 |
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Jazz knock off Nuggets 109-89 Malone leads Utah to 11th win in last 14 games
Posted: Tuesday January 04, 2000 12:47 AM
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Denver Nuggets coach Dan Issel won't forget Monday night's 109-89 loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday night. With 50 seconds left, Karl Malone scored on a dunk off a pass from John Stockton. Malone converted a three-point play to put the Jazz ahead by 20. "I'll remember this," Issel yelled to Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, referring to the fact that Utah had four starters in the game with a large lead. "He just got upset. I guess he thought I was keeping guys in there too long," said Sloan after the game, the Jazz's 11th win in 14 games. "We were planning to make a substitution, but I can't worry about that. If it bothers him, well then ... it bothered me when he quit in the middle of the season." Issel previously coached the Nuggets from 1992-95, and resigned after 34 games in the 1994-95 season. When asked after the game about his words to Sloan, Issel said: "I've got nothing to say about that." Malone scored 33 points, Bryon Russell added 17 and rookie Quincy Lewis had a career-high 14 points for the Jazz, who won their 11th game in their last 14. Antonio McDyess led the Nuggets with 24 points, and Nick Van Exel and George McCloud each added 16 as Denver dropped to 3-10 on the road. The Jazz, who have won five straight at home, have defeated the Nuggets in 11 of their last 12 meetings. The Nuggets tied the game at 75 with 2:15 left in the third quarter after trailing by as many as 13 points early in the period. But Utah outscored Denver 27-12 in the final quarter to seal the victory. "We never felt comfortable, even with a 20-point lead," said Stockton, whose 18 assists were a season high. "We certainly didn't purposely run up the score." Van Exel had 10 assists, but also turned the ball over five times. With Utah leading 84-81 with 9:12 remaining, Lewis scored five unanswered points to put Utah up 89-81. That started an 11-2 run that got the Jazz ahead 95-83 with 6:29 to play. McDyess scored two unanswered baskets to pull the Nuggets within 95-87. But the Jazz reeled off eight straight points to put the game away. "They executed better down the stretch," said McCloud, who had 14 of his 16 points in the first half. "That's a team that's going to win it's share of games. They are persistent in the way they play, so they dictate the style of play." Utah squandered a 13-point lead it built two minutes into the half. After cutting the lead to 75-66 with 5:06 left in the third, the Nuggets outscored the Jazz 9-0, led by Van Exel's four points, to tie it at 75 at the 2:15 mark. Jeff Hornacek's basket and Lewis' 3-pointer gave the Jazz an 82-77 lead at the end of the third quarter. Van Exel scored 12 in the period on 5-of-6 shooting, and McDyess added 10. Notes: The Nuggets have yet to win a road game against a Western Conference opponent (0-8). They are 8-1 at home against the West. ... Malone's 11 field goals puts him within six of passing Michael Jordan (10,962) for fourth on the career list. ... Hornacek has made 66 straight free throws. The record is 97 straight by Minnesota's Michael Williams, begun in March 1993 and ending in November 1993. Hornacek is 84-of-86 from the line this season. He had no attempts Monday night.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
