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Jazz try to clinch home-court advantage

Apr 16, 2008 - 2:06 PM Utah (54-27) at San Antonio (55-26) 9:30 pm EDT

SAN ANTONIO (Ticker) - To gain the home-court advantage in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, the Utah Jazz must figure out a way to win in San Antonio.

Utah has already clinched the Northwest Division title, but is tied with Houston (54-27) and Phoenix (54-27) for the fourth-best record in the West.

The Jazz, however, own the tiebreaker over both teams and will clinch the fourth spot with a victory over the Spurs on Wednesday. Home-court advantage is key for Utah, which is a league-best 37-4 at home this season.

But securing that advantage will not be easy against San Antonio, which has handed the Jazz 20 straight defeats here, dating back to February 28, 1999.

The Spurs have faded down the stretch though, dropping three of their last six games, including a humiliating 90-64 setback in Utah on April 4.

The defending NBA champions bounced back from a 21-point loss against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday with a 101-98 win over Sacramento on Monday. Tony Parker matched his season high with 32 points and added 11 assists for the Spurs.