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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Lately, Karl Malone's good for at least 25
points. And John Stockton can still dish out 11 assists. Throw in
Donyell Marshall, and Utah is a difficult team to defend.
|  | | Sonics forward Desmond Mason, right, gets a hand on a shot by Jazz guard John Starks. |
But to see how the Jazz have raced to the best winning
percentage in the Western Conference, check out Greg Ostertag.
Yes, Greg Ostertag.
Malone scored 26 points and the Utah Jazz blitzed Seattle with a
dominant second quarter before holding off a late rally to beat the
SuperSonics 86-82 Wednesday night.
Ostertag, a frequent target of criticism during his six seasons
in Utah, had five blocked shots and eight rebounds. He also sparked
a second-quarter surge where the Jazz turned a 34-19 deficit into a
39-36 halftime lead.
"He brought us a lot of energy," said Stockton, who had 15
points and 11 assists. "He blocked some shots to get us out on the
break and he gave us a lot of defensive energy, which got us back
in it."
Ostertag started an 8-0 run with a dunk and a layup and also
blocked four shots in the second quarter as Seattle went scoreless
for a span of 5:31 and the Jazz closed the half with a 20-2 run.
"We got some big blocked shots, started some breaks and I
scored on one or two," Ostertag said. "We got some rebounds and I
got that dunk down the middle. Then the crowd started getting
behind us and we fed off that energy."
He still comes off the bench and rarely scores in
double-figures, but Ostertag is more aggressive since a mid-January
argument with coach Jerry Sloan where he demanded a trade.
They worked out their differences, and Ostertag looks like a
different man. He's giving the Jazz a defensive lift, finally
looking more like he's worth the six-year, $36 million extension he
signed in 1997.
"Not only the boards and defensively, he blocked four shots in
that second quarter alone," said Patrick Ewing, who scored 12
points for Seattle. "He came up big for them tonight."
Ostertag is modest about his recent run.
"I know what my job is," he said. "Lately, I've been lucky
enough to be in the right place at the right time. My teammates
have been finding me with open passes and I've been able to
convert. And I've tried to be more aggressive on the rebounds."
The Jazz had to survive a late Seattle rally. John Starks hit
four free throws in the final 17.6 seconds after the Sonics trimmed
a nine-point deficit to 82-79 on Gary Payton's driving layup and
84-82 on a 3-pointer by Vin Baker with 10.6 seconds to play.
"They stuck with it," Stockton said. "They made some open
shots and made it difficult for us."
But after each of those baskets, Starks was fouled and sunk his
free throws, helping the Jazz sweep the four-game season series
against Seattle for the first time ever.
Marshall scored 13 as the Jazz won for the 10th time in their
last 12 games.
Baker led the Sonics with 16, while Desmond Mason scored 12.
Utah trailed 25-17 after the first quarter after the Sonics ran
out to leads of 15-3 and 19-7. Everything was going right for
Seattle and it seemed the Jazz couldn't hang onto the ball or get a
call.
The tenor changed on Utah's second-quarter run. Fans roared when
Stockton capped the rally on a 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds remaining
for a 39-36 lead and again when Marshall blocked Mason's 3-point
attempt at the halftime horn.
"We didn't start off real well," Malone said. "Seattle's a
dangerous team when they're shooting the ball real well. It seemed
like we were two or three steps behind at the beginning of the
night."
Game notes
During the second quarter, Utah outscored Seattle 13-0 on
fast breaks and 12-0 in the paint. ... Brent Barry and Rashard
Lewis of the Sonics, each nursing a strained groin, didn't make the
trip to Salt Lake City. ... Ewing had nine rebounds and needs 15 to
pass Dolph Schayes for 20th place (11,256) on the NBA's all-time
list. ... The Jazz are 35-7 when Malone scores at least 20 points.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Seattle Clubhouse
Utah Clubhouse
RECAPS
Milwaukee 101
Boston 94
New York 79
Indiana 75
Philadelphia 102
New Jersey 94
Houston 104
Atlanta 98
Washington 88
Cleveland 83
Dallas 93
Miami 86
Orlando 112
Detroit 102
Sacramento 100
Phoenix 89
Utah 86
Seattle 82
LA Lakers 97
Toronto 85
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