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Thursday, Jan. 20 10:00pm ET
Mailman's 3rd-quarter delivery dooms Griz | |||||
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 GAME FLOW
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- After a forgettable first half, Karl Malone finally got his game going in the right direction. Looking lost on the floor when he ran the wrong way on the opening tip, Malone struggled through the first half, going 2-for-9 for six points. The veteran Utah Jazz forward turned things around physically -- and literally -- in the third quarter. Malone scored 18 of his 32 points in the quarter to lead Utah to a 94-89 victory over the Vancouver Grizzlies on Thursday night. Bryon Russell scored 25 and John Stockton had 12 assists as the Jazz -- 17-0 all-time against the Grizzlies -- bounced back from Wednesday's 91-88 loss to Minnesota with their ninth win in 11 games. Mike Bibby and Othella Harrington each had 22 points for the Grizzlies, who lost their fourth straight, and sixth straight at home. Bibby added nine assists. After the game, Malone was still shaking his head over his opening miscue. "At the beginning, I thought it was going to be one of those nights," Malone said with a laugh. "On the tipoff, you know, I didn't have any idea. I ain't going to lie to you. I played it off, though. I was kind of lost." The Jazz didn't look much better in the first half, managing just 37 points. Then Malone took over with an 8-for-10 shooting performance in the third, in which Utah outscored Vancouver 34-25. "When you've been doing it for a lot of years, you get into a rhythm and coaches start calling the plays that are working," Malone said. "This is my 15th year, but it's still a feeling out process every game you go out there." With Utah trailing 60-59, it was Malone who put the Jazz ahead for good, sinking a 16-footer with 3:22 remaining in the third quarter. That basket sparked a 12-4 run, which was capped by Malone when he sank a nine-footer at the right baseline while falling backwards with 45 seconds remaining putting Utah ahead 71-64. Harrington was impressed by Malone's performance: "Well, he just hit some shots even with a hand in his face. Sometimes he just gets in a groove like that." Coach Jerry Sloan credited Utah's ability to push the ball up the court as the key to Malone's second-half turnaround. "He came out and really got going in the second half because we pushed the ball for him," Sloan said. "He got a couple of quick shots and that was really the big key for getting him off. And he made some really tough shots after that. "That's where his abilities have always been. He just keeps playing hard and something happens." The Grizzlies used a 9-2 run to cut Utah's lead to 90-89 when Shareef Abdur-Rahim hit an eight-foot hook shot from the right post with 18.4 seconds remaining. Russell then sealed the victory by sinking two foul shots on Utah's next possession. "I am truly disappointed tonight," Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said. "I thought we had an opportunity here to beat a team that was missing one of its best players and had played last night and had struggled last night." The Grizzlies set a franchise record in holding the Jazz scoreless during a span of 6:53. After Quincy Lewis hit a nine-foot jumper putting Utah ahead 25-18 with 28.8 seconds left in the first quarter, the Jazz didn't score another point until a Greg Ostertag dunk with 5:34 left in the second quarter. Vancouver went on an 11-0 run during that span. Game notesJeff Hornacek, out with a strained lower back and inflamed left knee, is not with the team for its two-game road trip, and his condition will be re-evaluated when the team returns home following Saturday's game at Sacramento. ... The Grizzlies managed just four free throws through the first three quarters, and eight overall. ... The Jazz are the only Western Conference team not to lose to the Grizzlies, who are in their fifth year of existence. ... Malone, who entered the night with 42,994 career minutes of playing time, logged 41 minutes against Vancouver, becoming the eighth NBA player to surpass the 43,000-minute plateau. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Utah Clubhouse Vancouver Clubhouse RECAPS Charlotte 109 Philadelphia 100
Utah 94
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