Jazz Uses Clippers to Get Well : Basketball: Utah recovers from big loss Tuesday with 120-101 victory. Los Angeles has letdown after win over Lakers.

All that Jazz wasn’t needed against the Clippers, who went from a crescendo to a flat note in the span of 24 hours. It only took a few Jazz to see to that.

With Karl Malone scoring 29 points, John Stockton getting 10 assists and Mark Eaton contributing a season-high eight blocked shots, the Utah Jazz recorded a 120-101 victory Wednesday night at the Salt Palace, giving the Clippers that falling-off-the-charts feeling again.

This would serve as the consummate before-and-after picture. From a 17-point victory over the Lakers Tuesday to this.

“I’m hoping it was a physical and emotional letdown from last night,” Coach Don Casey said. “Otherwise, I don’t have an explanation.”

No one else did either after the Clippers dropped to 19-24.

“There is a sense of a letdown,” said Charles Smith, who had a team-high 24 points. “We got off to a bad start and dug a little hole for ourselves.”

Both teams were coming off tough games the night before, Utah having lost by 24 at Portland. Only one team, it seemed, showed up in time for the first quarter Wednesday.

The aggressive Jazz defense, full of traps, held the Clippers to 14 points in the first 12 minutes, tying their lowest first-quarter effort of the season. The 13 points in the second quarter of the Dec. 13 victory over Detroit in Sports Arena are their fewest in any quarter.

The Clippers needed 3:18 to score their first basket. They broke the 10-point barrier with 5:49 remaining in the quarter. The 15-point deficit heading into the second quarter grew to 46-24 on Darrell Griffith’s basket with 7:29 to play in the half.

Thanks to a 10-2 run, the Clippers pulled to within 58-47. They appeared to be back in the game, until the Jazz scored six unanswered points in the final 38.4 seconds of the half.

“That was a killer,” Casey said.

The Clippers didn’t get close again. Utah, winner of 12 consecutive games at home, opened the second half with a 13-4 run and the comfortable cushion was back.

The Jazz (30-12) never let up. With 7:57 to play in a 106-81 game, Malone and Eaton returned to the game. Stockton was already in, operating against Clipper reserves.

“I think they were just getting their stats together,” Smith said. “That was pretty evident. But it’s no big deal.”

Apparently it is to the Jazz, who remained a game ahead of San Antonio in the Midwest Division. Still, the statistics will dip a bit.

Malone began the night averaging 31.2 points, second-best in the league, and 11 rebounds, fifth-best. Stockton was No. 1 in assists (13.7) and steals (2.92), getting two steals against the Clippers in 27 minutes.

Utah held its ground on defense. The Jazz entered the game having allowed only 101.7 points per outing, fourth in the league. The Clippers, who had 71 in the first half against the Lakers, didn’t reach that number until late in the third quarter, when David Rivers’ jump shot made the score 93-72.

“(Tuesday’s showing) was not a team that had won 29 games,” Malone said. “Tonight, we definitely showed a lot of character.”

Clipper Notes

Concerned he wasn’t getting due credit, Benoit Benjamin talked with Clipper statisticians before Tuesday’s game at the Sports Arena, hoping to define exactly what constitutes a blocked shot. He then blocked six shots against the Lakers. The timing made it seem as though Benjamin pressured the statisticians into bigger numbers, but it actually was nothing more than he had been doing all month. After a slow start, Benjamin, who started January ranking eighth in the league, entered Wednesday’s game ranked fourth. “I want to be No. 1,” he said, “and I think I can do it. I’ve got a half a season left. That’s a lot of games.” But it will take a lot to catch the leaders--Akeem Olajuwon took a 4.10 average into play Wednesday, with Patrick Ewing second at 3.83. Benjamin was at 2.90, just behind David Robinson at 2.90. The Clipper center was averaging 2.26 at the start of the month.

Gary Grant tied his season low with two assists. Ken Bannister tied his season high with 15 points, adding six rebounds for a productive 21 minutes. . . . Utah forward Karl Malone, named to the Western Conference all-star team as a reserve after fans failed to vote him in despite having the league’s second-best scoring average, will wear uniform No. 4 in the Feb. 11 game at Miami. Malone is No. 32 with the Jazz, but that number goes to Magic Johnson in the all-star game on the basis of seniority, so Malone has had to switch. Each time, he has used it as something of a tribute--No. 7 to honor Pete Maravich in 1988; 26, the high school number of former Utah Coach Frank Layden, last season; and now, No. 4, worn by current Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan during his playing days.