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Jazz try to keep rolling against Thunder

Jan 14, 2009 - 11:25 AM Utah (23-15) at Oklahoma City (6-33) 8:00 p.m. EST

OKLAHOMA CITY (Ticker) -- For the first time since the first week of the season, the Utah Jazz have won four straight. All four, however, came in the comfort of their own EnergySolutions Arena.

Beginning Wednesday night, they take to the road - which hasn't been nearly as kind - for the start of a three-game trip over four days. The good news? They get to kick things off against the league's worst team.

The Jazz face off against Northwest Division foe, the Oklahoma City Thunder, as they look to match their season-high with their fifth straight victory. To the Thunder's credit, wins against them haven't come quite as easily recently as they have for most of the season.

Oklahoma City has won three of seven - a modest rate for a team with just six wins in 2 1/2 months of play - and have played Denver, Houston and New Jersey tough in three losing causes.

They will face a Jazz squad that is coming off one of its best offensive showings. Mehmet Okur scored a career-high 43 points and Deron Williams added 23 and 11 assists as the Jazz outlasted the Indiana Pacers, 120-113, on Monday night. That game capped a successful four-game homestand for Utah, which is just 7-11 away from Salt Lake City.

The Jazz topped the Pacers without the services of emerging forward Paul Millsap, who suffered a bruised left knee when he ran into teammate Kyle Korver last week.

Millsap is averaging 15.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game - both career-highs - this season.