Game 4: Phoenix 106, Utah 84
Tuesday night at American West Arena
1st 2nd 3rd 4th
Jazz 17 16 30 21 - 84
Suns 27 25 24 30 - 106
1st quarter: With game knotted at 12, Kevin Johnson leads Suns on a 10-0 run and they never look back. Jazz make only 28.6 percent of their shots.
2nd quarter: Jazz manage only three field goals on 18 attempts (16.7 percent). It could have been even worse, but Utah made 10 of 14 free throws.
3rd quarter: Suns open up a 25-point advantage. Jeff Hornacek and Karl Malone help Jazz cut gap to 13 points, at 76-63, entering final period.
4th quarter: Suns score the first five points of the quarter to pad lead and end any suspense. Majority of sellout crowd hits exits early.
Who's hot: Not the Jazz as a unit. Utah, the NBA's leading field-goal shooting team the past three seasons, made only 36.3 percent from the field. Reserve forward Adam Keefe made the most of his 17 minutes, hitting 4 of 6 shots and scoring 10 points.
Keys to the game: The Suns shot well (50.7 percent from the field), the Jazz didn't. Phoenix point guard Jason Kidd had a strong all-around game with 11 points, seven rebounds and 13 assists. Jazz point guards Howard Eisley and Jacque Vaughn combined for four assists.
Records: Jazz 1-3; Suns 2-0
Quotable: "It's bad when people have to pay to watch you play this way." - Jazz coach Jerry Sloan.
Notable: The last time the Jazz opened the season 1-3 was in 1991 . . . The Jazz players were greeted with the usual boos or indifference from the crowd during pre-game introductions until Jeff Hornacek's name was announced. Hornacek, who was drafted by and played for the Suns for six seasons, received a nice ovation . . . Former Ute and Jazzman Tom Chambers, now 38, is on the injured-reserve list for the Suns with a lower back strain . . . The Suns have dominated the series against the Jazz in Phoenix, with a 42-10 advantage. Despite the loss, however, Utah has won four of the last six in the Valley of the Sun . . . Attendance: 19,023.
Next Up: Utah plays at Denver Friday night, 7 p.m.