"The lineup tinkering continued for the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night. For that matter, so did the preseason winning. An unlikely source involved in the revolving rotation played a pivotal role in making that 105-100 victory over the Phoenix Suns happen, too. Al Jefferson led the 3-0 Jazz in scoring with 16 points with five rebounds, again displaying his array of interior skills. C.J. Miles added 13 points and Andrei Kirilenko chipped in 10 off the bench at US Airways Center. That wasn't unexpected. What Othyus Jeffers contributed was. The former D-Leaguer, who's fighting for his NBA life with the Jazz, sparked Utah after being inserted into the starting lineup. The undersized shooting guard, who replaced Ryan Thompson as the starter in Utah's third different starting lineup, gutted his way to 12 mostly inside points on 5-for-7 shooting and three rebounds. "He played pretty well," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "He's alive. He's an active guy. He's not afraid to get around the basket, and he's got a knack of trying to get the ball back into the basket once he gets down there." Tell the Suns' 7-footer Robin Lopez about it. Jeffers twice scored with Phoenix's starting center hovering above him. One time, Jeffers somehow squeezed between the double team of Lopez and 6-foot-10 Hedo Turkoglu for an inside hoop. Later on, Jeffers wiggled underneath a rebounding Lopez, tugged the ball out of his hands and then burst back up for a bucket. "He goes after the ball," Jazz point guard Deron Williams said. "He's attacking the basket relentlessly. ... He's hanging around that baseline like Ronnie Brewer." Minus several inches in height, even if Jeffers is listed at a generous 6-foot-5." Read more: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/...es-in-bid-to-make-Utah-Jazz-final-roster.html
