It's official.

The preseason is over for Karl Malone, and he is prepared to play in a regular season that -- for him -- is now undeniably under way.That much was apparent Wednesday night, when Malone put on an exhibition in the art of basketball while scoring a season-high 33 points and pulling down 11 rebounds in the Jazz's 98-90 victory over the New York Knicks at the Delta Center.

Malone would not go so far as to call his performance a masterpiece, but even Picasso probably would have approved of this one.

"I think you can always go back and look and see you could have done a lot better on some things down the stretch," he, Karl that is, not Pablo, said. "I guess people probably expect me to score 30 a night, but I'm just trying to get in a good rhythm.

"I just can't show up every night, and get 30 points and 15 rebounds," Malone added. "I need to be more patient and let things come to me. . . . Hopefully, it's starting to come around."

It started right from the start Wednesday, when points were just about the only thing coming to Malone and the Jazz. Everyone shared in on the fun as the Jazz hit their first 10 baskets and 15 of their first 16 from the field during a first quarter in which they would score 36 points -- their highest in any one period this season.

Afterward, almost everyone seemed to agree that Malone's presence had a lot to do with the victory. And it wasn't just how many he scored that proved the point of just how valuable the NBA's reigning MVP is to a team that his signature all over it.

"Malone had a sensational game," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "But I'll tell you: He was really terrific defensively to start the ballgame. He let the ballgame come to him on the offensive end and got himself going defensively. That picks everybody up on our team."

It's a pick-me-up the now 5-3 Jazz seemed to be missing early on, when they lost their regular season-opener to the Los Angeles Lakers and started off 1-2. Perhaps that is due, in part, to the fact Malone missed the first six of eight preseason games while nursing a strained lower back.

Malone discounts the importance of his playing in those early exhibition games and even jokes that "I'm already lobbying" to sit out much of next year's preseason as well.

"It's just one of those things where you get in a comfort zone," he said. "I think it has nothing to do with getting games under your belt. I don't believe in that. Other people might, but I'm a veteran. I know what I have to do to get ready to play."

But the fact remains: Malone missing six in the preseason equals six in which the Jazz miss Malone. And that is six games in which the Jazz and their newest members, including veteran Olden Polynice and rookie small forward Scott Padgett, were unable to grow accustomed to playing alongside Malone.

"I think that hurt, especially with our new guys," Padgett said of Malone's preseason injury.

"Up until the second-to-last preseason game, we hadn't gotten the opportunity to play with him, (and) learn how to play off of him, and what to expect -- when he's going to pass, when he's going shoot, things like that," Padgett added. "So I think it took a little bit of time adjusting to that. But now, we've had the opportunity to play with him for a little bit over a month, so I think everybody's starting to find out what their roles are.

"He's such an integral part of our team. I mean, if it was me, nobody would ever miss a beat. But Karl -- the offense is run through him so much that you have to have him. I mean, injuries you can't do anything about. But we need him. I'm glad he's back."

Padgett, who scored a season-high eight points in a season-high 29 minutes, is not alone.

"Maybe now he's back in his groove," veteran Jazz guard Jeff Hornacek said. "You know, we need that.

"When we were in the exhibition season . . . we were playing a different style. Basically, when he's not in there, guys were taking whatever shots they had. Obviously, (Malone) is our main guy. And when he's in there, we can't have guys thinking we can go 1-on-1, just like we did in the preseason."

On Wednesday, in a game in which the Jazz never trailed, everything really did go through Malone.

He scored 13 in the first quarter alone, hitting 5-of-6 from the field and all three of his free throws as the Jazz led by as much as 20. Not bad for a guy who scored 14 total in the opener against the Lakers. Malone added seven more in the second quarter, giving him 20 for the half -- and matching his full-game totals in the Jazz's last two games, a victory over the defending NBA-champion San Antonio Spurs on Monday night and a loss at Sacramento last Friday night.

The second half Wednesday was much of the same, with Malone scoring eight in the third quarter and five in the fourth as the Knicks, tried, but failed, to get back into the game, never coming any closer than six points (77-71, at the end of the third quarter).

View Comments

"We did the things down the stretch that we needed to do," Malone said.

On a personal note, he added, "Hopefully, I'm starting to come around. It's just one game, but I'm feeling better and better each game."

Perhaps that's because he has now played the equivalent of a full exhibition schedule, plus two more games. And his teammates -- new, and old -- have had the chance to do the same with him in the lineup.

"If you look at it like that, I think it's important for them to play with me," said Malone, who, truth be told, really does regret the fact he was away from the team for such a long stretch of training camp. "In that case, I don't mind."

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.