Jazz point Deron Williams, who sprained his left ankle when landing on the foot of Bulls rookie Derrick Rose in the preseason, had nothing but praise for the 2008 NBA Draft's No. 1 selection after he scored 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting in Chicago's 106-98 win Saturday night.
"He's been doing it all season," Williams said when asked about Rose taking over the game. "He's a great player. You know, he's not playing like a rookie. I don't think he's a rookie any more. He's one of the best point guards in this league, and he definitely took over. Did in Salt Lake, did it today." Rose, who helped lift Chicago to a one-point win in Utah late last month, has equal admiration for Williams.
"He's somebody that I look up to," Rose said Saturday. "Even when he was at (the University of) Illinois, he was my favorite player on the team. So it's fun. He's coming at me; I'm coming at him. He's just making me better every game I play against him."
MISC.: Starting in place of Boozer, Jazz backup power forward Paul Millsap extended his double-double streak to 15 straight games with 22 points and 10 boards Saturday -- but needed a late-game rebound to do it.... Healthy reserve big man Kyrylo Fesenko was inactive for a fourth straight game. Fesenko hasn't played in the Jazz's last 11 games. ...
--Tim Buckley
