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Monday, Dec. 27 9:00pm ET
Kidd's last-second jumper falls short | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- When Jason Kidd's 17-foot jumper rattled out the Utah Jazz had to breathe a sigh of relief, avoiding their third straight loss by a total of five points. The Suns, meantime have lost three of their last four games with all three losses coming by a total of three points. Utah survived a Jason Kidd triple-double to escape with a 92-91 win Monday night.
Karl Malone scored 28 points, and the Jazz won for the ninth time in 12 games, despite missing their final four field-goal attempts. John Stockton, whose nose was apparently broken in the closing minute, missed three free throws and a layup down the stretch. "I don't think people realize how big this game was for us, because we had a two-game losing streak and had lost some tough ones," said Malone, who made eight free throws, moving past Oscar Robertson (7,694) for free-throws made into second place behind Moses Malone. Karl Malone now has 7,697 for his career. "We came back against a really good Phoenix Suns team and were able to get the win." Rex Chapman led the Suns with 29 points on 10-of-14 shooting. Kidd had 16 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds, his fourth triple-double in the last seven games. He made the Suns' last three field goals, bringing them within 91-89 with 1:22 to play and within 92-91 with 23.9 seconds left. He also delivered an accidental elbow to Stockton earlier in the game. A Jazz spokesperson said Stockton was taken to a local hospital after the game to have the nose reset. After Stockton missed two free throws with 12 seconds left, the Suns called timeout and Kidd dribbled to the angle left and got a good look at a 17-footer. The shot was just long and Karl Malone grabbed the rebound and dribbled out the remaining seconds. "We had a great look to win a game on the road and the ball just didn't go in," said Kidd, who had triple-doubles last Tuesday, Dec. 18 and Dec. 17. "We didn't take care of the ball tonight. But we played tough on the road and they are a talented team." Indeed, the Jazz benefited from 24 Phoenix turnovers, but shot just 42 percent (33-77). "That was quite a win for us," said Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan, whose team went 4-3 on an Eastern road trip before Christmas. "You come back after a seven-game road trip and everybody expects a lot of energy from you. It's tough to do, but I thought our guys played real hard." Chapman hurt the Jazz with three 3-pointers and 10-of-14 shooting for the night. His last bomb came with 9:30 remaining to pull the Suns within three, 76-73. Chapman hit a jumper and three free throws in the final five minutes to keep the Suns close. Game notesKidd leads the league in assists at 9.2 playing 39.9 minutes per game; Stockton is sixth in assists, averaging 8.0 in 28 minutes a game. ... Kidd has 30 triple-doubles, one more than Grant Hill, two more than Michael Jordan, for sixth-place all-time. ... Prior to Monday's game, Robinson had started the Suns' previous 11 games since the knee injury to Shawn Marion, averaging 21.5 points, shooting 51.4 percent and 49 percent from the three-point line. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Phoenix Clubhouse Utah Clubhouse Suns' team doctor thinks supplement caused Gugliotta's seizure
RECAPS Charlotte 108 Atlanta 104
Utah 92
San Antonio 105
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