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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
WASHINGTON (AP) – Those old guys from the Utah Jazz had some fun
and got some rest at the expense of a frustrated Washington Wizards
team that hit its lowest point of the season.
Donyell Marshall and John Stockton put on a fast-break clinic to
put the game away in the second quarter, and coach Jerry Sloan
played no one more than 28 minutes in Sunday's 118-98 rout of the
Wizards.
|  | | Utah's John Starks soars to the basket, leaving Washington's Laron Profit flatfooted in the fourth quarter. |
"When you've got a team this old, you've got to get them some
rest," said Sloan, whose roster includes seven players born in the
1960s. "We have to rest them before we come over here for the
game. We can't afford to send them to breakfast because we might
(tire) out on the way over there."
Karl Malone scored 20 points in 22 minutes and didn't play the
second or fourth quarters. Stockton had 12 assists and no turnovers
in 22 minutes. Marshall and John Starks added 19 apiece as the
Jazz, 8-2 in their last 10 games, shot 60 percent and had a
season-high 40 assists.
"I can't recall the last time that I didn't check back in the
second quarter," Malone said. "And that's fine. I've played a lot
of minutes, so I'm not squabbling about minutes."
The Jazz toyed with the Wizards, who were behind by 20 midway
through the second quarter as they lost their seventh straight and
13th of 14. Washington lost point guard Chris Whitney to a sprained
ankle in the first four minutes, and Richard Hamilton was ejected
after a double technical in the second quarter.
"I guess when you go through the type of year that we've been
through, there will be times you're affected by the
circumstances," coach Leonard Hamilton said. "Today's probably
the lowest day that we've had. ... I'm always one to look for
positive things to point out, and today was just one of those days
that we couldn't find very much positive to say."
Center Jahidi White said the team was "almost to the point of
giving up" on defense. The Wizards are 0-6 since the eight-player
deadline-day trade with Dallas that's supposed to payoff in a
couple of years – but it's not helping now.
"You can't focus on a couple of years from now," White said.
"What's going on now is going on now, and really what's going on
now is kind of miserable. Hopefully, a couple of years from now
things will turn around, but until that time, what I've got to
focus on is right here, right now."
The game's highlight was an 11-0 run in the second quarter, when
Stockton and Marshall teamed up on three consecutive fast breaks.
Stockton started two of them with steals, the first two ended with
dunks by Marshall. He capped the third one with a layup and a
three-point play.
Another dunk by Marshall a minute later made it 48-25, though
any doubt as to the outcome was erased long before that. The Jazz
had a 23-2 advantage in fast-break points and a 50-28 command of
points in the paint.
Mitch Richmond scored 22 points to lead the Wizards, who shot 35
percent.
The disjointed Wizards' sad display of frustration started with
newcomer Christian Laettner's technical for disputing an offensive
foul in the first quarter. The Jazz immediately went on an 11-3
run.
Not long afterward, Richard Hamilton was whistled for an
offensive foul for barreling shoulder-first into the paint to level
Stockton. Hamilton was called for two quick technicals and was
automatically ejected for his pithy description of the call to an
official.
The worst blow for the Wizards came less than four minutes into
the game, when Whitney sprained his left ankle once again and left
the game. Whitney has been forced to play extended minutes on two
sore ankles since Christmas while the now-departed Rod Strickland
sulked on the bench. Newcomer Hubert Davis handled most of the
point-guard duties the rest of the game.
X-rays were negatives on Whitney's ankle, but Leonard Hamilton
wouldn't say whether the guard would be able to play Wednesday at
Cleveland.
The Jazz shot 63 percent in the third quarter, and the Wizards
didn't get closer than 17 points in the second half.
Game notes
Rookie Mike Smith, Wizards president of basketball
operations Michael Jordan's first-ever draft pick, made his debut.
After spending nearly the entire season on the injured list with
tendinitis in the knee, Smith started his pro career with an
offensive goaltending call and a missed dunk in the second quarter.
He returned in the fourth quarter to score 11 points. The Wizards
call Smith by the first name "Mike" to distinguish him from
starting forward Michael Smith. Neither has a middle name. ...
Washington's Popeye Jones had a season-high 12 points.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Utah Clubhouse
Washington Clubhouse
RECAPS
Toronto 98
New York 88
Charlotte 116
Boston 97
Detroit 93
Orlando 84
New Jersey 120
Indiana 96
Utah 118
Washington 98
Minnesota 119
Seattle 111
Miami 91
Cleveland 79
LA Lakers 110
Golden State 95
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