NBA ROUNDUP : Malone Eloquently States His Case, Scoring 61 Points in Jazz Victory

He was snubbed by the fans in voting for the NBA All-Star game, and Saturday night in Salt Lake City, Karl Malone sent a message on the court that he, rather than the Lakers’ A. C. Green, deserved to be in the starting lineup Feb. 11 at Miami.

Malone scored 61 points as the Jazz handed the Milwaukee Bucks their worst defeat ever, 144-96.

Malone was 21 of 26 from the field and 19 of 23 from the free-throw line in leading the Jazz to their ninth consecutive victory. He had 18 rebounds, three steals and two assists in just 33 minutes.

Malone, the NBA’s second-leading scorer and fifth-leading rebounder, was not voted as a starter for the Western Conference in the All-Star game. He threatened to boycott the game but said later that he would play if he is named as a reserve.

“Everyone has a sense of pride, but I’ve had time to think about it and I think I will go if I’m asked,” he said.

And if he is not?

“I can go to Miami, or I can go fishing in Louisiana. Right now, fishing in Louisiana sounds pretty good to me,” he said.

The 61 points was the highest NBA total since Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls scored 61 against the Atlanta Hawks on April 16, 1987. Malone’s previous high was 52 this season against the Charlotte Hornets. He is the 13th player in NBA history to score 60 or more points in a game.

The 48-point loss surpassed the Bucks’ 136-92 loss at Philadelphia on Nov. 16, 1968 for futility.

Philadelphia 125, Washington 101--Charles Barkley had 29 points and 18 rebounds and Hersey Hawkins added 28 points at Philadelphia as the 76ers won their eighth consecutive game.

Washington has lost 17 of its last 18 on the road.

Jeff Malone had 22 points and Bernard King 20 for Washington.

Chicago 110, New Jersey 107--Michael Jordan scored 39 points and the Bulls held off a rally to win at Chicago.

The Nets got 29 points from Chris Morris and 20 from Purvis Short.

New Jersey trailed by 15 points in the fourth quarter but chipped away and tied the game, 101-101, with 2:03 left.

A three-point shot by Scottie Pippen 19 seconds later put Chicago ahead for good.

New York 110, Denver 96--Patrick Ewing scored 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and Charles Oakley had 25 points as the Knicks broke a five-game losing streak.

New York, winning at Denver for the first time since 1984, never trailed and stayed a game in front of Philadelphia in the Atlantic Division.

Detroit 85, Minnesota 83--Joe Dumars made his first basket of the second half with 1:40 to play, snapping a tie and lifting the Pistons over the Timberwolves at Minneapolis.

The expansion Timberwolves have lost nine consecutive games.

Seattle 109, San Antonio 98--Xavier McDaniel scored 34 points at Seattle as the SuperSonics snapped a five-game losing streak with a victory at Seattle.

Seattle guard Sedale Threatt suffered a broken bone in his right hand and will be out four to six weeks.

Dallas 99, Houston 92--Derek Harper scored 21 points and the bench made a strong contribution at Houston as the Mavericks won their fifth in a row.

Rolando Blackman and Roy Tarpley each scored 18 points for the Mavericks, who snapped Houston’s 10-game home winning streak. Sam Perkins finished with 14 points, including three in the final 38 seconds.

The Dallas bench outscored the Houston reserves, 36-6.

Akeem Olajuwon had 32 points and 20 rebounds for the Rockets.

Atlanta 114, Orlando 96--Dominique Wilkins scored 25 points at Orlando, Fla.

Moses Malone and Spud Webb each added 20 points for the Hawks, 4-0 against the Magic.

Reggie Theus had 28 points for Orlando.

Cleveland 91, Indiana 84--John Williams scored 22 points, including nine in a fourth-quarter comeback, as the Cavaliers rallied at Indianapolis.

Reggie Miller made two three-point shots to help the Pacers to a 68-63 lead with 9:41 left, but Cleveland outscored Indiana, 14-2, over the next five minutes to go ahead, 77-70.

Miller led all scorers with 28 points.