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Monday, Mar. 13 8:00pm ET
Jazz claim eighth straight victory | |||||
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 GAME FLOW
CHICAGO (AP) -- The old guys can still perform. Karl Malone and John Stockton get up and down the court with the youngsters and show them how the game is supposed to be played. No tattoos or showboating. Theirs is an old-fashioned game and it's still successful.
"Even though they're older, the game hasn't changed," Chicago's Chris Carr said after the Jazz beat the Bulls 87-79 Monday night for their eighth straight victory. "They have that trademark execution. They've done it a lot of years and they've done it together a lot of years," Carr added. Making their first Chicago appearance since the 1998 NBA Finals, the 36-year-old Malone and the soon-to-be 38-year-old Stockton sparked a third-quarter run that resulted in yet another loss for the rebuilding Bulls. "He's 36, 37 years old and he just beat me down the court. He's running very fast and that's impressive," Chicago rooke Elton Brand said of Malone. Malone scored 31 points and had 13 rebounds, while his longtime running mate Stockton added 19 points with six steals and nine assists. "People have been trying to usher us out for a long time, telling us to retire," Malone said. "Why? We still think what we're doing works. " Brand led the Bulls, who have lost 11 of 12, with 26 points and 12 rebounds. And if Brand was impressed with one of the league's elder statesmen, Malone liked what he saw from the top pick in the draft last year -- even though they spent very little time guarding one another Monday night. "If he plays this hard on a losing team, what will happen when they start winning?" Malone asked. Utah coach Jerry Sloan, whose No. 4 hangs in the rafters at the United Center as a tribute to his gritty career with the Bulls, passed Larry Brown for 10th place in career coaching victories with his 718th. No one appreciates Stockton and Malone more than Sloan. "They've tailed off some. You can't tell me at 37, 38 that won't happen," Sloan said. "But they still know how to play. They have the knowledge a lot of guys who can jump over you don't have. It's such a lost art." Hersey Hawkins gave the Bulls a 10-point lead when he hit a 3-pointer to open the second half. But Malone and Stockton then went to work, scoring 10 points each in a 23-6 run, the final point on a free throw after a technical foul on Chicago coach Tim Floyd. With Brand on the bench after picking up his fourth foul, the Bulls managed just one basket in the final five minutes of the quarter and trailed 64-59 heading into the fourth. The Bulls pulled within 70-66 in the final quarter, but Utah scored 13 of its last 17 points from the line. Brand had 16 points and seven rebounds in the first half as the Bulls shot 45 percent and took a 48-41 lead despite 14 points from Malone. Game notesIn their previous appearance at the United Center nearly two years ago, the Jazz won Game 5 of the NBA Finals and forced a return trip to Salt Lake City, where the Bulls captured Game 6 and their sixth title. Much has changed since for the Bulls, not much for the Jazz. ... Utah shot 31 second-half free throws, making 24. They were just 2-of-4 from the line in the first half. ... The Bulls had 24 turnovers, leading to 29 points. ... Floyd said the team is expecting a ruling on the status of guard John Starks some time Tuesday. Starks is home in Tulsa, awaiting an arbitrator's ruling on whether he can forfeit the rest of his salary (about $900,000), leave the Bulls and join a playoff contender. Floyd said if Starks does have to stay with the Bulls, his playing time in the final weeks would be limited as the team looks at its younger players. Starks hasn't played the last nine games. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Utah Clubhouse Chicago Clubhouse RECAPS Detroit 124 Boston 115
Utah 87
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