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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – When Karl Malone was a rookie, he failed to sink even half of his free throws.
|  | | Jahidi White's 18 points and eight rebounds were a bright spot in a dismal outing for the Wizards. |
Now in his 16th season, he has made more free throws than anyone
else in NBA history.
"It's one of those things I never imagined to accomplish as a
player. I don't really think about records like this, but it's
pretty awesome," said Malone, who became the NBA career leader for
free throws made as the Utah Jazz beat the Washington Wizards
119-93 Saturday night.
Malone became the NBA career leader for free throws made when he
converted a pair of foul shots with 10:48 remaining in the third quarter to give Utah a 72-40 lead.
Malone, who has made 8,534 of 11,576 free throws in his 16-year
career, passed Moses Malone, who made 8,531 of 11,090.
"That's quite an accomplishment on his part. I was here when he first started out ... and he got better by working at it," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said.
Malone shot just 48 percent from the line in his rookie season
and less than 60 percent in his second season.
"It's a tribute to Karl and what it takes to improve. It's
another indicator of the type of player he is. He just finds ways
of getting better every year," John Stockton said.
Unlike the well-documented free throw travails of Shaquille
O'Neal, Malone made his turnaround at the line when no one was
watching.
"It's one of those situations when you just need to get away from the cameras and the crowds. The summers are the time to get better," Malone said.
Jacque Vaughn scored a career-high 18 points as the Jazz were in front of the Wizards from start to finish and led by as many as 39 midway through the fourth quarter.
Donyell Marshall scored 16 points, Malone added 15 and Scott Padgett 13 for the Jazz.
Richard Hamilton scored 25 points for Washington, which has lost
five of its last six games. Jahidi White added 18 as the Wizards
closed their road trip with a 1-4 record.
The Jazz, coming off a disappointing 101-99 loss to Portland on
Thursday, charged to a 28-8 lead in the first eight minutes. Utah
scored 20 of its first 28 points on a combination of layups, dunks
and free throws, shooting 82 percent in the first quarter.
"We made a conscious effort to get easy baskets right from the
start," Marshall said.
The Wizards shot 26 percent and trailed 41-13 at the end of the
first quarter.
"Once the Jazz found out we weren't playing defense, they just had their way with us tonight. I thought they kicked our butts," White said.
Utah set season-highs in first-quarter and first-half points.
The Jazz led 70-40 at the break.
The Jazz shot 58 percent from the field but his teammates' postgame focus was on what Malone accomplishment during his 9-of-10 performance from the line.
"It's a great tribute to a combination of work ethic and
concentration. I heard about his troubles when came into the league
and now he's one of the best shooters on our team," Vaughn said.
Game notes
Mitch Richmond, Washington's second-leading scorer,
missed the game due to a strained right knee. ... Selected one of
the top 50 players in NBA history, Malone has improved his career
percentage almost every season and averages 73.7 percent. ...
Earlier this season, Malone moved past Wilt Chamberlain and into
second place on the NBA career scoring list.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Washington Clubhouse
Utah Clubhouse
RECAPS
Cleveland 117
Denver 105
Dallas 103
Charlotte 100
Utah 119
Washington 93
Seattle 93
Houston 90
Golden State 103
Detroit 95
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