,” Corbin said. “I don’t know if (it was due to) fatigue and anxiety from starting up or just the whole short training camp and the first couple of games.”

Corbin is hopeful Thursday’s viewing and discussion will pay off as the Jazz try to get their first win of 2011-12 tonight against a 1-1 Sixers squad.

“I thought it was a good exercise. It was a good film session,” Corbin said. “It was a good meeting we had. We’re looking forward to a big effort tonight.”

Tipoff is at 7 p.m. MT. The game will be televised live on ROOT Sports.

Email: jody@desnews.com Twitter: DJJazzJody

SALT LAKE CITY — EnergySolutions Arena may have never looked or sounded as good as it will Friday night for the Utah Jazz.

If a team was ever in need of a home-crowd boost, it’s this ragtag collection that has suffered back-to-back beatdowns.

Their aim was so off in Los Angeles, they might not have been able to point in the direction of a B-list actor at Staples Center.

Their ability to stop someone was so poor in Denver, Tim Tebow might have been able to throw for 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns on them if they wore pads.

If that sounds overly harsh, give another glance at the final scores: Lakers 96, Jazz 71 and Nuggets 117, Utah 100.

Utah players don’t just need to find an elusive identity, consistency, properly functioning combinations, defensive rotations, team chemistry and a commitment to put forth enough effort to win.

Their juiceless battery could use a jumpstart from a crowd that’s done that so many times over the past three decades.

“We’re still trying to figure it out. Hopefully in the next few days we’ll figure it out, especially with our young group,” Jazz sixth man Paul Millsap said after Wednesday’s game. “I think home court advantage will help us, give us a little energy, let us get out and run a bit.”

Heck, maybe even win a game — or at least have a chance to win one.

In reality, there’s only so much of an edge 19,911 fans can give a team. There is a reason why one group pays to get in, while the other much smaller (in numbers) and more talented group gets paid to be there.

Ultimately, it’s up to Jazz players and coaches to get their acts together and play up to their potential.

“We’ll see what type of team we are the next couple of games,” second-year Jazz small forward Gordon Hayward said.

Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin took extra time after Wednesday’s loss to emphasize to his entire team — players, staff and himself — that everybody is responsible to do his part.

“They have to step up and do it. We have to as a coaching staff and myself. We have to lead them through it,” Corbin said. “It’s a young bunch of guys for the most part. We’ve got to grow together.”

The second-year coach believes that will happen, that player development and victories can happen simultaneously.

“I’m not quitting on the guys, and I don’t think they’ll quit on me. But we’ve got to get things figured out,” Corbin said. “We’ve got to learn to trust each other as players on the floor and just go out and compete together as a group of guys and not as individuals, two or three guys going hard. We’ve got to have everybody competing on the floor.”

SALT LAKE CITY — Back in the early 1960s, or about 20-30 years before most members of this Utah Jazz team were even born, there was this great television series called “Route 66.”

The TV show was about a couple of young men, Tod and Buz (and later a dude they called Linc for the series’ final season), two buddies who spent their time traveling around the country. They moved in and out of the lives of people, helping them deal with their various adversities as this Corvette-cruising couple of guys passed through various cities throughout America along “Route 66.”

Well, the Utah Jazz have their own version of “Route 66″ — an arduous schedule of 66 regular-season games, crammed into a four-month time frame because of the NBA owners’ lengthy lockout that essentially wiped out almost all of the preseason and most of the first two months of what would’ve been the 2011-12 regular season.

Much like those two young men back in the ’60s, the Jazz will be playing “Route 66″ as they’ll visit a couple-dozen cities among their 33 road games, most of them with just enough time to check into a hotel, go to the arena for shootaround, play the game that night and then quickly head for their next destination.

And now, instead of playing 82 games in a season stretching over almost six months, NBA teams will play 66 games in four months’ time. If you do the math, it only comes down to an average of about three more games a month than what they’ve typically played in the past. That may not sound like much, but it’s a schedule that offers them less rest, less time to bounce back between games, less time to recover from injuries and less time to prepare for the next opponent.

But on this “Route 66″ — a wild and rugged journey the Jazz hope will lead them to the NBA playoffs — there will no doubt be a few bad bumps and chuckholes in the road, maybe a blown tire or two, and plenty of need for a rest stop whenever they can find one. Don’t be surprised if they run outta gas along the way, too, maybe more than once.

And these guys won’t be able to call AAA for any roadside assistance, either.

“We want to compete as hard as we can every night we step on the floor,” Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. “Everything else will take care of itself.”

That seems to be the team mantra this season — come out and compete every night of the season because, with this team of role players and no real superstars to speak of, they can’t afford to take nights off.

SALT LAKE CITY — The NBA’s irregular season has arrived.

The Utah Jazz will miss out on 16 games, but the compressed 66-game schedule should make for a wacky and wild ride through April 26.

Here are 10 Jazz games that could provide the most thrills:

10. New Year’s Eve bash

Saturday, Dec. 31: Jazz at Spurs

Who’d you rather spend your night watching, Dick Clark or Tim Duncan? They’re both entertaining old men. No? Fine then, which younger suave star would you rather see perform, Ryan Seacrest or Tony Parker? If that doesn’t sell you, then at least this game — the first of four Spurs-Jazz duels — will give you something to do until the countdown begins and the chips run out.

9. Cheer on the champs

Jan. 19: Dallas at Utah

This might cause an awkward moment for some Jazz fans. Like most Americans, they rooted heavily for the Mavericks to beat the Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals. Do fans applaud them for winning or boo because they can’t keep cheering for Mark Cuban’s team out of principle, and especially that guy still has the German referred by some as “Dirty Dirk,” right? No doubt the awkwardness and/or hospitality will have worn off by April 16 when Dallas visits again.

8. Turn up the Heat

March 2: Miami at Utah

It’s always fun when the Heat’s Big Three come to town. Who can resist watching Mickell Gladness, Terrel Harris and Norris Cole? It is a shame Sundiata Gaines won’t be there to welcome LeBron James back to EnergySolutions Arena.

7. Thunder rolls to town

Feb. 10: OKC at Utah

The Jazz, who dodged a bullet by only having to face Oklahoma City three times, might put extra emphasis on this one. A Valentine’s Day rematch awaits them four days later in OKC, and that’s on the third night of an all-road back-to-back-to-back set.

(P.S. Utah won’t pay a visit to Florida this season. But traveling media don’t have to go to Milwaukee or Detroit this winter, so a certain Jazz beat writer will absolve the NBA schedule-maker for this otherwise egregious error.)

6. Windy City rivalry

March 10: Utah at Chicago

Sorry, Utah chapter fans. There’s only one game against the Chicago Jazz this season, and it’s on the road. That means ESA spectators won’t get to boo Carlos Boozer or cheer, ooh and ahh over Kyle Korver or warmly applaud Ronnie Brewer until the 2012 NBA Finals.

Salt Lake City will also miss out on seeing Derrick Rose in person, making this a must-see-MVP-TV game.

5. The AK-47 Game

Teams and time TBD

SALT LAKE CITY — One question has been asked almost every day since the Utah Jazz began training camp 17 days ago.

Where in the heck is Kyrylo Fesenko?

OK, not really.

The popular question this preseason: What is the starting lineup?

The Jazz had Christmas Day off, but second-year coach Tyrone Corbin addressed that question again at his Christmas Eve practice. (Warning: He will again today, too.)

“We’re closer,” Corbin said. “We have a pretty good idea of who are starters will be.”

One possible starter was taken out of the mix when Mehmet Okur was traded.

Another potential first-five guy returned to practice this weekend. Paul Millsap, last year’s starting power forward, came back “full strength” after missing a week with right quadriceps tendinitis.

So will Millsap start?

Corbin’s answer: Maybe, maybe not.

He won’t reveal starters until today or possibly Tuesday.

For what it’s worth, the five players who began Wednesday’s preseason game against Portland were on the floor together when the Jazz began practice Saturday with a zone defense refresher.

That group included point guard Devin Harris, shooting guard Raja Bell, small forward Gordon Hayward, power forward Derrick Favors and center Al Jefferson .

Corbin admitted he’s slightly envious of teams that have obvious starting fives, but the Jazz have so many new players and possibilities, he’s wanted to evaluate as many combinations as possible before committing.

He also makes the point that his rotations and starters might change to exploit various match-ups, whether for size or speed.

“We want to get guys as comfortable as we can as soon as we can,” Corbin said. “We don’t want to play tricks and trick ourselves, but we want to take advantage of all of the talent we have on the team. … We expect (everybody) to be ready and be ready to play.”

Email: jody@desnews.com

Twitter: DJJazzyJody