RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Big victory for Sacramento. Big loss, too,
if Chris Webber's sprained left ankle turns out to be something
more serious.
Bobby Jackson scored 17 points and made a late steal as the
Sacramento Kings overcame the late injury to Webber to beat the
Utah Jazz 97-94 in overtime Tuesday night.
It was an intense game from the opening tip and the Kings
celebrated in the dressing room, even though they don't know
whether their star will play Thursday night at Portland.
"Don't know. I've got to get some X-rays and hope it gets
better," Webber said, his ankle wrapped heavily in ice.
Webber, who scored 34 points, was carried off with 0.9 seconds
remaining in regulation after collapsing while driving the baseline
against Karl Malone. He was expected to be re-evaluated Wednesday
morning.
"I was hoping for the call and then when I came down, there
were other people down there with me and I stepped on someone's
ankle," Webber said. "I guess that's just the way of the world."
That left Sacramento at a major disadvantage, and things looked
worse after Vlade Divac fouled out with two minutes remaining in
overtime and Scot Pollard followed him to the bench with 12.6
seconds to play.
"We'd never played without those guys before, so I knew it was
going to be interesting," said Kings coach Rick Adelman. "The
rest of our guys really stuck with it. They made the shots that got
the win."
Jackson didn't score in the last 30 seconds, but he made a huge
play. With the Jazz trailing 93-91, he stole the ball with 38
seconds remaining as John Stockton tried to set up a pick-and-roll
with Malone.
"He was putting the ball in front of me all night and I was
just waiting for the chance to get one," Jackson said. "That
time, he showed it to me and I just took it away from him."
Doug Christie's two free throws with 19.3 seconds gave the Kings
a 95-91 lead, but Malone completed a three-point play with 12.6
seconds remaining to pull the Jazz within a point.
Christie was fouled again and added another free throw before
Stockton missed a leaner in the lane with six seconds remaining.
Later, the Jazz had to explain why they didn't go inside to
Malone with Webber, Divac and Pollard off the court.
"I don't know why we didn't," said Bryon Russell, who scored
17. "We should have. Any one of those other guys guarding Karl is
a mismatch, and we didn't take advantage."
Peja Stojakovic, who scored 19 points, hit one of two foul shots
with 4.8 seconds remaining for a 97-94 lead, and John Starks was
off the mark on a 3-point attempt from 30 feet at the buzzer.
Malone led Utah with 28 points and 14 rebounds while Donyell
Marshall scored 14 and had 10 rebounds and a career-high eight
blocks. The Jazz had their five-game winning streak snapped despite
holding a 63-41 rebounding advantage.
The Kings led 80-76 and 89-84 in the fourth quarter but Utah
rallied in the closing minutes. Marshall scored on a follow and
Stockton hit a 3-pointer with 55.3 seconds remaining to tie it at
89.
It was reminiscent of Stockton's big basket two years ago in the
playoffs. With the Jazz facing elimination, Stockton hit a late
3-pointer and Utah went on to win the series 3-2.
Only this time, the Jazz didn't win.
Game notes
Starks was back in Utah's starting lineup after missing two
games before the All-Star break because of his mother's death. ...
Stockton needs 71 steals for 3,000 in his 17-year career. He's also
one game from tying Buck Williams (1,307) for fourth place on the
NBA's all-time list. ... Pollard took heat from Jazz fans for a
running shoving match with Greg Ostertag, his college teammate at
Kansas, through much of the second half. "It sure does feel good
when 16,000 people boo you," Pollard said.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Sacramento Clubhouse
Utah Clubhouse
X-rays are fine, but Webber will miss at least one game
RECAPS
Charlotte 77 Indiana 66
Toronto 120 Cleveland 105
Miami 101 LA Clippers 99
LA Lakers 113 New Jersey 110
Philadelphia 107 Milwaukee 104
Sacramento 97 Utah 94
Chicago 96 Atlanta 92
Houston 99 Washington 89
San Antonio 104 Dallas 92
Denver 96 New York 77
Portland 109 Minnesota 88
Vancouver 99 Boston 98
Phoenix 93 Golden State 83
FROM ATHLETESDIRECT
Karl Malone Official Site
Bryon Russell Official Site
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