JAZZ IS PLAYING IT LOW-KEY : Utah Knows Not to Count Out Lakers Just Yet

Karl Malone never thought he’d see the day when the Utah Jazz would have the Lakers on the ropes in the National Basketball Assn. playoffs.

After losing the opener of their Western Conference semifinal playoff series to the Lakers by 19 points, the Jazz have won two straight games to take a 2-1 lead over the defending NBA champions in the series, which resumes today.

“I’m surprised but not excited. I’ll be excited if we win the series,” Malone said. “We can’t celebrate yet. Sunday is the biggest game of the season. If we go back to L.A. with a 3-1 lead, that will be a tremendous advantage for us.

“They’re the defending champions and we’ve got to be ready to play. They didn’t cancel practice Saturday for no reason. They’re going to be ready for us.”

The message, in other words, is: “Don’t count the Lakers out.”

Malone, nicknamed the Mailman, has delivered against the Lakers in the playoffs, scoring 29 points in each of the first three games.

There’s more to the Jazz than just Malone, however.

Utah has smothered the potent Laker offense, subduing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and James Worthy.

Abdul-Jabbar has made only 6 of 27 shots (22.2%) in the last two games.

“I’ll tell you one thing. I went up and asked for (Abdul-Jabbar’s) autograph before Friday night’s game,” Jazz Coach Frank Layden joked. “We’re not doing anything different to stop him. We’re playing the same way we played all year against him.”

Malone thinks Abdul-Jabbar, who had 16 points and 10 rebounds against the Jazz in last Sunday’s series opener, is ready to break loose.

“He’s going to come out of his slump,” Malone said of Abdul-Jabbar. “I just hope it’s next year. The first game was a massacre. They killed us. Kareem was really feisty in the first game. For a guy 41 years old, I don’t think he’s lost it.”

Utah center Mark Eaton, who was booed by Jazz fans during the regular season for his lack of offensive productivity, has become a local hero for his defensive work against Abdul-Jabbar.

Eaton received a standing ovation from a sellout crowd of 12,444 at the Salt Palace Friday night after he held Abdul-Jabbar to just six points in the Jazz’s 96-89 win over the Lakers in Game 3. Eaton outscored and outrebounded Abdul-Jabbar, scoring 10 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.

Eaton, the NBA’s top shot blocker 4 of the last 5 seasons, rejected 13 shots in the last two games.

“I’m playing the same way I always play, it’s just that this week the fans like me,” Eaton said. “It’s amusing. It’s tough to go out and get booed night after night.

“I think (Abdul-Jabbar) is just in a temporary slump. I think his timing may be a bit off. I still remember all the good games that he’s had against me.”

Guard Bob Hansen and rookie Bart Kofoed, Hansen’s backup, have also done a marvelous job of holding Johnson in check.

Johnson, who averaged 24.7 points against Utah as the Lakers won 4 of 5 games during the regular season, has seen his average fall to 18 points against the Jazz in the playoffs. He had 16 points and 6 assists Friday night, but he didn’t get a rebound in 36 minutes and was benched late in the game.

“In our first playoff series against Portland, my wife, Mary, noticed that (Trail Blazer guard) Clyde Drexler kept getting inside on me and she told me to keep my body between him and the basket,” Hansen said. “It worked against Clyde and I’ve been using it against Magic.”

“I’m also trying to be more physical against him. Sizewise, Magic is as big as a forward and he’s so strong. So you’ve got to be physical.”

Malone, who complained that Johnson was aided by the officials in the series opener, said one factor is that Johnson isn’t getting as many favorable calls as he normally gets.

“Bobby Hansen and Bart Kofoed have done a great job on Magic,” Malone said. “And the referees aren’t going for all those antics like when Magic drives and falls down and yells and gets a foul called. But it’s not working for me either.”

The Jazz forwards have also done a good job of containing Worthy, who scored just nine points in Game 3, the second time in his career that he hasn’t scored in double figures in a playoff game.