Jazz Gets Shot Down by Pierce

The Seattle SuperSonics know that Ricky Pierce must be scoring at his best if they hope to beat the Utah Jazz.

Pierce broke out of a playoff scoring slump Sunday with 31 points as the SuperSonics defeated the Jazz, 104-98, and cut Utah’s lead to 2-1 in their Western Conference semifinal series.

Pierce, who averaged 12 points in the first two games, made nine of 17 shots and 13 free throws.

“In the first two games, I got the ball at the three-point line, which is too far out for me,” said Pierce, who scored 17 points in the first half. “Today, I got the ball closer to the basket in spots where I could get open.”

The SuperSonics can tie the series with a victory in the Seattle Coliseum Tuesday night.

The Jazz was held scoreless for almost 5 1/2 minutes in the fourth quarter when it committed seven of its 13 turnovers.

“We panicked a little and just threw the ball away,” Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan said. “They didn’t steal the ball from us, we just threw it away.”

Karl Malone scored 30 points for the Jazz but was held scoreless in the fourth quarter. The SuperSonics limited the Jazz to 17 points in the fourth quarter.

“We didn’t take care of the ball very well in the fourth quarter,” said Jazz guard John Stockton, who scored 23 points. “Because of that, we didn’t get the ball to Karl as much as we liked.”

Utah’s Jeff Malone, who averaged 27.5 points in the first two games, was held to 13.

Trailing 81-78 after three quarters, the SuperSonics tied the score, 85-85, but fell behind again when Stockton made a 17-foot shot with 8:55 to play.