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Friday, Mar. 3 8:00pm ET
Stockton scores 8 in final 4:40 | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Bryon Russell thought it was a great call. Eddie Jones disagreed. Whether the call was right or wrong, Russell drew an offensive foul on Jones on an inbounds play with 7.7 seconds left in Friday night's 89-87 Utah victory over Charlotte. The Hornets trailed 87-85 at the time, and the call ended their hopes for a much-needed victory. "The play at the end just happened," Russell said. "I played defense. That's what I do. I thought it was a great call." Jones, who scored 31 points, offered the opposite perspective. "He was falling down and holding me, trying to pull me down," Jones said. "This was one of our most difficult losses," Hornets coach Paul Silas said. "This was one of the best teams in the league, and we played them tooth and nail. At the end of the ballgame, we had the ball in our best guy's hands. I liked our chances, but it just didn't go our way." John Stockton, who scored eight of his 22 points in the final 4:40, saw more than enough of Jones but missed the decisive play. "I had my back turned, so I didn't see what happened," Stockton said. "I heard the whistle and turned around and saw Bryon on the floor." Stockton and fellow veterans Karl Malone and Jeff Hornacek, who total 42 seasons in the NBA, combined to have a decisive impact on the game. Malone, who had 19 points and 13 rebounds, broke an 82-82 tie with two free throws with 1:22 left. Hornacek, who scored 13 points, hit a 3-pointer with 49.4 seconds remaining to put the Jazz ahead 87-82. Jones answered with a 3-pointer with 33.2 seconds remaining, and the Hornets rebounded a Utah miss and called timeout with 7.7 seconds left. Shortly thereafter, the crucial and controversial foul occurred. Stockton, who also had seven assists, made two free throws to seal it. Bryon Russell added 13 points for the Jazz, who have won three straight. Baron Davis had 13 points for the Hornets, losers of three straight at home, followed by Elden Campbell with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Malone accounted for eight points during Utah's 16-4 surge to open the third quarter, and the Jazz held a 61-51 lead on Stockton's jumper with 5:32 left in the period. Jones scored the final five points of the quarter and narrowed the Utah advantage to 64-60. Campbell and Jones were the only Hornets players to score during a 13-point third quarter. Sparked by two 3-pointers from Davis, Charlotte opened the fourth with a 10-0 run, ending with Eddie Robinson's dunk with 8:22 left. The game was tied five times before Charlotte took its last lead at 82-80 on two free throws by Jones with 2:02 left. Eleven seconds later, Stockton erased the advantage with a jumper. Game notesThe Hornets play host to the Chicago Bulls on Sunday in a game postponed from Jan. 12, the day Charlotte forward Bobby Phills died in an automobile accident. ... Hornets power forward Derrick Coleman missed his third straight game with a sprained right ankle. ... Polynice blocked four shots in the first quarter, seven in the game. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Utah Clubhouse Charlotte Clubhouse RECAPS Toronto 114 Boston 104
Utah 89
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