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Wednesday, Dec. 8 9:00pm ET
Jazz put together 3-game streak | |||||
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 GAME FLOW
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The Utah Jazz have won three straight for the first time all season, beating Golden State, Washington and Dallas. None of those victims represent the NBA's upper crust, but Jeff Hornacek doesn't see any reason to apologize. "We'll take them any way we can right now," Hornacek said after Utah beat the Mavericks 85-79 on Wednesday night. Karl Malone had 29 points and 10 rebounds, Bryon Russell scored 13 points and Hornacek and John Stockton each scored 11 as the Jazz lost a 12-point lead in the third quarter but survived a Dallas rally. The Jazz led 62-51 after three quarters but Cedric Ceballos opened the fourth with three baskets for the Mavs. Ceballos had 13 of his 19 points in the fourth period after going scoreless in the third. Dallas led 69-68 after Ceballos converted a Jazz turnover into a layup on the break. Then Hubert Davis hit from just inside the 3-point line to make it 71-68 with 6:30 remaining. The crowd of 18,090, the smallest in the Delta Center's eight-year history, went into a restless silence. Less than a minute later, Malone answered with a 20-foot jumper that sparked a 7-0 burst. Russell drove for another basket and Stockton hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key. "This will help us in the long run," said Utah center Olden Polynice. "When they took the lead, we came back aggressive. We found a fire that has been missing in the last few weeks." Malone played 39 minutes and carried the Jazz once again. "They're calling more plays for me early," Malone said. "You always want to stay within the system. I'm glad to play 40 minutes a night or more. I just want to win." Dirk Nowitzki scored 15 points, Shawn Bradley had 12 and Michael Finley scored 11 for the Mavericks. Dallas shot 20 percent (4-of-20) in the third quarter, but it didn't matter after Nowitzki's 3-pointer with 9:22 to play pulled the Mavericks within 66-63 and put some action into a slow-paced halfcourt showdown. "One of the craziest games I've ever coached," said Dallas coach Don Nelson. "To be completely unable to make baskets in the third quarter and still be in the game, it was a really wacky game." Ceballos tipped in a basket with 4:15 remaining and Dallas trailed 75-73, but the Mavericks never led again. "We went out there a little too casual and they started making their shots," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. "We had to have a really good finish to win the ball game. I thought we executed down the stretch." Malone hit an 18-footer and Stockton found Russell for an open 21-foot jumper as the Jazz stretched the lead to 79-73. Nowitzki made two free throws and scored on a fast break as the Mavericks closed to 79-77, but Stockton threw a backdoor bounce pass to Howard Eisley with 1:28 remaining and then hit a running jumper with 54.8 seconds left. The Jazz shot 45 percent for the game while the Mavs shot 35 percent. "It was kind of a slow, ugly game," Hornacek said. "You have shots open all over the place. You just have to try to figure out which ones to take. You miss a couple and guys start thinking about it. Then you start missing more." Game notesUtah's Adam Keefe played in the 500th game of his career, scoring eight points off the bench. ... Rick Hughes, a Dallas rookie who spent the preseason with the Jazz before being waived, had two points in 14 minutes. ... Utah had a 49-36 rebounding advantage, the 20th time the Mavericks have been outrebounded in their last 21 games. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Dallas Clubhouse Utah Clubhouse   | |||||