Diehard Stockton Fans Earn Tickets

Three youthful Utah Jazz fans went up on the roof of a home in this Salt Lake suburb Friday, determined to stay until the got tickets to Wednesday’s game with Denver.

The trio are diehard fans of Utah point guard John Stockton, who is expected to surpass Magic Johnson to become the NBA’s all-time assist leader against the visiting Nuggets.

By Sunday, they had received a couple offers - including one from Dave Allred, Jazz vice president for public relations and special events.

Allred, concerned about the safety of 15-year-old Pat Barnum and his two friends, offered to get the trio into the game on three conditions.

“He said I had to do three things,” Barnum said. “‘First you have to come off the roof. Second, you have to go to church, and third, you have to do a little work.”

Barnum had worried the stunt, in which he and ninth-grade friends Jeff Lewis and Mike Neider climbed up on the Barnum family’s roof, would unravel on Sunday: his parents expected him in church.

The teens spent Saturday night under the roof, however, after a local sports radio station gave them fourth-row seat tickets during a live interview.

Then came Allred. He plans to employ the teens to assist his staff, which will be swamped Wednesday as reporters flood to the Delta Center to cover Stockton.

“When you’re in public relations, you get to do nice things,” Allred said. “I thought it was a cute idea that they were willing to stay on the roof and freeze to get into the game.”

For Barnum, an aspiring sports writer, things couldn’t have turned out better.

“This is a total dream come true,” he said. “If there’s one thing I could ask for, it’s to sit courtside in a big game.”

Jazz 115, Wolves 80

MINNESOTA (80)

West 3-5 3-3 9, Laettner 4-11 1-2 9, Rooks 2-5 6-10 10, Garland 4-7 0-1 9, Rider 6-15 4-4 19, Shackleford 2-5 0-0 4, Marshall 1-11 6-8 9, Foster 2-3 2-2 6, Eisley 0-4 0-2 0, Brown 0-1 1-2 1, Durham 2-5 0-1 4. Totals 26-72 23-35 80.

UTAH (115)

Benoit 5-9 3-4 15, Malone 11-12 3-4 25, Donaldson 3-6 2-4 8, Stockton 4-6 2-3 11, Hornacek 2-5 3-3 8, Crotty 1-4 4-8 6, Keefe 4-4 3-4 11, Carr 3-6 4-4 10, Chambers 1-3 2-2 4, Russell 1-3 3-4 5, Watson 5-8 1-2 12. Totals 40-66 30-42 115.

Minnesota 20 23 18 19 - 80

Utah 29 30 25 31 - 115

3-Point goals-Minnesota 5-14 (Rider 3-7, Garland 1-2, Marshall 1-3, Rooks 0-1, Durham 0-1), Utah 5-9 (Benoit 2-3, Stockton 1-1, Watson 1-1, Hornacek 1-3, Crotty 0-1). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Minnesota 38 (Shackleford 6), Utah 58 (Malone 11). Assists-Minnesota 17 (Laettner, Eisley 4), Utah 29 (Stockton 14). Total fouls-Minnesota 25, Utah 23. Technicals-Minnesota illegal defense, Utah illegal defense, Minnesota coach Blair 2, Rider, Carr. Ejections-Minnesota coach Blair. A-19,911.