Malone Delivers Jazz To West Finals Scores 32 Points, Including Six In Overtime, As Utah Eliminates Lakers, Gains Conference Title Series
The Utah Jazz have outlived their warranty.
Their window of opportunity supposedly had come and gone, but now Utah’s 30-year-olds have four days off until the Western Conference finals begin. Karl Malone had a tingling sensation on Monday night - in his lower back and again after the last standing ovation - as the Jazz held off the Los Angeles Lakers, 98-93, in overtime.
Malone scored 32 points and John Stockton added 24 points and 10 assists for the Jazz, who won the best-of-7 series 4-1. Utah will play the winner of the Houston-Seattle series in the conference finals.
“We have a tough series coming up no matter who it is,” said Stockton, who was 11 of 13 from the field. “That’ll be our proving ground.”
Malone, expected to win the league’s MVP award, put Utah ahead to stay 91-89 by making two free throws with 4:24 left in overtime. He also hit a pair of jumpers in the extra period as the Jazz outscored the Lakers 9-4.
“They gave us all we wanted tonight, all we could handle,” Malone said. “The most important thing was we won the game. We’re just happy we got to that next level.”
The Lakers had to play the extra period without Shaquille O’Neal, who had fouled flagrantly and often, and the offense was left in the itchy palms of an 18-year-old. Kobe Bryant shot four air balls in the final 6 minutes of the game, and Malone - bad back and all - hit a key overtime jump shot with 1 minute 28 seconds remaining to send the Jazz to the conference finals for the fourth time in six years.
Three of Utah’s starters are baby boomers, one of them might lose a race to Gheorghe Muresan and one of them still has to say, “I’m Bryon, not Byron,” but the Jazz is the closest this league has to the 1970 Knicks.
On Monday night, it was pick-and-roll or bust, and the team with the set offense had the last laugh.
Utah does not have all of that ball movement for nothing, which is why an irritated O’Neal decided to take matters into his own hands, or forearm. Malone was on his way up for another thirdquarter layup when O’Neal put a heavy right arm to Malone’s jaw. Malone, who collected 20 rebounds, landed on the small of his back, the referees called a flagrant foul, Malone got in O’Neal’s face and who else but Stockton rushed to Malone’s aid.
The Lakers’ Robert Horry was then ejected for throwing his own forearm shiver at Utah guard Jeff Hornacek, but somebody forgot to check Malone’s lower back. He stopped scoring and the Jazz lost every ounce of sympathy.
The Utah lead grew to 13 points (66-53), but Los Angeles used a 16-2 run to lead by 1 in the fourth quarter (69-68) and then the Lakers held a later lead, 83-80 with 3:14 left, and Malone was suddenly a spectator. After his spill, he was not the same agile power forward, and the Lakers having scored on seven straight possessions - led by 87-84 with 2 minutes left in regulation.
Bryon Russell’s circus, double-pump jump shot tied it at 87-87 and then O’Neal fouled out with 1:46 remaining.
Jazz 98, Lakers 93
L.A. Lakers (93) - Horry 1-1 0-0 3, Campbell 1-13 4-4 6, O’Neal 9-17 5-9 23, Jones 4-14 2-2 11, Van Exel 9-17 6-6 26, Kersey 3-6 4-5 10, Knight 0-0 0-0 0, Rooks 1-1 1-2 3, Bryant 4-14 3-3 11, Fisher 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-83 25-31 93.
Utah (98) - Russell 7-13 6-6 22, Malone 9-21 14-18 32, Ostertag 0-4 0-0 0, Hornacek 2-10 5-7 9, Stockton 11-13 1-2 24, Eisley 1-5 0-0 3, Foster 0-1 0-0 0, Anderson 0-0 2-2 2, Carr 2-5 0-0 4, Morris 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 32-72 30-37 98.
L.A. Lakers 25 20 16 28 4 - 93
Utah 31 22 13 23 9 - 98
3-Point goals-Los Angeles 4-19 (Van Exel 2-7, Horry 1-1, Jones 1-5, Bryant 0-6), Utah 4-13 (Russell 2-6, Eisley 1-1, Stockton 1-2, Hornacek 0-4). Fouled out-O’Neal. Rebounds-Los Angeles 49 (O’Neal 13), Utah 55 (Malone 20). Assists-Los Angeles 14 (O’Neal 5), Utah 18 (Stockton 10). Total fouls-Los Angeles 31, Utah 30. Technicals-Van Exel; Horry; Los Angeles illegal defense; Malone; Utah illegal defense. Flagrant fouls-O’Neal. A-19,911 (19,911).