Utah gave a solid effort, handling Phoenix with ease in today's 99-84 win. This came as no surprise to Utah fans, who have been watching their team continue to improve recently. Players are starting to feel more confident as well. "I feel we can take on just about anybody right now," said today's star, Lacroix. "The way this team's playing, there's no limit to how far we can go." Utah head coach Coach Young echoed his sentiment, saying "They all know they're as good as any other team in the league. They just have to stay focused and keep working, and the rest will take care of itself."

Lost in the excitement over Utah was the performance of Phoenix star Whitfield.

Utah was led by Lacroix (17 points, 9 boards, 3 assists, a block), Riser (9 points, 2 steals), Fripp (14 points, 3 blocks). Phoenix was led by Whitfield (11 points, 13 boards, 0 assists, a steal, 3 blocks), Calloway (11 points, 5 boards, 0 assists, a steal, 2 blocks), Oh (14 points, a block).

Utah improve to 10-5 and 7-3 at home. They remain at #2 in the Northwest and hold at #4 overall in the Western Conference. With today's loss, Phoenix stand at 5-11. They hold at #4 in the Pacific and stay at #13 overall in the Western Conference.

box score Utah* roster Phoenix roster