Greg Ostertag is starting to figure out this NBA stuff.
After five-plus months of taking heat from coach Jerry Sloan for being out of shape, the Jazz's rookie center responded with his best game of the season (and career) Friday night as Utah upended the Indiana Pacers, 95-86."I think I'm getting a little better at this," Ostertag said. "Today I felt real good. I only got tired once."
Absent for the last two games while in Texas after the death of his grandfather, Ostertag rejoined the team about noon Friday. He spent the afternoon napping, then showed up at Market Square Arena and played a season-high 26 minutes, blocking five shots and grabbing eight rebounds. He deserves much of the credit for Indiana center Rik Smits' 7-of-18 shooting.
"I tried to get my hands up on every shot," Ostertag said. "I think I bothered him quite a bit, to tell you the truth."
"We need that defensive presence inside, that will make guys think if they drive they can get their shot blocked," said Jazz guard Jeff Hornacek.
When it was mentioned to Sloan that it seemed he was finally getting something from the rookie, the coach snapped, "It's about time. He's big and he's long and he's got to get in better shape. Maybe, beinggone, his legs were fresh."
Coming from Sloan, that's almost a rave review.
Sloan also had nice words for the rest of the team, which bounced back from a couple of disappointing losses in Atlanta and Charlotte.
"We had determination from everybody tonight," he said. "Our intensity level was much higher. We're not good enough with just one or two guys playing hard."
Which is precisely what had happened in those two defeats, as Karl Malone and Hornacek had accounted for most of the offense. This time five Jazzmen scored in double figures, and everyone played defense.
"We'd played a couple calm games, and we were punished for it," said John Stockton.
"We played some of the best defense I've seen us play," said Karl Malone.
Hornacek deserves mention for the defensive job he did on Reggie Miller. True, Miller has struggled lately, but Hornacek didn't let him end his slump. The Pacers' shooting guard made two of eight shots.
"You can't let him get off to a good start," Hornacek said.
"With him, any moment can be the end of that struggle," Stockton added.
The Jazz also got a lot of help from its bench, which outscored the opponents' bench for the first time on this trip. With Antoine Carr's 11 points leading the way, the Utah subs outscored Indiana's, 26-23. That may not seem like much, but it's a big improvement over their recent efforts.
"I thought their (the Jazz's) second team came in and really took off," said Pacers coach Larry Brown.
Where the Jazz took over the game was in the second quarter. They limited the Pacers to a franchise-low eight points in the period, while scoring 22 themselves. Carr made four of five field goals in the quarter, Ostertag had four blocked shots and six rebounds, and Stockton - who has slumped on this trip - made three shots in a row.
Utah led by as much as 21 in the third quarter, then spent the final period holding off a Pacers charge. The closest Indiana got was nine, however.
The Jazz shot a healthy 49 percent from the field, against a good defensive team, after clanging away at 41 percent in the three previous games. The Pacers shot 39 percent, their worst effort in 21 games.
Malone led the Jazz with 27 points (11 of 19); he also had nine assists, seven rebounds. David Benoit had a strong game, scoring 15 points (6 of 11). Stockton totaled 11 points, 13 assists (high for a Pacer foe this season), four steals.
The Jazz next play the Bullets tonight in Landover, Md.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Abdul-Rauf prays, plays
Suspended Tuesday by the NBA for sitting down during the national anthem, Denver Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was reinstated Thursday after agreeing to abide by the NBA rule requiring players to stand when the song is performed before games. He said he will pray during the anthem. See Page D3.