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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Karl Malone is so used to reaching milestones, that he meets the newest ones with just a shrug.
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Malone scored 27 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Utah
to a 102-93 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday
night, moving the Jazz closer to the Midwest Division title.
The Utah forward passed 2,000 points for the season, the 12th
time in his 14-year career he has reached the milestone -- more than
any player in NBA history.
"I think it's one of those things, when I finish playing, I
think it will mean a whole lot," Malone said. "But right now,
while you're playing, you're thinking about doing something else."
The Mailman, who broke Michael Jordan's record, received a
standing ovation from the 19,911 at the Delta Center when the mark
was announced late in the third quarter.
"I think everybody, even sometimes myself, take him for
granted," guard John Stockton said. "You just expect things out of him. It's kind of nice to sit back and appreciate what he does
every night, every year. He's something special."
Utah leads defending NBA champion San Antonio by three games
with four games left for each in the regular season. Utah plays at
San Antonio on Saturday.
The game shaped up as a blowout, but the Clippers mounted a
charge. Malone scored eight points after Michael Olowokandi cut the
Jazz lead to one with 7:09 left in the game.
"These are the kind of things that should never happen," Malone said of the squandered lead.
The Clippers (14-64) were without their top two scorers, guard Derek Anderson and forward Maurice Taylor, who combine to average
over 33 points. Anderson missed his second game with back spasms,
while Taylor was out with a sore left ankle.
Eric Piatkowski's career-high 35 points helped the Clippers stay close.
"We needed to pick up some points," Clippers coach Jim Todd
said. "We know (Piatkowski) is going to get a lot of minutes and
if he has his shot going, he's the all-time 3-point shooting leader
here in L.A."
Utah completed a four-game season sweep of the Clippers. Los
Angeles also dropped its 18th straight at the Delta Center.
The Jazz appeared to be in control with a 19-4 run late in the
first quarter, building a 29-18 lead. The advantage never slipped
below eight until the fourth quarter when Los Angeles down the
21-point lead. But Malone and John Stockton returned to the lineup
to stifle the visitors' comeback.
"We couldn't get out to guard anybody," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "We didn't know how we were going to try to play their post up plays ... then we really got casual on offense."
The Clippers fell apart in the second quarter, shooting 9
percent (2-for-22) from the field. Utah's reserves played virtually
the entire second period and pushed the lead to 50-33 by
intermission.
"This is the NBA, you just can't fall asleep on a team,"
Clippers rookie Lamar Odom said. "We're all professional
athletes."
Game notes
Ten of the 12 players on the Jazz roster scored, including Olden Polynice with a season-high 13 points. ... Tyrone Nesby
scored 23 points for the Clippers. ... The Jazz now leave on a
three-game road trip before ending the season at home against
Sacramento on April 19. ... The Clippers meet Phoenix in Arizona on
Friday night.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
LA Clippers Clubhouse
Utah Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 95
Orlando 91
Philadelphia 93
Washington 84
Charlotte 119
Atlanta 87
Milwaukee 101
Cleveland 100
Detroit 90
Miami 73
New York 91
New Jersey 89
Indiana 77
Toronto 73
Utah 102
LA Clippers 93
Phoenix 122
Vancouver 116
Seattle 110
Minnesota 83
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