Malone Scores 30 For Jazz

Despite nagging back and finger injuries that he said might keep him from playing in the NBA All-Star Game, Karl Malone felt strong enough to score 30 points and grab 10 rebounds as Utah defeated Chicago 113-86 Wednesday night in Salt Lake City.

Malone was 11 of 15 from the field and 8 of 9 from the line. The Jazz led 91-70 when the 6-foot-9 forward sat down for good at the end of the third quarter.

Malone had said repeatedly the last week that his team would be best served if he used the upcoming All-Star break to rest his 36-year-old body. Earlier Wednesday, however, Malone’s agent, Dwight Manley, said the Mailman would be playing in his 12th All-Star game Sunday in Oakland, Calif.

Elton Brand brought the Bulls within 69-60 midway through the third quarter with a layup, but Malone had seven points in a 16-6 run that gave the Jazz a 85-66 lead with 3:28 left in the period.

Blazers stay on top

Arvydas Sabonis scored 23 points as the Portland Trail Blazers held on to the NBA’s best record by beating the Los Angeles Clippers 107-100 in Portland.

Steve Smith added 17 points for the Blazers, who won their 11th straight home game and improved to 38-11 overall.

Lakers triumph

Shaquille O’Neal scored 18 of his 37 points in the first 6 minutes of the second quarter, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 114-81 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

O’Neal made seven of eight field goal attempts and four of five foul shots as the Lakers outscored the Timberwolves 20-7 to begin the second period for a 44-25 lead. O’Neal scored the final 18 points of the spurt, giving him 25 at that juncture.

Spurs hold on

David Robinson scored 30 points, Tim Duncan added 24 and Avery Johnson had 19 as the San Antonio Spurs withstood a fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Denver Nuggets 106-97.

Elsewhere

P.J. Brown and Alonzo Mourning sparked a third-quarter rally that lead the Miami Heat over the Golden State Warriors 115-100. Brown scored seven points and Mourning six during a 16-5 run that gave Miami an 87-75 lead with 1:14 left in the third. The Heat maintained a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.

Jalen Rose scored 15 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Indiana Pacers a 113-104 victory over the Celtics, making coach Larry Bird a winner in what could be his final game in Boston.

Bird returned to his home state to coach the Pacers after a Hall of Fame playing career in Boston. He has said that he would only coach for three years, a position he reaffirmed on Wednesday, leaving him with a 10-1 record against his former team.

Latrell Sprewell scored 23 of his 27 points in the second half as the shorthanded New York Knicks rallied from a 19-point deficit to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 109-103 in Milwaukee. Larry Hughes’ tip-in at the buzzer gave the Philadelphia 76ers a 92-90 comeback victory over the New Jersey Nets in Philadelphia.

The Sixers came back from a 21-point first-half deficit, On the night they retired his best friend’s jersey, David Wesley snapped out of his shooting slump to lead the Charlotte Hornets to a 103-95 victory over road-weary Cleveland.

Wesley had 17 of his season-high 30 points after a halftime ceremony to honor co-captain Bobby Phills, who became the first Charlotte player to ever have his jersey retired.

Phills was killed Jan. 12 in a car crash that police said occurred while he was racing Wesley at speeds in excess of 100 mph.

Wesley, shooting 35 percent since the accident, made 9 of 17 against the Cavaliers, including a 4-for-7 showing after he fought back tears during a halftime ceremony.

Earlier in the day in Charlotte, Wesley was charged with speed competition and reckless driving for his role in the crash that killed Phills.

Each of the two misdemeanor charges is punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Phills died instantly in a collision with another car.

If convicted, Wesley, who was driving with a suspended license at the time of the crash, probably would not go to jail, legal experts have said.