Now that they've won one, the Jazz look to take a step they have not yet made this season: winning two in a row.
"It would definitely be nice," said Jazz star Karl Malone, who is back in action when Utah visits the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.
The 7-11 Jazz snapped a two-game winning streak with Tuesday's 104-100 victory over Charlotte, but they're still fighting for respectability in the NBA's Western Conference.
"We're used to winning 50 games," Malone said, "but now we just want to get back to 0.500, one game at a time."
Doing so may quiet their many naysayers, Malone hopes.
"When you get in a situation like this, there's not a lot of people willing to pick you up other than the guys in this locker room," he said. "It's just more relentless now because we're not winning like we normally do."
If nothing else, Tuesday's win did leave the Jazz feeling mostly good.
"You never like to lose. I think sometimes people get the perception (of) 'Aw, you know, those guys are professional athletes, they're gonna get paid anyway; it don't matter.' But it (does) matter," Malone said. "Because winning . . . I don't know . . . When you win, you're food tastes good; when you go get gas, that feels good. When you're losing, a lot of things don't feel right."
SHOOT ON: Malone, who scored a game-high 22 points against the Hornets, refused to be deterred by a 0-of-6 shooting start to open the third quarter of Tuesday's win.
"You just hang in there, just keep plugging away at it," he said. "I've started off 0-for-8, 0-for-9 before, but I always feel like the next one's gonna go. But if I don't shoot it, who else? You know, what you rather have happen — me to stop shooting, or keep shooting?
"I think for me to put pressure on the defense, I have to keep shooting," the league's No. 2 all-time scorer. "You know, when they keep running the plays for me, those are my plays. And I don't know too many of my plays that are designed to me to pass. So when they run plays for me, they're mine, and I realize that, and I'm going to continue to shoot. I'm not afraid."
TRIAL DELAYED: The California criminal trial of Jazz guard DeShawn Stevenson has been rescheduled yet again. This time, the delay, according to Jazz officials, stems from a scheduling conflict.
Stevenson, 20, is accused of having consensual intercourse with a 14-year-old female acquaintance during a motel-room party with friends last June. Originally charged with a felony count of sex with a minor, he now faces a reduced misdemeanor charge punishable by up to a year in county jail. If convicted, he might also be required to register as a sex offender in his home state.
Stevenson's case originally was set for trial Oct. 25 in his hometown of Fresno, Calif. Then it was delayed until Tuesday, reportedly because his attorney injured his toe. Now, it is scheduled Dec. 18.
The Jazz play in Miami on Dec. 18, but Stevenson won't have to appear in court that day; in California, defendants can authorize their lawyers to handle a misdemeanor case without personally being present.
MARSHALL PROGRESSING: Jazz small forward Donyell Marshall hopes to play Friday night in Los Angeles, Marshall said prior to practice Wednesday. Marshall has missed the Jazz's past two games with a slight right-side groin strain sustained in Utah's loss at Phoenix last Friday night.
E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com