Lakers Cry Foul, but Jazz Say All Is Fair : Pro Basketball: Utah gets a call and a non-call in final seconds of 107-104 victory.

When the Lakers watch a one-point lead turn into a three-point deficit in the last seven seconds of a game, they naturally question how such an unusual occurance can happen to them.

Self-denial was pervasive among the Lakers in explaining their dizzying change of fortunes in Thursday night’s 107-104 setback to the Utah Jazz. They said that external forces--namely, the officials--were as responsible as Karl Malone and Darrell Griffith for ending their seven-game winning streak.

The Lakers did not openly begrudge the Jazz the victory, and they managed to cloak their comments just enough to avoid fines for criticizing the referees. But their displeasure with a foul on Byron Scott and a subsequent non-call against Malone was evident.

Trailing, 104-103, with 12 seconds left, the Jazz worked the ball to Griffith for a 20-footer. After Griffith released the high-arched shot, Scott’s hand hit Griffith’s outstretched right wrist. The shot went in for a 105-104 Jazz lead, and Scott was called for a foul with seven seconds left.

Griffith’s free throw bounced long, Malone grabbed the rebound over A.C. Green and was fouled with four seconds left. Malone sank both free throws, giving him 45 points and the Jazz a three-point lead.

The Lakers, after two timeouts, failed on two desperation three-point attempts by Green and James Worthy. After the buzzer, Laker Coach Pat Riley walked directly toward referee David Jones and, well, spoke loudly and at length about Scott’s foul and what the Lakers perceived as a push-off by Malone to get the rebound of Griffith’s miss.

“It’s tough to play your heart out, then get down to the last seven seconds and have two questionable calls,” Riley said. “I can’t read an official’s mind, but I didn’t think (Scott) altered Griffith’s shot any. Then, Malone just throws down the guy (Green) and there’s no call.”

The rebuttal came from Malone, who said the Jazz deserved to win regardless of the ending.

“It seems like every time we win a game like that from (the Lakers), it’s always because of a questionable call,” Malone said. “Every play they make is clean, if you can imagine that. We won the game. We aren’t going to take anything away from this win. Whether they think it was a questionable call does not matter.”

What ultimately mattered is that the Lakers’ winning streak ended and their march toward the NBA’s best record temporarily stalled. The Lakers are 58-18 and lead the Detroit Pistons by three games in the loss column with seven left.

Accepting Thursday’s loss was especially difficult for the Lakers because of how hard they played in overcoming a 23-point deficit early in the third quarter.

The Lakers trailed, 67-44, 3 minutes 14 seconds into the second half, but managed to pull to within 86-81 entering the fourth quarter. The Lakers overtook the Jazz, 104-103, after Worthy, who had 33 points, made two free throws with 1:05 left.

Then came the call on Griffith’s jump shot, and the non-call on Malone’s alleged push. But, as far as the Jazz players were concerned, there was no question that the officials made the correct calls.

“It was real obvious that when I shot and let go of the ball, Byron got me,” Griffith said. “If you’re fouled, you’re fouled, and the refs have to call it. I was fouled.”

Countered Scott: “It wasn’t a jarring foul or anything. I touched him on the wrist. I didn’t significantly foul him. I guess that’s just the way it works out when you’re on the road.”

Green had the inside position on Malone on Griffith’s free throw. But Green concurred with Riley that Malone made contact before grabbing the long rebound.

“Obviously, (the officials) saw it differently than the way I and my teammates saw it,” Green said. “It could’ve been a foul (on Malone) or a non-call. That turned out to be a big play.”

Griffith said he did not intentionally try to miss the free throw in hopes of an offensive rebound. Had he made the free throw, Utah would have had a two-point lead, and the Lakers would have had seven seconds to work for a shot to tie it.

“It worked out for the better, missing it,” Griffith said. “After Karl got it and made the free throws, they had to make a Hail Mary to beat us.”

That didn’t happen. Green’s three-point attempt barely hit the rim and, after Johnson quickly rebounded and passed the ball out, Worthy’s three-point attempt was an air ball.

“It would have been really tough to lose this game,” Malone said. “It was a great win for us to beat the Lakers.”

Malone and John Stockton played major roles. Malone’s 45 points were the fifth highest total of his career. He made 17 of 27 shots and had 11 rebounds. Stockton had 23 assists, the fourth highest total of his career.

In addition to Worthy’s 33 points, the Lakers received 20 points from Johnson and 18 points and 15 rebounds from Green. But Vlade Divac, starting in place of injured Mychal Thompson (hyper-extended right knee), played only 14 minutes and had four points and one rebound.

“It’s always tough to accept when you’re right there and you lose,” Johnson said. “But we have to forget about it and come back with a strong effort (tonight) against Golden State. Because we’ve still got to do the job we set out to do--close out the best record in the league.”