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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Karl Malone and John Stockton practically
built the Utah Jazz as a franchise, but Donyell Marshall has become
indispensable in the team's quest to get back to the NBA Finals.
|  | | Karl Malone helps put the Jazz on top of the Western Conference. |
Marshall and Malone each scored 22 points as Utah moved ahead of
the Portland Trail Blazers for the best winning percentage in the
Western Conference with a 90-84 victory Thursday night.
"Donyell's been a great addition to this team," Stockton said.
"We have to do it as a whole club. We don't have five killer guys.
We need everybody to contribute every game, and when we do that, we
can beat anybody."
Stockton added 18 points for the Jazz (36-16), who won their
fourth straight and ninth in 10 games. Utah, which leads the
Midwest Division, is one one-thousandth of a percentage point ahead
of Pacific-leading Portland (38-17).
"Everybody might want to say that this was just another game,
but this was a huge win for us," Malone said. "Those guys have
had our number here, and to come in to this playoff intensity and
get a win was huge."
Marshall, acquired in a trade from Golden State, is averaging 13
points this season, but has increased his scoring to 18.5 over his
last six games. Since moving into the starting lineup following a
five-game losing streak in late December and early January, Utah is
16-3.
"When I was coming off the bench, I was pressing to do
something spectacular, and I was messing up too much," Marshall
said.
Rasheed Wallace had 32 points and 11 rebounds, two nights after
scoring a career-high 42 in a victory over Denver.
Scottie Pippen, who missed 18 games with an injured right elbow,
returned and scored four points on 1-of-4 shooting in 20 minutes.
Damon Stoudamire, who had a season-high 32 points and hit the
game-winning shot in overtime when the teams last met on Dec. 28,
missed all seven of his shots and was held scoreless for the first
time this season.
The Jazz led by nine to start the fourth quarter but let their
lead slip to 73-72 on a dunk by Wallace with 5:28 to go. Utah then
scored on its last eight possessions.
"We executed, stayed focused and made everything down the
stretch," Marshall said. "We needed to show them we can beat them
here, and it gave us the best record in the West. This was as close
to a playoff game as I have ever played."
Marshall set up Malone for a layup that made it 88-82 with 1:03
left. After Portland's Greg Anthony missed a 3-pointer, Malone
connected inside on a pass from Stockton for a 90-82 lead with 25.1
seconds left.
Utah broke a 37-all tie by outscoring the Blazers 16-5 over a
5:44 span, beginning late in second quarter. Portland never got the
lead back.
"We didn't do anything throughout the game to show that we were
going to take this game over," Pippen said. "We turned the ball
over too much, and allowed them to get too many easy baskets, and
that's the kind of game they want to play."
The Blazers got just three offensive rebounds, compared with 15
for Utah. And they consistently got beaten on defense early in the
game. Utah's first nine baskets came on layups.
Utah wasn't that sharp either, though, committing 10 turnovers.
Malone even missed a wide-open layup after a great save and pass by
Stockton.
The Jazz inched ahead at halftime on pure hustle, however. Danny
Manning, who had eight points in the first 4:35 of the second
quarter, ran down an offensive rebound and passed to Marshall, who
hit a 3-pointer that put Utah ahead 46-40 at halftime.
Wallace and Steve Smith combined to hit all eight of their shots
in the fourth, and Portland battled back. But John Starks made the
first of seven straight shots for the Jazz, a 3-pointer, and Utah
held onto the lead.
"We didn't have the stops at the end," Portland coach Mike
Dunleavy said. "We were scoring almost every time down, but down
at the other end, they made the good plays."
Game notes
Utah won its sixth straight on the road and has the
conference's best road record at 17-7. ... Portland had beaten Utah
four straight times. ... Pippen, who had surgery on his right elbow
Jan. 29 and wasn't expected to be back until next month, was
activated hours before the game. To make room for him, the Blazers
placed Will Perdue on the injured list with a sore left hamstring.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Utah Clubhouse
Portland Clubhouse
RECAPS
Sacramento 115
Washington 110
Charlotte 93
Golden State 91
Utah 90
Portland 84
LA Clippers 93
Chicago 80
Dallas 98
Boston 91
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