People back here can't figure out the Washington Bullets, and their game against the Utah Jazz showed why.

After getting off to a good start this season, the Bullets swapped Tom Gugliotta for Chris Webber, and at the same time signed first-round draft choice Juwan Howard. So they should be a good team, right? Not yet. Thursday at USAir Arena, the Bullets shot 41 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from the free-throw line in losing to the Jazz, 95-85.It was Utah's sixth straight road victory, tying the franchise record. The Jazz's nine steals in the first quarter surpassed the previous team record of eight.

The party line here is that the Bullets are just taking time to jell, but after opening the season 4-1 they have fallen to 6-12. Since the Webber-Howard arrivals, they are 2-9. That's pretty slow jelling.

Rookie-of-the-Year Webber didn't play a bad game - 21 points on 10 of 17 from the field, with 10 rebounds - but at times he appeared more interested in woofing than winning. His top trash-talk target was Utah's Karl Malone, who seems bewildered by all the attention. Malone says he thinks it stems from a comment he made some time back about rookies that don't work hard, that was reported to Webber as having been said about him.

"Sometimes it's really amazing how a guy can hear something second-hand from somebody and all of a sudden they don't like you," Malone said.

On the court, Malone studiously ignored Webber's antics, the glaring across the lane as they lined up for a free throw, the in-your-face action after a dunk, the offering of constructive criticism.

Oddly enough, Webber had only nice things to say about the Mailman after the game.

"He's one of the best power forwards in the game," Webber said. "He's better than I am. I can learn from him."

What Webber and the other Bullets need to learn now is how to play together. There's some talent on this team, with Webber, Howard, Calbert Cheaney, Rex Chapman (who missed the game with a groin injury) and even 7-7 center Georghe Muresan.

"This is going to be a heckuva basketball team," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said of the Bullets. "They're young, and they're awesome-looking."

This time they mostly just looked young.

The Jazz got six straight points from David Benoit to open the game in jumping out to an 8-0 lead, and that lead could have been even greater if Utah hadn't had its own turnover woes. In the latter part of the period, the Jazz took some bad shots that allowed the Bullets to get within four, 20-16, at the buzzer.

"We were getting fast breaks but we weren't attacking the basket," Sloan said. "We were just kind of flipping the ball up there."

The highlight of the first period was when Sloan protested a call against John Stockton, Webber woofed at Sloan, Sloan talked back, and finally Sloan and a front-row fan got into it. And it wasn't even Robin Ficker, the notorious geek who seems more interested in hassling Bullet opponents than in actually cheering for the home team.

The Jazz continued to take some bad shots in the second quarter, and especially seemed to have problems adjusting to the presence of Muresan in the paint. But shortly after coach Jim Lynam reinserted starter Kevin Duckworth for Muresan, Utah reeled off 12 straight points to take a 46-37 lead. At intermission, it was 47-39.

Utah scored five straight points to open the third quarter, upping its advantage to 13, and led by as much as 17 in the quarter. A key for the Jazz was isloating Antoine Carr against Muresan.

"I knew his feet weren't as quick as mine, not that mine are that quick," Carr said. "I thought I'd set up for the jumper and if he came out I'd take it to the hole."

Carr scored nine straight points and 11 in the quarter, on three layups, a jumper and even a hook shot over the big guy. And Carr even blocked one of Muresan's shots.

The Bullets got to within 10 in the fourth quarter, at 82-72, but Malone hit three of four free throws and Jeff Hornacek added a jumper to make it 15. It took a couple of Scott Skiles' threes in the final two minutes to make the final score appear respectable.

Hornacek led the Jazz with 22 points, making nine of 16 shots. Malone had 17 points and 13 boards, Benoit (nine rebounds) and Carr each contributed 15, and Stockton totaled 12 points, 14 assists.

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For the Bullets, Cheaney scored 15 (6 of 18), Howard 14 (11 rebounds) and Mitchell Butler 13.

This was the first time this season that Utah has won the tail-end of a back-to-back set, and Malone said it helped that they were better rested. The reason: Instead of the usual game-day commercial flight from Minnesota to D.C, the Jazz took a charter flight immediately after the Timberwolves game. That, however, was the last charter they'll take this trip.

The Jazz next play the Bulls in Chicago on Saturday night.

GAME NOTES: An alleged Jazz fan tried to visit with Utah announcers Hot Rod Hundley and Ron Boone before the game, but arena security personnel asked him to leave the floor. Guy's name was Hatch. Said he was a senator. Sure . . . Bryon Russell and Jamie Watson did not play . . . Felton Spencer didn't attempt a field goal in 23 minutes . . . Bullets' assistant coach Derek Smith was ejected with two technicals.

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