It started out with Karl Malone and Felton Spencer missing layups a couple of minutes into the game. Then it was John Stockton's turn later in the period, then Jay Humphries', then a botched followup by Spencer. Another night of tough luck plays and fading hopes? Another night when awful shooting was the culprit? Another futile effort?
Of course not. This was the Dallas Mavericks they were playing, and nobody loses to the Mavericks. No matter how hard you try.Despite an terrible offensive performance, the Jazz came through defensively - which always makes coach Jerry Sloan happy - to register a 99-82 victory, Thursday night at the Delta Center. The win, only the Jazz's fourth in the last 13 games, failed to inspire anyone - themselves included. Nevertheless, it did get them headed in the right direction, which hasn't been the case for most of the last three weeks.
"The worst thing you can do, especially as you go into the playoffs," said Malone, "is to just say `Let's get the regular season over and turn it on for the playoffs.' We're not that far off, but we can't be going the opposite direction."
Speaking of directions, Dallas is heading south at a mind-boggling rate. After winning just 11 games last year, the Mavs are back again, dreadful as ever, having lost 17 straight at one point. They currently have nine wins total, and need one more to avoid tying for the worst single-season mark in league history.
With that in mind, the game opened with predictably low expectations. Though it was sold out, several hundred fans chose to spend the night watching television, rather than see the slumping Jazz and cadaverous Mavericks. Among the missing fans was Jazz owner Larry H. Miller, who was out of town on business - but probably wouldn't have wanted to see the game anyway.
Badly as the Jazz played early in the game, they grossly underestimated Dallas' ability to lose. Despite the aforementioned shooting difficulties, they found themselves leading by two after one period. Buoyed by the possibilities, the Jazz went on an 8-0 run in the second quarter and soon had the lead up to 16.
Quickly taking their cue, the Mavericks went in the tank, making only two of 17 shots in the period. (Oddly enough, the two field goals were both 3-pointers).
"It got to a point where we couldn't catch it, we couldn't pass it, we couldn't defend it, we couldn't dribble it. It just all fell apart," said Mavs' coach Quinn Buckner. "And we're playing a team that's trying to fight for their playoff life at home and they needed to get off the snide. And they took advantage of every mistake we made. And there was nothing we could do about it."
Mostly they couldn't do much about Malone and Spencer, who were missing their share of shots, but owning the inside nonetheless. Spencer finished a career-high 19 field goal attempts, totaling 17 points and 14 rebounds, while the Mailman added 25 points and 10 rebounds.
Leading by 14 at the half, the Jazz got the lead to 25 in the third period. At one juncture, a fan spilled ice on the court, and while the ballboys mopped it up, the Mailman chatted amiably with courtside fans as they waited.
"We were trying to keep our intensity level up," Malone said afterward. "And for the most part, we did."
Although Dallas closed the Jazz lead to 16 in the final period, it never got closer. Though the Mavs' snapped a 17-game losing streak on Tuesday at Sacramento, they were quickly back to losing.
"(Buckner) said `Forget about it. We've got one tomorrow,' " said Mavs' forward Jamal Mashburn, whose 14 points tied with Sean Rooks for Dallas scoring honors. "Which is true. It's the nature of the NBA. You've got to put it in the back of your mind. We're playing some great teams. We're playing playoff-caliber teams. It's not like we're playing sub-.500 teams. Not Sacramento every night."
Nevertheless, the Jazz weren't exactly bragging as they left the the court. They haven't won two straight games since March 6 and March 8, at the end of their 10-game win streak.
"We don't care who it is we beat," said the Mailman. "We can't get it all back at once. But our whole thing is getting momentum going into the playoffs. It would be nice to get a little streak going."
GAME NOTES: The Jazz started Jeff Hornacek in place of Jay Humphries at off-guard, but neither had a great night. Hornacek went 3-for-11 and totaled eight points while Humphries went 2-7 with five points . . . The Jazz shot below 50 percent (.412) for the 12th time in the last 14 games . . . Stockton, who had 13 points and 10 assists, needs 60 in the remaining eight games to reach 1,000 for the sixth time in his career.