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Bobcats-Jazz Preview

Feb 23, 2010 - 7:05 PM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Charlotte (27-28) at Utah (36-20), 9:00 p.m. EDT

Deron Williams and Andrei Kirilenko are big reasons why Utah is among the best teams in the Western Conference. The Jazz have a chance to get both players back Wednesday night as they look to rebound from a loss.

Williams and Kirilenko could return from injuries as the Jazz host the struggling Charlotte Bobcats.

The Jazz (36-20) are third in the West, one game behind Denver for second place in the conference and the top spot in the Northwest Division.

Williams has helped power that success, as he is third in the NBA with 9.9 assists per game and second on the team with 18.3 points.

Kirilenko has also played a key role, converting a career-high 51.5 percent of his shots and averaging 12.3 points and 4.6 rebounds.

Injuries, though, have become a problem for both players.

Williams is nursing a bruised right quad, while Kirilenko is hampered by back pain. Both players exited a 93-89 overtime win at Portland on Sunday, although Williams returned to finish with 18 points and 12 assists.

Both players are uncertain for Wednesday, and Utah didn't fare well without them in a 105-100 loss to Atlanta on Monday - just their third defeat in 20 games.

"We can't make excuses," said forward Paul Millsap, who had a team-high 14 points with nine boards. "Losing Deron and Andrei just gives other guys the opportunity to step up. We just have to do a better job down the stretch."

Jazz forward Carlos Boozer is looking to bounce back from a 12-point, 10-rebound performance against the Hawks. He averaged 26.0 points and 19.5 boards in the previous two games.

Boozer leads the Jazz with 19.3 points per game and his 11.2 boards rank seventh in the NBA.

He had 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Williams contributed 23 points and 10 assists in a 110-102 win at Charlotte on Dec. 19.

The Jazz have won their last three at home over the Bobcats (27-28), who have dropped six of nine overall and are 7-21 on the road. Only five teams have fewer road wins, all of which are at least 15 games under .500.

Those struggles are a big reason why Charlotte is tied with Milwaukee for eighth in the East as it attempts to reach the playoffs for the first time.

The Bobcats' road woes continued Monday, as Charlotte lost 98-94 to the Los Angeles Clippers to drop to 0-2 on its four-game trip.

"Our biggest problem now is sometimes we don't realize that every game's a big game," coach Larry Brown said. "We get up for certain games and not others. When you look at these teams that are winning a lot of games, they don't take nights off because their opponent is always bringing their 'A' game."

Charlotte's Stephen Jackson will try to rebound from his worst shooting performance of the season. The swingman shot 1 of 16 and matched a season low with seven points Monday after averaging 26.6 points over the previous eight games.

Gerald Wallace could be in for another big game after recording 32 points and 12 rebounds against the Clippers. The forward had 30 points and 13 boards against Utah in December.