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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- No, Jason Kidd wasn't in the Phoenix
lineup. Just the same, the Utah Jazz didn't fool themselves into
thinking the Suns would be softer without him.
|  | | Karl Malone gets hit with a technical foul here, but it doesn't stop him from dominating the Suns. |
Karl Malone scored 30 points and Greg Ostertag had a season-high
15 to lead the surging Jazz to a 109-98 victory Sunday over the
Suns, who began a six-game road trip without Kidd.
The All-Star and U.S. Olympic team standout is mending his
family life after being accused last week of hitting his wife at
their suburban Phoenix home. Kidd won't be back until the end of
the month.
But the Jazz have seen this one before.
Philadelphia came into the Delta Center on Dec. 20, seemingly
depleted after Allen Iverson suffered a shoulder injury days
earlier. The 76ers left with a 97-91 victory, and the Jazz were
determined not to repeat their mistake.
"We knew the Suns were going to come out and try to prove
something," said Donyell Marshall, who scored 14. "Sometimes,
having your best guy out makes other people step up."
Bryon Russell, in his second game since returning from an
injured ankle, scored 15 while John Stockton added 13 points and 10
assists for Utah, which has won five of its last six.
Rodney Rogers came off the bench to score a season-high 27
points for the Suns before fouling out with 1:15 to play. Cliff
Robinson scored 20, Tony Delk had 17 and Shawn Marion 13 for
Phoenix.
No question the Suns missed Kidd, whose 9.9 average leads the
NBA in assists. It really showed in Phoenix's 24 turnovers, eight
above the team's average and good for 24 points for the Jazz.
"We didn't take care of the ball and we had a hard time
stopping them," said Suns coach Scott Skiles. "When we did stop
them, we turned it back over. Against a good team, you're always
going to lose when you do that."
The Suns also were depleted because Tom Gugliotta was with his
ailing mother in New York and Penny Hardaway went on the injured
list last week with an inflamed left knee.
That gave Phoenix a starting lineup that included rookie center
Jake Tsakalidis and journeyman point guard Elliott Perry, a
nine-year veteran who signed a 10-day contract Wednesday.
It was the first career start for Tsakalidis, the 25th overall
pick of last year's draft. He scored six points in 30 minutes.
Malone, meanwhile, once again served as Utah's best victory
barometer.
The Jazz are 14-2 this season when the 16-year veteran scores at
least 25 points. And when Malone had 11 points by the end of the
first quarter, it looked like a good day for the Mailman.
"It's just another game," Malone said in his limited post-game
comments.
The Suns stayed close through the first half, trailing 53-51 at
the break. But Phoenix went 4:16 without a field goal late in the
third quarter as Utah opened a 77-72 lead going into the fourth.
The Jazz stretched the lead to 93-78 with 5:30 remaining on a
fast-break dunk by Marshall. Delk cut the margin to 93-84 with 4:52
to play after consecutive 3-point plays.
But with Kidd out of the picture, the Suns had nobody to guide
them. Ostertag scored inside to start a 6-0 run and the Jazz padded
the lead by hitting 12-of-17 free throws in the fourth quarter.
"We got into foul trouble," said Robinson, who played nine
minutes in the second half because of fouls. "That hurt us because
they did a good job of getting to the line."
Game notes
Stockton is three games from 1,300 in his 17-year career
and six games from tying Elvin Hayes (1,303) for fifth on the NBA's
all-time list. ... Phoenix has lost five straight at the Delta
Center. ... Ostertag, a 56 percent free-throw shooter, was 4-for-5
at the line. ... The Jazz were called four times for illegal
defense in the second half.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Phoenix Clubhouse
Utah Clubhouse
Suns' Kidd skipping trip to mend fences with wife
RECAPS
Indiana 87
New York 74
Washington 94
Atlanta 90
Toronto 110
Philadelphia 106
Utah 109
Phoenix 98
Minnesota 96
Vancouver 94
Miami 103
LA Lakers 92
Milwaukee 102
Detroit 98
Golden State 94
Boston 91
Seattle 109
Sacramento 107
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Karl Malone Official Site
Bryon Russell Official Site
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