RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
SALT LAKE CITY -- Karl Malone's first eight points carried
him past Wilt Chamberlain. The Mailman's next 23 carried the Utah
Jazz past the Toronto Raptors.
|  | | Karl Malone delighted the Delta Center crowd Tuesday when his fourth basket of the night bounced in, lifting him past Wilt Chamberlain. |
Malone moved past Chamberlain for second place on the NBA's
career scoring list Tuesday night, hitting a scoop in the lane with
4:58 left in the second quarter of Utah's 98-84 victory over
Toronto.
Malone finished with 31 points, giving him 31,443 in his 16-year
career. Chamberlain scored 31,419 in 14 seasons. Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar is the league's career leader with 38,387.
Malone, the most prolific power forward in NBA history and a
16-year fixture for the Utah Jazz, went into the Toronto game
needing eight points to pass Chamberlain.
It was Malone's night. He added 12 rebounds and three blocked
shots, and the only lowlight was when he was ejected with less than
one minute to play after getting his second technical for arguing
with referee Marc Davis.
Even then, Malone received a standing ovation when he left the
floor.
But it took a while for Malone to get going. He missed his first
shot and dropped a pass from John Stockton out of bounds, his only
touches in the first five minutes.
He finally made a 22-foot jumper midway through the first
period, then hit from 18 feet on the left wing. With 1:54 on the
clock, he got a fast-break layup on a feed from Bryon Russell.
After sitting most of the second quarter, Malone came in to
cheers. Flashbulbs twinkled in the crowd when he threw in a jumper
for the apparent historic points but Toronto was called for an
illegal defense, negating the basket.
The points to surpass Chamberlain came, naturally, on a feed
from Stockton, Malone's longtime teammate and the point guard who
made so many of his baskets possible.
Malone stepped into the lane, swept past defender Corliss
Williamson and flipped the ball in, touching off a chorus of cheers
that continued until a dead ball about one minute later.
The fans continued to cheer Malone as he went to the bench
during a break in play. He was swarmed by teammates, who hugged him
and gave him high-fives.
Chamberlain, who died in October 1999 at age 63, scored 31,419
points during 14 seasons in the NBA. He averaged 30.1 points a game
and still holds the league's single-game scoring record of 100
points.
At his current average of about 23 points a game, the
37-year-old Malone would need to play about four more seasons to
catch Abdul-Jabbar. Malone passed Michael Jordan for third place on
the list in November 1999.
Malone credited his durability for helping his career. He has
missed only seven games, four to league suspensions and three to
injuries.
Passing Chamberlain was bittersweet for Malone. Last week, he
spoke of Chamberlain's huge impact on basketball and how it's too
bad some records can't stay in place forever.
Malone missed a chance to reach the milestone last weekend. He
needed 22 points going into Saturday's game in Charlotte but scored
only 14.
That allowed Malone to pass Chamberlain in front of his
homecourt fans. The Delta Center was filled nearly to capacity,
with some 18,000 fans roaring after Malone's historic basket went
down.
Russell scored 17 points, including six during a late 14-3 run
after the Raptors pulled within 78-77 with 6:27 to play. Stockton
added 12 points and directed Utah's late surge while Olden Polynice
scored 10.
Kevin Willis led the Raptors with 20 points while Morris
Peterson added 15, Alvin Williams had 14, Antonio Davis 13 and Dell
Curry 12.
Toronto was missing two top players. Vince Carter wore a suit as
he nurses a strained quadriceps and Charles Oakley was serving the
second night of a three-game league suspension.
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NBA Scoreboard
Toronto Clubhouse
Utah Clubhouse
AthletesDirect: Karl Malone's official Web site
RECAPS
Indiana 88
New Jersey 64
Miami 100
Atlanta 92
Cleveland 71
Charlotte 66
Orlando 101
Boston 98
Minnesota 100
Chicago 90
Sacramento 81
San Antonio 75
Houston 109
Dallas 102
Utah 98
Toronto 84
Vancouver 91
Detroit 83
LA Lakers 96
Philadelphia 85
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Karl Malone was glad to have the support of his Utah teammates. (Courtesy: KJZZ)
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Utah has been a big part of Karl Malone's life on and off the court. (Courtesy: KJZZ)
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
ESPN's Fred Carter says Wilt and Karl took two different paths to reach this milestone.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Kay Malone hoped her husband would take a break to celebrate, but Karl Malone wanted to play ball.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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