Sixers can’t keep up with Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY - If you're a 76ers fan, you can rely on a few things: The games will be on Comcast SportsNet, small forward Andre Iguodala will dunk at least once, and, at some point, the Sixers will let the other team go on a game-changing run.

Former Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks called it a "point of separation."

Tonight, that point came at the end of the second quarter. It was the turn in the road that led to a 112-95 loss to the Utah Jazz.

It marked the Sixers' fourth straight loss and second on this Western Conference swing that is only two games old. Like a sinking ship, the Sixers dropped even further from the surface. They are now 12-18. The Jazz, who were without leading scorer Carlos Boozer and third-leading scorer Paul Millsap, improved to 19-14. This season, Utah has lost only four games at home.

In that second quarter, the Jazz scored 10 unanswered points, turning a 39-38 Sixers' lead into a 48-39 Utah advantage.

Playing at EnergySolutions Arena - sold out as usual, high altitude as always - is one of the more difficult road games on the schedule. Tossing away 10 points with sloppy outlet passes, mismanaged offensive possessions, and blown chip shots can lead to only one thing: defeat.

Since the end of October, the phrase coming out of the Sixers' locker room has been "putting together a full 48" - as in a full 48 minutes. The Sixers have yet to accomplish that this season.

The Jazz led by 51-43 at the half. The closest the Sixers would come in the second half was six points. Utah would hold a lead of 20, and the fourth quarter was little more than 12 minutes of meaningless basketball.

Iguodala finished with a handful of easy slam dunks, which accounted for most of the team-high 17 points he scored along with power forward Thaddeus Young. Point guard Andre Miller scored 13 points and had eight assists.

The Sixers made 1 of 9 shots from beyond the three-point line.

Utah point guard Deron Williams, he of the gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic team, scored a game-high 27 points. Former Sixer Kyle Korver came off the bench to score 12 points, including two three-pointers.

With just over 90 seconds left in the game, Utah reserve Kyrylo Fesenko checked into the game before a free throw. As he lined up on the block next to Young, Fesenko grabbed Young's shoulder and twisted his back to see Young's name and number.

Essentially, Fesenko's gesture meant he had sat on the bench for the entire game and still was not sure which Sixer was which.