Hansbrough leads Raptors over winless Jazz

Long on youthful promise but short on established talent, the Utah Jazz figured they' would take some beatings this season.

They just didn't know how much it would hurt.

Tyler Hansbrough scored a season-high 23 points, DeMar DeRozan added 18 and the Toronto Raptors snapped a seven-game home losing streak against Utah, routing the winless Jazz 115-91 on Saturday.

"This is not fun," frustrated Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. "I don't think we showed up with the intensity that we needed to compete."

Jonas Valanciunas scored 14 points and Rudy Gay had 11 as the Raptors earned their first home victory over the Jazz since Dec 22, 2004.

Hansbrough had seven rebounds and went 11 for 13 at the free-throw line.

"I thought Hansbrough was a handful," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "That's the kind of intensity it takes to be a winning program. What he's doing is contagious."

Raptors guard Kyle Lowry sprained his right ankle on the final play of the first half and did not return. He finished with nine points.

"He just tweaked it," Casey said. "I think if he had to go, he'd have been OK."

Lowry was seen walking through the locker room after the game without crutches or a wrap, but with a slight limp.

With both teams playing for the fourth time in five days, struggling Utah was no match for a Raptors side that had lost four of its previous five, including three straight. Gordon Hayward scored 24 points and Derrick Favors had 17 for the Jazz.

"Way too many easy points," Hayward said. "Dunks, open threes. Defensively, we weren't there."

Utah wrapped up a four-game road trip with its seventh straight defeat to begin the season, extending the team's worst start since its debut NBA season in New Orleans in 1974-75, when the Jazz lost their first 11 games.

"This ain't cool," fumed Jazz guard John Lucas. "I know it's seven games in, but still. I don't want anybody getting used to this."

Utah came in having won 14 of 15 in the series but never led in this one. When Gay hit a jumper at 8:33 of the second, putting Toronto up 41-20, it marked the fourth straight game the Jazz had trailed by 20 points or more.

"I thought there were times we felt a little sorry for ourselves out there tonight," Corbin said.

Utah, whose 97-73 loss at Chicago on Friday was its biggest margin of defeat this season, wasted no time matching that dubious mark against Toronto.

"We're searching for the answer," Hayward said. "We've got to keep working and try to get through this rough patch. We're struggling."

(China Daily 11/11/2013 page23)