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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Hot-shooting Utah couldn't miss Friday
night and Phoenix didn't really have a chance.
|  | | A familiar sight: Utah's John Stockton on the drive. |
The Jazz, second in the league in field goal percentage, shot a
season-best 62.7 percent from the field and improved to 14-1 in
games when they make at least half their shots as Utah defeated
Phoenix 107-95.
"When we shoot the ball like that, we're awfully tough to
beat," said Karl Malone, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds.
"If you're shooting the ball and having that kind of field goal
percentage, you get the feeling that everything's going to be in
your favor all night," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said.
Almost everything did go Utah's way except holding onto the ball
as the Jazz committed 23 turnovers.
"We had too many turnovers," Sloan said. "It looked like we
had never seen each other out there a couple of times."
But the Jazz could certainly find the hoop. David Benoit scored
a season-high 18 points and Bryon Russell had 14.
"If you don't make them take tough shots, then you don't have a
chance. We just didn't play defense," Jason Kidd said.
John Stockton added 12 points and nine assists as Utah (43-18)
won its fourth straight game and maintained its lead in the race
for the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
"The Jazz know what they're trying to do right now. They're
trying for the best record in the West and then win a world
championship ... hopefully we have some guys who can learn
something from them," Phoenix coach Scott Skiles said.
Shawn Marion led Phoenix (36-25) with 24 points, and Tony Delk
had 21. Kidd handed out 13 assists but scored just nine points on 3-for-10 shooting.
The Jazz made their key run in the third quarter when they
turned a 58-49 lead into a 21-point cushion during a four-minute
span. Malone, who had six points in the 14-2 run, made two free
throws with 2:44 remaining in the quarter to make it 72-51.
"We did a good job of executing tonight, much better than we
did in Phoenix. We ran our plays and got good looks at the basket
all night ... it was a total turnaround from they last time we
played," John Starks said, referring to Utah's 40-percent shooting
in the 90-80 loss at Phoenix Feb. 25.
The closest the Suns could get after the big Jazz run was 11
points late in the fourth quarter as Utah has won six of its last
seven games.
The Suns, who scored 38 points in the fourth quarter to make the
final score respectable, seemed to feel the effects of the largest
collapse in team history as they blew a 28-point lead in a 100-89
loss to Sacramento on Wednesday.
The Suns have lost four of their last six games and gave the
Jazz a bevy of open shots as they were slow to come off double-teams and rotations.
Stockton and Malone were only required to play a combined 53
minutes as Benoit, who shot 7-for-11, and the bench kept the Suns
on their heels.
Benoit scored four points in an 8-0 Utah run to start the second
quarter. Russell's dunk gave the Jazz their biggest lead of the
first half at 30-19 with 8:10 left until halftime.
Game notes
Phoenix starting center Jake Tsakaladis dressed but did
not play due to a sprained right ankle. ... Marion and Starks
embraced before the opening tipoff. Starks undercut Marion as he
elevated for a rebound in the teams' last meeting, causing the Suns
forward to be carried off on a stretcher and miss three games with
a concussion. ... The Suns' lead in the race for the last playoff
spot in the Western Conference shrank to 2.5 games ahead of
Houston.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Phoenix Clubhouse
Utah Clubhouse
RECAPS
Indiana 99
Cleveland 84
Philadelphia 108
Atlanta 103
Boston 104
Washington 72
Miami 86
Minnesota 79
New Jersey 96
New York 83
Detroit 108
Chicago 75
Dallas 102
Golden State 73
Utah 107
Phoenix 95
Toronto 110
Seattle 99
Vancouver 95
Portland 85
San Antonio 93
LA Lakers 89
Sacramento 110
Denver 104
AUDIO/VIDEO
 John Starks makes a steal and goes the distance for a layup.
avi: 697 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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