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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The Portland Trail Blazers are Scottie
Pippen's team, which meant – at least to Pippen – that the team's
longest losing streak in more than three years was his
responsibility.
|  | | Scottie Pippen asserted himself with a team-high 20 points and season-high six steals Friday. |
Pippen had 20 points and a season-high six steals as the Blazers
stopped their five-game skid with a 90-87 win over the Utah Jazz on
Friday night.
"It was definitely personal," Pippen said. "I was determined
for us to get to the basket and get to the free throw line. It
opened up a lot more opportunities for us."
Arvydas Sabonis added 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting for the
Blazers, whose losing streak was their longest since dropping five
straight from Jan. 5-13, 1998. That streak also ended with a home
victory over the Jazz.
"You could just see the anger and frustration on all our
faces," Dale Davis said.
Donyell Marshall scored 24 points and Karl Malone had 20 of his
22 in the second half for Utah, which has lost two of three games
since a 16-3 stretch. John Stockton had 10 assists.
"We knew they weren't going to go the rest of the season
without winning a game," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "We just
didn't want to be the ones they beat."
Although he didn't score in the fourth quarter, Pippen turned in
his best performance since he scored 22 points at Boston on Jan. 8.
He then missed 18 of the next 19 games, and the Blazers went just
4-7 after he returned Feb. 22.
Pippen was in control at both ends of the floor, directing the
Blazers' offense -- sometimes forcefully -- and deflecting passes at
the other end. All six of his steals came in the first half.
"He was really flying around," Blazers coach Mike Dunleavy
said. "He played with that intensity that was contagious. Our guys
picked up an awful lot from him."
The Jazz trailed by as many as 10 in the fourth quarter, and
Steve Smith's 3-pointer gave the Blazers an 84-75 lead with just
under four minutes to go.
Utah crept back, however. Marshall hit a 3-pointer with 46.1
seconds left, and Bryon Russell made two free throws to cut it to
88-87 with 14.8 seconds left.
Smith, who had received four stitches at halftime after getting
hit above the right eye by Stockton, was fouled and made two free
throws, and Stockton's 3-pointer was off. Pippen grabbed the
rebound and passed long to Detlef Schrempf as time ran out.
"We had it in our grasp; we had opportunities, but we dug
ourselves a hole with turnovers," said Stockton, whose team
committed 19.
With a crucial three-game road trip coming up against San
Antonio, Dallas and Utah, the Blazers moved a half-game ahead of
the Mavericks for the fifth playoff spot in the Western Conference.
"It's still just one game for us," Pippen said. "I think all
of us realize it isn't going to get any easier for us."
The Jazz, meantime, fell 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Spurs
in the Midwest Division.
Pippen had been the most hotheaded of the Blazers during the
losing streak, criticizing his teammates for not going inside
enough and settling for jump shots. He set an example from the
start of the game, driving the lane for two dunks as Portland took
a 14-7 lead.
But Pippen also committed three of the team's eight
first-quarter turnovers, and Utah scored eight straight points. The
Blazers answered with an 8-0 run before the Jazz scored the final
five points of the first quarter to get within 22-21.
With 2.9 seconds left, Sabonis threw a long inbounds pass that
was intercepted by Greg Ostertag, who lurched two steps forward
and, just short of halfcourt, heaved a shot that banked in at the
buzzer for his first career 3-pointer.
Game notes
The Blazers improved to 6-8 in games decided by five points
or fewer. ... Malone played in his 1,255th NBA game, moving past
Paul Silas into 10th place all-time. ... The Jazz have held 18
straight opponents below 49 percent shooting. The Blazers shot 42
percent.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Utah Clubhouse
Portland Clubhouse
RECAPS
Indiana 103
Atlanta 97
Sacramento 100
Philadelphia 79
LA Lakers 101
Washington 89
Cleveland 114
Charlotte 109
Orlando 103
Vancouver 99
Seattle 90
Chicago 80
San Antonio 95
New Jersey 86
Boston 87
Denver 83
Portland 90
Utah 87
LA Clippers 94
Golden State 76
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