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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – As the Utah Jazz lost three games in a
row, Karl Malone was uncharacteristically quiet – especially when
the games were close.
Malone made some noise Friday night as he scored 25 of his 33 points in the second half and Utah beat Cleveland 95-88 to get back on the winning track.
"I figured it was time for me to make some noise because this wasn't an easy game and they (the Cavs) were going to fight to the end," Malone said.
Malone, who shot 11-for-19 from the field and 11-for-16 from the line, delivered a pair of crucial baskets in the last four minutes when the Cavaliers closed within five points.
"Sometimes when you feel like things are going bad for you, you
tend to want to lay down. But that's not this team," Malone said.
The Jazz looked winded at times playing their fourth game in
five days but Malone, who prides himself on his prime physical
conditioning even at age 37, made all the big plays.
"Karl Malone is no longer a young man and he had a huge game
for us," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "When we had to get the job
done, we got the ball where it was supposed to go."
Donyell Marshall scored 17 points and John Stockton added 14 points and five steals for the Jazz.
Andre Miller had 24 points and nine assists for the Cavaliers,
who have lost 11 straight games in Salt Lake City and are winless
in the Delta Center.
"It was a very physical game. Utah is a physical team and if
you don't stand up to them, you don't stand a chance," Cleveland
coach Randy Wittman said. "I thought our guys did a good job of
standing up."
But no Cavalier could quite measure up to Malone.
Miller hit a pair of free throws with four minutes left as
Cleveland closed within 88-83. Malone countered with a jumper to
push the Jazz's lead to seven points.
Chucky Brown's layup with 48 seconds left got the Cavaliers
within five points again, but Malone took a pass from Stockton and
dropped in a layup to secure the victory.
"It was a tough win and I liked the way down the stretch ... we were able to keep our composure and get a win," Malone said.
Wesley Person and Chris Mihm each scored 15 for the Cavaliers,
who have lost nine straight road games.
"We played a good game and we played really hard, but they got
some calls and made the big plays at the end," Miller said.
The Jazz led 64-52 midway through the third quarter. Cleveland
stormed back, cutting the deficit to 68-67 on a 3-pointer by Person
with 2:13 left in the period.
Utah used a 9-3 run, capped by a jumper by Malone with 9:19 to
play, to gain a 77-70 lead.
The Jazz, coming off a 106-88 loss in San Antonio on Thursday,
struggled early. Utah, which trailed by as many as six points,
committed nine turnovers in the first quarter, but rallied for a
47-41 halftime lead.
Game notes
Stockton played in his 1330th game, passing Moses Malone for third place on the NBA career games-played list. ... Danny
Manning and Chris Gatling were ejected after exchanging pushes with 9:07 left in the game. The pair received a double technical 26
seconds earlier. ... Cleveland placed forward Cedric Henderson on the Injured List with a strained left groin and activated Robert Traylor before the game. ... Bryon Russell started in place of John
Starks, who shot 6-of-25 for the Jazz in the team's three losses.
Russell didn't fare any better, shooting 1-of-10. ... The Cavs beat
Utah 99-92 on Dec. 16 in Cleveland to improve to 15-7 before losing
eight of their next nine games. ... The Jazz improved to 12-4 in
the second games of back-to-back sets ... Utah is 21-7 against
Eastern Conference teams.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Cleveland Clubhouse
Utah Clubhouse
RECAPS
Philadelphia 102
Golden State 89
Toronto 110
New Jersey 99
Indiana 92
Boston 87
Denver 103
Charlotte 96
Detroit 100
Orlando 97
Utah 95
Cleveland 88
Portland 96
New York 79
Seattle 94
LA Clippers 84
LA Lakers 98
Dallas 89
Sacramento 110
Minnesota 98
AUDIO/VIDEO
 John Starks gets the steal, then leaves it on the doorstep for the Donyell Marshall jam.
avi: 644 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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