Carlos Boozer saved the Jazz from what would have been a crushing defeat on Wednesday night.

After jumping out to a commanding 16-0 lead, Utah needed two points at the buzzer to regain just a one point advantage at halftime over a Dallas club that finally looks like it's rounding into form after a pedestrian start.

But Boozer – an absolute fantasy stud all season – put the Jazz on his back late and came through with six of Utah's final seven points to help seal a 99-90 victory.

The win for the Jazz was huge considering how it has struggled down the stretch in games so far this year – a big part of the reason why Utah is plodding along at 16-14 after winning 51 games last season.

Don't be blaming Boozer for the Jazz woes, however. He's been as good as almost anyone in the game this season. Despite some foul trouble, Boozer shook off a sub par night Saturday with a game-high 21 points Wednesday on an efficient 8-for-13 shooting night. He added nine boards and two steals. Boozer is cruising along with a career-high 24.6 PPG this season – good for sixth in the NBA. He's also enjoying another excellent rebounding year, also sixth with 11.5 per game. Better yet, Boozer has stepped up with his free throw shooting – a definite weak area last year.

The key, as always, will be his ability to stay healthy. Boozer has missed just one of Utah's 30 games so far, so if he can continue to avoid the type of major injury that has plagued him over the past few seasons, he'll be fantasy gold all year long.

For the Jazz, this big win pulled it within a game of the eighth and final playoff spot in the West, currently owned by the Trail Blazers, who apparently haven't lost a game since the Reagan administration.

Utah is definitely taking care of business at home with a 10-2 mark. It's just that road thing – 6-12 – that is proving difficult. The Jazz get another try tomorrow night – in Los Angeles against the Lakers. Uh, good luck with that. Fortunately, 11 of the club's next 16 games are a home, providing hope that they can reverse their current 3-9 skid.

More good news for the Jazz: Mehmet Okur was back in action after sitting the previous seven games with a shoulder injury. He looked very rusty at first – sinking just two of his first 10 shots – but came through with a pair of important buckets in the final 4:13 to help seal the win. Okur also managed six boards and a block in 40 minutes, so he looks like a safe bet to get back in your lineup.

While we wonder whether Boozer can help lift the Jazz back to where it needs to be, let's review the remainder of Wednesday's NBA action…

• Watching what he's doing lately, it's hard to believe that Monta Ellis wasn't starting earlier this season. He nailed 13-of-21 from the field and 9-of-10 from the line last night for a career-best 35 points to go along with six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Hell, he even tossed in a rare block. Why not? Ellis is doing it all right now, averaging 24.0 PPG with 5.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists over the past five games. While he's not taking as many 3-pointers this year, and his FT shooting has slipped (after a rough start, however, he definitely appears back on track in that area), it's hard not to be stoked about how Ellis has taken his game to the next level this season. Let's just hope that his hip injury doesn't act up again after he appeared to land on it again late in Wednesday's game. The way Ellis is grooving right now, an injury is the only thing that could stop him.



• Chris Paul continues to blow us away with the fact that he seems to get better every single time he takes the court. He nailed 17-of-25 last night, including five from beyond the arc, en route to a 40-point game. Despite that barrage of shots, Paul somehow found time to dish nine dimes, pull down five boards and earn five steals. His touches are way up this year, and although he's not getting to the line as often, who cares? The dude is finding a way to score thanks to his massively improved touch from the floor. But what's most amazing is that it's not just about his scoring – Paul's assists are up significantly too, with a career-high average of 10 per game. Is there a more valuable man in fantasy basketball right now? I don't think so.



• Now this is the kind of all-around game you've come to expect from Gerald Wallace. Last night, he sunk 11-of-21 from the floor and 9-of-12 from the line for 32 points with nine rebounds, eight assists, two steals, a block and a three-pointer. Crash has generally been healthy this year, and his touches are up, leading to a career-best 19.5 PPG. What's up with his decreased rebounding this year, however? After 16 double-doubles last season, he's had exactly one this year – and that came way back in the season opener.

Injury Report

Nene was back in action Wednesday – his first appearance since a thumb injury knocked him out early last month. He played solidly with 11 points and seven rebounds, so as long as Kenyon Martin is dealing with hamstring issues, Nene looks like a strong pickup. These two injury-prone vets will likely cannibalize each other's value until one of them goes down with an inevitable injury and the other steps up (until he gets hurt, of course).

Tip-ins: Jason Terry took an 0-for-10 from the field Wednesday. He can't seem to get into a groove with his shot lately. Every time it looks like Jet will take off (as he did on Friday, nailing 6-of-10), he slips again…Carmelo Anthony, who managed just four double-doubles last year, has done it in four straight games. I am loving 'Melo's improved rebounding totals…I don't think Marcus Camby's back is an issue. He went nuts last night with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks, adding five assists, two steals and a three-pointer. It was his first career triple-double. Camby's FT shooting has been horrible this season, but he is helping you in so many other areas right now, you probably just don't care that much…Speaking of excelling through injuries, Hedo Turkoglu shook off his ankle sprain and sunk 10-of-15 shots for 26 points with six rebounds, six assists, three 3-pointers and two steals. Hedo is obviously completely over the mystery ailment that afflicted him the past couple of seasons and good health and endurance have allowed him to take his game to a new level…Maybe getting lifted from the starting lineup was the tonic needed to get Zach Randolph going. Z-Bo shook off his offensive slump with 22 points off the bench. As long as he continues to stay healthy, Randolph will have value, regardless of whether he's starting or not...Eddy Curry, rumored to be suffering from a bit of a Christmas cheer OD, is still starting – and still sucking. He was charged with two quick fouls and then benched until the fourth quarter. Curry is simply not helping anyone these days. Silver lining: his FT shooting has been better of late…lost in the Boston hoopla is the fact that Detroit is playing unbelievable basketball this year. The Pistons have won 13 of their past 15, hammering the Nets last night for their sixth straight win. The keys for Detroit have been defense – it's held its opponents under 90 points in seven straight games – and putting opponents away in the third quarter – Detroit has outscored its opponents 84-50 in the third quarter over the past three games. Another good sign for Detroit is that Richard Hamilton, who has been middling this year, came through with 22 points last night. If Rip can start to light it up like we're accustomed to seeing, the Pistons will be even tougher to beat…It looks like Damon Jones is done in Cleveland, asking for a trade back to Miami, a place he should have apparently never left, as it's been downhill since for "the best shooter in the NBA." Jones has taken DNP-CDs in four of the past five…Sam Vincent says he plans to keep Ray Felton at the PG position, which means that there could be more two-guard minutes for Matt Carroll. If Carroll gets more PT and the number of outside touches he had last year, he'll be valuable. Watch this one closely…As for Felton, he's done much better in this area lately, but turnovers have been a problem for him, so more practice at the point might not be a bad idea at all…It looks like KG's double-double drought is over, with three in his past four games after going 10 games without one...Tracy McGrady estimates he'll be out another week because of his knee injury. Well, at least it's not his back.

Rob Blackstien runs www.RotoRob.com, a site featuring daily fantasy sports analysis. In addition to his baseball work on the site, he contributes to Rotoworld’s basketball coverage. Rob also writes for CREATiVESPORTS.com, BaseballNotebook.com and has contributed to Rotoman’s Fantasy Baseball Guide and Fantasy Football Guide.

Contact Rob Blackstien