Box Score

 

UTAH (105)

                          fg    ft    rb             
                   min   m-a   m-a   o-t   a  pf   tp
K Malone            38 11-20 11-11   1-9   4   1   33
M Harpring          36  5-13   6-6   3-8   0   2   17
G Ostertag           8   0-1   0-0   0-1   0   1    0
C Cheaney           28   4-7   0-0   1-4   1   2    9
J Stockton          32   2-9   4-4   1-5  13   2    8
M Jackson           21   0-2   0-0   2-4   8   0    0
A Kirilenko         29   3-5  9-10   0-3   2   3   15
T Massenburg        19   6-8   0-0   1-3   0   3   12
S Padgett            7   1-4   0-0   1-2   0   0    2
J Amaechi           19  4-10   1-1   2-3   2   3    9
D Stevenson          3   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0    0
C Arroyo           DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                               
  
_____________________________________________________
TOTALS             240 36-79 31-32 12-42  30  17  105
_____________________________________________________

Percentages: FG-.456, FT-.969. 3-Point Goals:
2-7, .286 (M Harpring 1-2, C Cheaney 1-1, A 
Kirilenko 0-2, S Padgett 0-2). Team Rebounds:
8. Blocked Shots:1 (J Amaechi). Turnovers:10 
(J Amaechi 3, T Massenburg 2, C Cheaney 2, A 
Kirilenko 2, K Malone). Steals: 5 (K Malone 
2, C Cheaney 2, J Amaechi).


MINNESOTA (97)

                          fg    ft    rb             
                   min   m-a   m-a   o-t   a  pf   tp
K Garnett           43 12-24   2-9  3-14   4   4   26
G Trent             17   3-7   0-0   2-5   1   2    6
R Nesterovic        28   7-9   1-3   1-4   4   4   15
K Gill              31   3-8   2-2   1-4   4   1    8
T Hudson            29  6-13   2-2   0-1   2   1   17
J Smith             17   2-3   0-0   1-2   0   4    4
R Strickland        25   3-6   0-0   0-2  11   4    6
A Peeler            30  3-11   0-0   1-3   7   2    7
M Jackson           10   1-4   0-0   1-2   0   1    2
R Slater            10   2-2   2-2   0-1   0   1    6
L Woods            DNP  - SUSPENDED BY TEAM                              
I Rakocevic        DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                               
  
_____________________________________________________
TOTALS             240 42-87  9-18 10-38  33  24   97
_____________________________________________________

Percentages: FG-.483, FT-.500. 3-Point Goals:
4-11, .364 (K Garnett 0-1, T Hudson 3-6, A 
Peeler 1-4). Team Rebounds: 10. Blocked 
Shots:7 (K Garnett 4, J Smith, R Nesterovic, 
M Jackson). Turnovers:9 (R Strickland 3, M 
Jackson 2, G Trent, J Smith, K Garnett, R 
Nesterovic). Steals: 7 (K Gill 3, A Peeler 2,
G Trent, R Slater).

--------------------------------------------
UTAH                 25  25  34  21   -  105
MINNESOTA            38  18  13  28   -  97
-------------------------------------------- 

Technical fouls: Utah - 2 (COACH Sloan, 4:31 
1st; Defensive Three, 4:19 3rd).
Flagrant fouls: Minnesota 1 (R Slater, 4:03 
4th). A: 16,473. T: 2:09. Officials: Marc 
Davis, Ted Bernhardt, Tony Brothers.

Extended Box

 

UTAH (105) AT MINNESOTA (97)

UTAH

                                               REBOUNDS                        
PLAYER           POS  MIN  FGM-FGA  FTM-FTA  OFF-DEF-TOT  AST  PF  ST  TO  PTS
======           ===  ===  =======  =======  ===========  ===  ==  ==  ==  ===
 
K MALONE          F    38   11-20    11-11     1   8   9    4   1   2   1   33
M HARPRING        F    36    5-13     6-6      3   5   8    0   2   0   0   17
G OSTERTAG        C     8    0-1      0-0      0   1   1    0   1   0   0    0
C CHEANEY         G    28    4-7      0-0      1   3   4    1   2   2   2    9
J STOCKTON        G    32    2-9      4-4      1   4   5   13   2   0   0    8
M JACKSON              21    0-2      0-0      2   2   4    8   0   0   0    0
A KIRILENKO            29    3-5      9-10     0   3   3    2   3   0   2   15
T MASSENBURG           19    6-8      0-0      1   2   3    0   3   0   2   12
S PADGETT               7    1-4      0-0      1   1   2    0   0   0   0    2
J AMAECHI              19    4-10     1-1      2   1   3    2   3   1   3    9
D STEVENSON             3    0-0      0-0      0   0   0    0   0   0   0    0
C ARROYO              DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                                         
  
TOTALS                240   36-79    31-32    12  30  42   30  17   5  10  105
                            (.456)  (.969)  TEAM REBS:  8 TOTAL TO: 11 (14 PTS)    

MINNESOTA

                                               REBOUNDS                         
PLAYER           POS  MIN  FGM-FGA  FTM-FTA  OFF-DEF-TOT  AST  PF  ST  TO  PTS
======           ===  ===  =======  =======  ===========  ===  ==  ==  ==  ===
 
K GARNETT         F    43   12-24     2-9      3  11  14    4   4   0   1   26
G TRENT           F    17    3-7      0-0      2   3   5    1   2   1   1    6
R NESTEROVIC      C    28    7-9      1-3      1   3   4    4   4   0   1   15
K GILL            G    31    3-8      2-2      1   3   4    4   1   3   0    8
T HUDSON          G    29    6-13     2-2      0   1   1    2   1   0   0   17
J SMITH                17    2-3      0-0      1   1   2    0   4   0   1    4
R STRICKLAND           25    3-6      0-0      0   2   2   11   4   0   3    6
A PEELER               30    3-11     0-0      1   2   3    7   2   2   0    7
M JACKSON              10    1-4      0-0      1   1   2    0   1   0   2    2
R SLATER               10    2-2      2-2      0   1   1    0   1   1   0    6
L WOODS               DNP  - SUSPENDED BY TEAM                                        
I RAKOCEVIC           DNP  - COACH'S DECISION                                         
  
TOTALS                240   42-87     9-18    10  28  38   33  24   7   9   97
                            (.483)  (.500)  TEAM REBS: 10 TOTAL TO: 9 (15 PTS)     
  
   UTAH               25   25   34   21   -   105
   MINNESOTA          38   18   13   28   -   97
  
BLOCKED SHOTS: UTAH - J AMAECHI.  MINNESOTA - K GARNETT 4, J SMITH,
R NESTEROVIC, M JACKSON.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: UTAH 2-7 (.286), M HARPRING 1-2, C CHEANEY 1-1,
A KIRILENKO 0-2, S PADGETT 0-2. MINNESOTA 4-11 (.364), K GARNETT 0-
1, T HUDSON 3-6, A PEELER 1-4.
TECHNICAL FOULS: UTAH - COACH SLOAN, DEFENSIVE THREE.
FLAGRANT FOULS: MINNESOTA 1 (R SLATER, 4:03 4TH,).
OFFICIALS: MARC DAVIS, TED BERNHARDT, TONY BROTHERS.
A - 16,473. T - 2:09.

Game Story

MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Karl Malone scored 23 of his 
season-high 33 points in the second half as the Utah Jazz ran
their winning streak to four games with a 105-97 victory over
the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Malone scored 19 points in the third quarter - six more than
Timberwolves - as the Jazz turned a 56-50 halftime deficit into
an 84-69 lead.

In the third period, Malone made 6-of-8 shots and 7-of-7 free
throws while Matt Harpring added seven of his 17 points.

Malone credited Utah's big third quarter to his teammates
finding the open man and setting screens.

"To me, guys are making the game simple," Malone said.  "We
started out and everybody wanted to do it themselves.  Now we
allow the game to come to us.  If a guy is open, you give him
the ball.  If you can set a screen, you set a screen - help your
teammates out."

Harpring, who scored a career-high 33 points vs. Minnesota on
November 29, gave Utah the lead for good, 59-57, when he took
John Stockton's pass for a driving layup with 10:16 remaining.

Malone scored 12 of Utah's next 15 points, helping open a 72-61
advantage with 4:04 to go. Malone capped the spurt with a dunk
over Marc Jackson.

"They're a third-quarter team," Minnesota forward Kevin Garnett
said. "They come in for the knockout punch.  The third quarter
definitely hurt us and we never regained the momentum."

"They do some things differently than other teams do,"
Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders said.  "They're the best team
in the league at setting screens.  We may been trying to avoid a
screen coming and played the screen a little too much.  As soon
as you play it, they burn you.  They're in motion all the time
away from the ball and keep constant pressure on your weakside
defense."

Malone was not finished.  He drilled a 23-footer just over a
minute later and stole the ball from Rasho Nesterovic with 2:12
remaining.

But as the fourth quarter started, Malone couldn't get anything
going against Garnett, who held him scoreless for the first 6
1/2 minutes of the period.

Malone missed his first three shots and Utah missed seven of its
first eight attempts and committed three turnovers.

As Garnett kept Malone in check, the Timberwolves began to chip
away.  They used an 18-5 run and sliced the deficit to 89-87 on
Troy Hudson's foul-line jumper with 5:54 remaining.

But as soon as Malone's drought ended, so did Utah's.  Malone's
only basket of the fourth gave Utah a 95-89 lead with 4:26
remaining.  Andrei Kirilenko's two-handed baseline dunk made it
99-89 with 3:12 to go.

Garnett had 26 points and 14 rebounds for his league-leading
27th double-double.

Playing on back-to-back nights for the eighth time this season,
Utah started slowly, falling behind 38-25 through 12 minutes as
it allowed the Timberwolves to shoot a sizzling 68 percent
(17-of-25).

Minnesota, which had been idle since Monday, took its largest
lead, 38-23, following Rod Strickland's running jumper with five
seconds remaining.

But Utah gradually chipped away, pulling within 50-41 when John
Amaechi converted a reverse layup with 3:51 left in the second
quarter.

On Utah's next possession, Stockton drilled a 20-foot jumper to
get the Jazz within seven and Malone ended the half with a
fadeaway jumper with 20 seconds remaining.

"It was nice, especially (after) being down in the first
quarter," Harpring said.  "They knew we played last night and
they tried to jump on us early.  But we sustained it.  We gave
up 38 points in the first quarter and that's a lot.  But we kept
fighting the whole game."

Besides Malone's big night, point guards Stockton and Mark
Jackson combined for 21 assists.  Kirilenko added 15 points and
Tony Massenburg chipped in 12 for Utah, which has scored 75
third-quarter points in its last two games.

Hudson scored 17 points and Nesterovic added 15 for Minnesota,
which shot 48 percent (42-of-87).