RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- With Tim Duncan and David Robinson blocking
shots and Danny Ferry accumulating steals, the San Antonio Spurs'
defense was too much for Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz to overcome.
|  | | Tim Duncan's defensive prowess helped hold the Utah Jazz to 39 percent field goal shooting Tuesday in the Spurs' win. |
In an 86-79 win over the Jazz on Tuesday night, the Spurs
managed to stop an offense that had been leading the NBA with a
48.4 field goal percentage and hand Utah its second straight loss.
San Antonio held the Jazz to just 39 percent shooting, and
Robinson allowed just 15 points to Malone, who had entered the game
as the NBA's third-leading scorer with a 28.2 average.
"I missed a lot of wide open shots tonight that I normally
make," said Malone, who shot just 7-of-19 from the field and
1-of-2 from the foul line. "I would consider myself in a bit of a
slump shooting-wise right now. But you don't panic, you just work
it out, correct it, and take the shots they give you."
The 6-foot-9 Malone was guarded mainly by the 7-1 Robinson,
though Duncan also pitched in.
"They're one of the better defensive teams, because they have
guys who can get there really quick," Malone said. "Their big
guys are really active."
Ferry, a 6-10 reserve forward, contributed by grabbing a
career-high five steals, including one from Malone that sparked a
layup by Malik Rose early in the fourth quarter and helped build a
19-point Spurs lead.
"They just played us pretty much straight up defensively,"
Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "They know they are quicker at nearly
every position."
Robinson, who finished with nine rebounds and three blocked
shots, held Malone to six points in the first half, just two in the
second quarter.
It was Robinson who last week held Shaquille O'Neal to 13 points in the Spurs' 91-81 win over the Lakers.
"Our defense is really good," Robinson said. "Scrambling,
getting good rotations, cutting off the easy penetrations. Utah is
well known for their easy buckets, transition buckets, backdoors,
all kinds of things. We take that stuff away."
The Spurs' defense kicked in to compensate for 6-of-15 shooting
by Duncan and Derek Anderson, who each finished with 15 points. San
Antonio shot just 41.5 percent from the field.
"Shots weren't falling," Duncan said. "Things weren't going
our way. Defensively, on the other hand, things were going really
well: rotating, getting to people, blocking shots, getting hands on
their shots. They didn't get any easy looks tonight."
Duncan grabbed 10 defensive rebounds -- 12 in all -- and had seven
assists and three blocks for the Spurs. Sean Elliott added 11
points and Antonio Daniels 10 for San Antonio.
For Utah, John Stockton scored 14 points, Bryon Russell 11 and
Danny Manning 10.
San Antonio took the lead with 8:36 left in the first quarter on
two free throws by Duncan and never let it go.
The Jazz narrowed the lead to four points three times but could
never come any closer. They used a 11-4 burst late in the second
quarter to bring it to 39-35 on a steal by Stockton followed by a
fast-break layup by Donyell Marshall, assisted by Russell.
But the Spurs responded with an 11-2 spurt that began with
Elliott's 3-pointer and brought the score to 57-44 early in the
third quarter.
San Antonio led by as many as 19, but Utah went on a 12-2 run in
the fourth to cut the lead to 77-68 on a layup by Manning with 5:25
to play.
Game notes
The Jazz are now 5-2 and dropped a half-game behind the
Spurs in the Midwest Division. San Antonio improved to 6-2. ...
Duncan had his seventh double-double in eight games. He has been
leading the league in double-doubles since the start of the '97-98
season with 161. ... The Spurs are now 43-18 against the Jazz at
home. Utah holds a 62-57 advantage overall.
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NBA Scoreboard
Utah Clubhouse
San Antonio Clubhouse
RECAPS
Atlanta 99
Portland 97
Cleveland 96
Golden State 86
Miami 89
Charlotte 86
Sacramento 96
Orlando 82
Houston 110
Chicago 83
San Antonio 86
Utah 79
Seattle 96
New York 75
LA Lakers 119
Denver 103
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