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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Donyell Marshall loves being in Utah. The
Jazz and their fans are happy to have him.
|  | | Jazz forward Donyell Marshall battled for one of his game-high 21 rebounds on Monday. |
Karl Malone scored 29 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out
nine assists, barely missing his fourth career triple-double as the
Utah Jazz beat the Houston Rockets 116-104 in overtime Monday
night.
Marshall, meanwhile, had season highs with 26 points and 21
rebounds for the Jazz, who got the first six points of the extra
period and went on to outscore Houston 19-7 in overtime.
"I was just trying to do whatever it took for us to win," said
Marshall, who joined the Jazz in an offseason trade that sent Adam
Keefe to Golden State and Howard Eisley to Dallas.
"Karl has been helping me a lot, showing me where to stand for
a rebound, where to be on offense. On defense, Houston is a team
that can play above the rim and rebound. I just had to do what I
could," Marshall said.
John Starks scored 19 and John Stockton had 18, while Danny
Manning and Jacque Vaughn each came off the bench to score 10. The
victory moved Utah one-half game ahead of San Antonio for the
Midwest Division lead.
Shandon Anderson, who left Utah after the 1998-99 season as a
free agent, scored a season-high 26. Steve Francis had 21, Maurice
Taylor and Cuttino Mobley each had 15 and Matt Bullard scored 11
for Houston.
"I don't know what happened in overtime," Francis said. "We
didn't make shots and they made some big shots that kind of took
the lead off."
Malone could have put the Rockets away with the Jazz leading
97-94, but he missed two free throws with 14.2 seconds remaining.
After a Houston timeout, Kenny Thomas hit a 3-pointer from the left
corner with 5.2 seconds on the clock.
"I probably should have made one of those free throws, but it
was a great win for us," said Malone, who wouldn't discuss the
near-triple-double. "It was neat the way we finished it, but it
probably shouldn't have gotten there (overtime)."
The Jazz set up a play for Stockton, who drove but missed a
runner from the left side of the lane as regulation time expired.
Marshall, who made his fourth straight start, is hitting stride
with Utah after languishing for seven seasons in Golden State.
"Since we've started him, he seems to play better and better,"
said Utah coach Jerry Sloan. "He seems to be getting a lot better
feel for what we're doing. He's not just looking for 3-point shots
like he was early in the season."
Since scoring 20 points and grabbing 15 rebounds against the
Rockets on Jan. 6, Marshall has seemed like a perfect fit for the
Jazz. He had 16 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's victory
over the Lakers.
While Anderson fled Utah, with its predominantly White culture
and reputation for family oriented living, Marshall is playing with
a winner for the first time ever and enjoying his lifestyle, too.
"A lot of people probably don't want to come here because of
the nightlife, but I've been having a ball here," Marshall said.
"The fans have accepted me. I haven't had any trouble. I get to
spend a lot of time with my kids."
In the first half against the Rockets, Marshall had 12 rebounds
in the first half. At one point late in the second period, his 11
boards trailed Houston's team total by only four.
"When we're playing well, that has me excited the most,"
Marshall said.
It wasn't a crisp effort by the Jazz, who shot 43 percent
through the third quarter but turned it on in the fourth. Still,
they couldn't shake the pesky Rockets, who got eight points in the
final period from Mobley.
For a while, it seemed Anderson would have the last laugh with
fans who booed him each time his name came across the public
address system. His 3-pointer with 6:13 remaining in regulation
pulled the Rockets within 82-81.
Game notes
The Jazz played the third of an eight-game homestand, the
longest homestand in the history of the New Orleans-Utah franchise.
... Greg Ostertag worked out before tipoff but changed into street
clothes and sat on the Utah bench. ... Houston's Carlos Rogers
didn't make the trip for undisclosed personal reasons.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Houston Clubhouse
Utah Clubhouse
RECAPS
New York 104
San Antonio 82
Milwaukee 101
Washington 95
Philadelphia 84
Charlotte 79
New Jersey 84
Atlanta 78
Sacramento 116
Dallas 105
Boston 107
Minnesota 102
Cleveland 107
Golden State 101
Indiana 89
LA Clippers 74
Orlando 113
Chicago 104
LA Lakers 113
Vancouver 112
Denver 122
Seattle 111
Utah 116
Houston 104
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Rudy Tomjanovich Official Site
Karl Malone Official Site
Bryon Russell Official Site
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