There were a couple of surprises at the start of Saturday's Utah Jazz-Portland Trail Blazers game in the Delta Center.
For one thing, Portland point guard Rod Strickland didn't play.For another, Karl Malone did.
Now, that latter fact ordinarily wouldn't come as a huge shock - after all, Malone has played in 793 of 797 possible games in his NBA career. But the Mailman is suffering from a severe ankle sprain incurred in the waning minutes of Wednesday's game at Golden State, he hasn't practiced since, and he wasn't expected to play against a physical Portland team.
But play he did, totaling 31 points and nine rebounds as the Jazz beat Portland 98-81. It was Utah's third victory in four games against the Blazers.
"You don't win ballgames unless you have ballplayers who want to play," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said, referring to the Mailman. "He made a tremendous effort the past two days just to be able to step on the floor. A lot of guys would have taken the day off."
Malone's appearance may have sent an early message to the Blazers that the Jazz were serious, especially after being beaten and battered in a game in Portland eight days earlier.
"Those guys manhandled us in Portland pretty good," said Utah's
Tom Chambers. "We weren't going to let that happen again."
In that last game, Portland outrebounded Utah by a staggering 25 boards - 52-27. This time the Jazz held the advantage, 38-34. In the fourth quarter, Utah controlled the glass, 14-6.
"That's what we needed to do, 'cause they kind of dominated us the last game," Antoine Carr said of Utah's rebounding effort.
Utah fell behind early in the game, trailing 23-15 late in the first quarter, but there had been some good signs. Adam Keefe was out there diving on the floor for loose balls, and the Jazz guards were hitting the boards, something the coaching staff felt had to happen.
Sloan, however, wasn't happy with his team's defense.
"We didn't play much defense the first half," he said. "We got our hands on a lot of basketballs, we just weren't coming away with them."
The Jazz reeled off eight straight points at the end of the first period to tie at the buzzer, 23-all. Malone scored 11 in the period, putting to rest any Blazer hopes that he might not be a factor.
In the second quarter, the Jazz scratched out a 33-29 lead, only to see the Blazers score nine straight and go up by five. Portland pushed its lead to nine, 47-38, moments after Sloan was ejected by official Bruce Alexander. Sloan got a first technical for saying, "Make him hold his screens"; the second one, immediately afterward, for something less intelligible but probably more offensive.
Sloan's dismissal just made the Jazz ornery.
"Jerry had to let them know where we stood," Carr said. "He voiced his opinion. He got us fired up."
Over the remaining 1:17 of the second quarter and 4:16 of the third, the Jazz outscored Portland 17-2, getting six points from John Stockton and five from Malone.
Leading by three at the start of the fourth quarter, the Jazz went to an offensive weapon not used much this season - Blue Edwards. Acquired more for his defense, Edwards has been pretty much an afterthought in the Jazz offense. But he scored six points in a 10-2 Jazz spurt to open the period, posting up the smaller Blazer guards - Terry Porter and James Robinson - much the way Clyde Drexler used to post up smaller Jazz guards.
(Stockton, by the way, played his 875th game as a Jazzman, tying him with Mark Eaton for the most games played in franchise history.)
Four Jazzmen besides Malone scored in double figures. Jeff Hornacek finished with 12, Keefe contributed 11, Stockton (11 assists) and Edwards each added 10. David Benoit rebounded from a miserable first half to contribute nine points, four rebounds in the second half.
For the Blazers, Robinson scored 23, Otis Thorpe totaled 13, Buck Williams scored 12 and Porter had 11.
The Jazz get to rest today before resuming practice Monday in preparation for a Tuesday game at Sacramento.
GAME NOTES: Strickland sat out the game with a sore shoulder. Cliff Robinson also didn't suit up; he has a sprained ankle.