OKLAHOMA CITY — After reciting the numbers that mattered to him most, Jerry Sloan folded the postgame stat sheet and — left thumb holding down one side, right the other — creased it with decided annoyance.
What infuriated Sloan most in an 87-86 loss to Oklahoma City on Thursday night, though, had less to do with what was on paper and more with something under the basket at the far end of the Ford Center floor that had the Jazz coach so riled he stormed the court and lingered later to reiterate his point.
The play in question:
Jazz power forward Paul Millsap appeared to rebound the missed jumper of 31-point game-high scorer Kevin Durant with the Jazz leading 86-85 and less than seven seconds remaining, but Millsap wound up getting called for shoving Thunder forward Nick Collison in the battle for the board.
Collison hit the two free throws that followed with 4.5 seconds to go, dropping the Jazz to 18-14 and giving Northwest Division-foe Oklahoma City (also 18-14) its fifth straight win.
"I thought we had the game," Sloan said.
"It looked like Paul had the ball in his hands down there, and they called a foul on him. I don't know what happened on that play. I couldn't see it. But I'd be interested to see that play. ... I'd just like to see the last play."
Millsap took part first-hand, but didn't think letting his true feelings on the play would be a wise financial decision.
"There's nothing I can say about that," he said. "It's a save-my-money thing right there.
"We was tipping the ball, fighting for the ball. I mean, I felt like I had it," added Millsap, who fouled out on the play. "He (Collison) came in, he may have got it and, I mean, the whistle blew. And I got a foul. That's what happened. I mean, that's all I can say about it."
Jazz point guard Deron Williams was a witness as well, but he was similarly reluctant to say too much.
"I thought that was a tough call on Paul, that last call of the game," he said. "But that's how it goes.
"I thought Paul got fouled first. I thought he had the ball," Williams added. "That's what it looked like to me. But it's tough to see, you know? I have one angle, and the ref's looking at another angle. He made the call he felt was right."
Rookie NBA ref Kane Fitzgerald, who spent last season officiating in the NBA Development League and working a handful of Big South college games, called the foul.
"I asked him if he was a rookie," Williams said. "He got mad at me."
"It doesn't make any difference who it was," Sloan added. "I mean, they all make mistakes. We make mistakes. I'd just like to see the play."
Sloan did get a good look at one other play, as Williams took an in-bounds pass on the other end and set up for a clearout up top against Thabo Sefolosha.
But Williams wound up dishing to guard Ronnie Price in the right corner, and his jumper for a would-be game-winner came up short.
"I got the ball and I was gonna trying to drive Sefolosha," Williams said. "And as soon as I took off ... Russell Westbrook, who I think was on Ronnie Price, came over and helped and I kicked it to (Price). He had a good look.
Couldn't knock it down."
"It was an open shot," Sloan added. "They were running at him, but he (Price) missed the shot. I don't have a problem with that."
He was bothered by bigger issues, like the call on Millsap — and the fact Utah scored 64 points in the paint to Oklahoma City's 46, yet the Thunder shot 28 free throws while the Jazz were afforded only 17.
"It's a tough loss," said Sloan, stat sheet in hand and a home game against Denver awaiting on Saturday. "Our guys played hard and tried to do what they had to to win the game."
MISC.: Reserve shooting guard Kyle Korver, who skipped the trip to rehab his surgically repaired left knee, has missed four of Utah's last five games and 27-of-32 this season. His availability for Saturday's game remains uncertain. ... According to the league's latest fan-balloting update for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, released Thursday, Williams stands eighth among Western Conference guards with 255,059 votes (Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers leads with more than 1.6 million) and Jazz teammate Mehmet Okur is 10th among the West's centers with 87,838 (Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire leads with 1,143,849). ... The Jazz may wait until Tuesday to add a requisite 13th player, and do so by signing someone to a 10-day contract.
Available guards perhaps under consideration include Dontell Jefferson of the NBA Development League's Utah Flash; former Flash point Kevin Kruger; ex-Jazz combo Keith McLeod; and last season's backup point, Brevin Knight.
e-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com