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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Karl Malone finally feels good physically
and now he's putting the hurt on his opponents.
|  | | Utah's Karl Malone slams down two of his 30 points despite some aches and pains. |
Malone, who has been plagued by back pain, had 30 points and 13
rebounds, including 11 points in a 2:44 stretch of the fourth
quarter, to lead Utah over Boston 114-99 Monday.
With the victory, Utah jumps above San Antonio in the race for the top spot in the Midwest Division. Utah is at 35-16, while the Spurs dropped to 35-17 after a 102-98 setback against Milwaukee.
"I'm feeling really good and I guess it shows out there," said
Malone, who was smiling and playing off the fans all night. "The
last three weeks have been the best I've felt physically the whole
season."
Malone, who rarely speaks about his aches and rarely misses
games to injury, was summoned back to the court when the Celtics
cut the Jazz lead to 99-86 with 5:56 left in the game.
"It was frustrating to see them come back a little after we had
them down, but we took care of them soon enough," said the
Mailman, who was 3-for-4 from the field and made five of six free throws
in the fourth quarter.
Utah led 110-94 when he returned to the sideline.
Malone, who is averaging 30.6 in his last five starts, added,
"I'm just an old man and (Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce) have a
hell of a lot more talent than I've ever had."
Walker scored 27 for the Celtics (24-29), who hoped they had
turned the corner after victories in Seattle and Portland on this
West Coast trip.
Pierce added 22 for the Celtics, who have lost 10 of the last 11
in the Delta Center.
The Jazz led comfortably most of the second half, but Walker hit
back-to back 3-pointers midway through the fourth quarter to cut
the lead to 99-86.
"You make your run at them," Walker said, "but they can
counter in so many ways."
Malone countered the spurt quickly and the Jazz led 110-94 when
he returned to the sidelines.
"That's what Karl has been doing here for years and years. It's
nothing new," said John Stockton, Utah's point guard.
Utah's 114 points matched the highest point total against the Celtics
this season. Utah reserve Bryon Russell had 15 as the Jazz bench
outscored the Boston backups 57-37.
The Celtics, who had won nine of their last 11 games, got behind
early and never cut the lead below 12 points in the second half.
"This isn't the type of team you want to dig a hole against,"
Walker said.
The Jazz dominated the boards 55-28, including 18 on the
offensive end, and outscored the Celtics in the paint, 44-20.
"One of the things that has helped us is that we're going to
the basket," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said.
Stockton handed out 11 assists for the Jazz, who are now
15-6 against Eastern Conference teams.
Boston missed nine of its first 10 shots and fell behind 16-4
after a dunk by Utah rookie DeShawn Stevenson.
The Celtics slowly battled back, and after three consecutive
Walker 3-pointers, Boston had sliced the lead to 35-33 with 7:11
left in the second quarter.
But the Jazz surged back with a 15-2 run and led 58-44 at
halftime with a 31-14 advantage on the boards.
Malone said, "Our guys are getting more aggressive going after
the basketball and making some things happen."
Winning just happens to be one of those things for the red-hot
Jazz.
Game notes
Antoine Walker scored just two points in his first 13
minutes, then added 10 points in less than two minutes. ... Donyell Marshall (eight points) failed to
score in double figures for the first time in 18 games since
becoming a starter.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Boston Clubhouse
Utah Clubhouse
RECAPS
Cleveland 85
Chicago 84
LA Clippers 111
Detroit 106
Milwaukee 102
San Antonio 98
Utah 114
Boston 99
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