Lakers Missing Razzmatazz Against Jazz

Any notion of peace and good will between the Lakers and Utah Jazz here Sunday disappeared early in the second quarter when Karl Malone and Magic Johnson squared off at mid-court, exchanging shoves and scowls but not quite coming to blows.

There was no winner in that brief standoff of the stars, but the Jazz defeated the Lakers decisively, 101-87, in a Christmas Day game that seemingly had more significance for the Jazz and a sellout Salt Palace crowd of 12,444.

For the Lakers, it was just another game in a snowy city, their 18th road appearance in 26 games this season. But for the Jazz, it was their first chance at national television exposure, an opportunity to show what might have happened had Game 7 of last spring’s National Basketball Assn. playoff series against the Lakers been played in Utah.

“Last (season) was no fluke,” said Malone, who had 31 points and 12 rebounds. “We’re very capable of beating the Lakers. Today, the whole world watched, and we gave the Lakers a whuppin’.”

The Jazz’s intentions were clear in the first quarter when Utah established a lead it did not relinquish. They were reinforced when Malone nearly came to blows with Johnson at midcourt after a shoving episode.

After that, the crowd booed Johnson whenever he touched the ball and cheered the Jazz whenever Utah took advantage of the Lakers, who were limited to their lowest point total of the season.

While a regular-season home victory over the Lakers was impressive, it may not have had quite the significance the Jazz had hoped.

But Sunday’s game did prove that:

--This Laker lull, in which they have lost 6 of their last 8 games, is serious and not easily overcome.

The Lakers (17-9) did not lack in effort this time, only in execution. They failed to penetrate against Utah’s defense, shooting 42.3% from the field, and were outrebounded, 43-31. Johnson and James Worthy led the Lakers with 18 points each, and Byron Scott added 17, but the three combined to make only 20 of 48 shots.

“What we’re seeing is a replay of our road play last week,” Laker Coach Pat Riley said. “We’re missing assignments. Not doing what we want them to do.

“Maybe I’ve been Santa Claus too much for them. Maybe our play will improve if I’m more demanding on them. Maybe I’ve been too soft. I have a veteran team. I respect them. But I want them to do what they are supposed to.”

--The Jazz can dominate the Lakers at Utah, something it proved during last spring’s Western Conference semifinal series. The last time the Lakers played here, in Game 6 of the semifinals, the Jazz beat them by 28 points.

The Jazz, too, had struggled recently on the road, losing 5 of 6 games. Most recently, they lost to the expansion Miami Heat by 21 points. Since the Jazz beat the Lakers by 14, does NBA logic dictate that the Heat is now 35 points better than the Lakers?

Malone, nicknamed the Mailman, doesn’t know the answer to that. But he was convinced that the Jazz (15-12) is capable of beating the Lakers anytime.

“I think the rest of the NBA now knows that there is Jazz in Utah, not just (Mormon) church choirs,” he said.

--At least one Mailman does deliver on Christmas Day.

The NBA’s second-leading scorer, behind Chicago’s Michael Jordan, Malone hurt the Lakers inside Sunday. He scored 14 of his 31 points, almost exclusively from close range, in the first quarter and was a factor on the boards all afternoon.

And then there was his tussle with Johnson, which occurred after Malone slapped the ball away from Johnson. The two players exchanged heated words before being separated. No technical fouls were assessed, and neither player would later divulge what was said.

“You’ll never see me bad-mouth anybody,” Johnson said. “But if I let (Malone) push me, then he’ll push me a hundred times. If he pushes me, I’ll push back. That was all it was.”

Malone, easygoing only off the court, dismissed the incident as just something that can happen during such an emotional game as a Laker-Jazz meeting.

“I’m a competitive person, and Magic Johnson’s a competitive person,” Malone said. “It doesn’t matter if it was the playoffs or an ordinary game, there’s going to be a lot done and said. I don’t hate anybody, but when you cross the line onto the court, I’ll do anything to beat them.”

On that point, Johnson agreed.

“Nobody wants to give up the edge. The edge is important when you’re talking about playing Utah. If they can beat you up, they will. If we can beat them up, we will.”

The Jazz, which lost to the Lakers by 21 points at the Forum 3 weeks ago, delivered the beating this time.

Utah did it with hot shooting, 68% in the first half and 55.6% for the game, plus defensive pressure that stopped the Laker running and domination of the boards. Malone and center Mark Eaton each had 12 rebounds.

Early in the second quarter, the Lakers trailed the Jazz by only 4 points. But Utah soon built a double-figure lead, settling for a 60-49 halftime advantage.

The Lakers made several second-half comeback attempts, but they could come no closer than 80-71 with 10:27 to play. In the next 7 1/2 minutes, the Jazz put together an 18-8 run that put away the Lakers.

“You got to work hard against a team like the Jazz,” Riley said. “They have the best defensive team in the league. And we aren’t doing anything on offense. We’re settling for perimeter shots, and you’ll die that way. In the first quarter, they had 25 (points) and we had 8 in the paint.”

Riley and his players know the problem areas--poor offensive movement, a fast break missing in action, etc.--but they have not been able to correct them.

Maybe that has to do with the glut of early season road games. After tonight’s game in Phoenix, the Lakers will be home for all but 5 games through the end of January. Riley said he will try to find solutions in practice.

Said Johnson: “We definitely need some practice. After (tonight), we’ll be home for a while. (Riley) has to do something, because the things he’s doing and we’re doing right now are not working.”

Malone said he does not see much difference in these Lakers and last season’s championship team. He said they looked a little tired, but then, he said his team has played a lot of road games as well.

“We don’t really care what type of trouble the Lakers have been in,” Malone said. “We’ve been going through a lot of trouble, too, but no one notices because we’re the Jazz.

“I don’t feel at all sorry for the Lakers. This is Christmas, and this was a great gift they gave us.”

Laker Notes

After Sunday’s loss, Laker Coach Pat Riley said he has to “get tougher” with his team and that there might be some changes in playing time. “That’s not a threat or anything,” Riley said. “It’s just something we have to look at.” . . . Said Mychal Thompson, who had 11 points and 9 rebounds off the bench: “I don’t know if we should try to torture ourselves in practice or anything. We aren’t that far away from from being the way we were. If you get in this doom and gloom frame of mind, it doesn’t help. (Riley) will do whatever is necessary to turn us around. But, if anything, this team needs to be hard on itself. We’re a veteran team. We know we have to do it. I don’t think he’s being too soft on us.” . . . Jazz point guard John Stockton had 21 points and 8 assists in 38 minutes Sunday. That was in sharp contrast to the first Jazz-Laker game on Dec. 2 in Los Angeles, when Stockton was held to 3 points and 5 assists. . . . With Sunday’s loss, the Lakers are 9-9 on the road. They are 8-0 at the Forum, the NBA’s only undefeated team at home this season.