Clippers Can’t Handle Malone and Lose

Karl Malone scored 15 of his 25 points in the decisive third quarter Saturday night as the Utah Jazz won consecutive games for the first time in a month, defeating the Clippers, 128-104.

Tom Chambers, John Stockton and Tyrone Corbin scored 20 points each for the Jazz, who had failed to win two straight games since the end of their 10-game winning streak on March 8. The Jazz defeated Dallas, 99-82, Thursday night and won the season series from the Clippers, 3-1.

Terry Dehere and Ron Harper led the Clippers with 17 points each, and Dominique Wilkins had 16. It was the ninth loss in the last 11 games for the Clippers (26-48).

Leading, 59-58, after Gary Grant made a 16-foot jumper, the Jazz responded with a 15-1 run to lead, 74-59, with 7:14 left in the third quarter.

Malone scored seven consecutive points later in the quarter, extending Utah’s lead to 86-67. After a 21-foot jumper by Wilkins, Malone made two free throws and Corbin made a basket to give Utah a 90-69 lead, its largest to that point.

The Clippers outscored the Jazz, 9-2, through the end of the quarter to close within 14, but they came no closer. Utah’s largest lead was the final score.

Clipper Coach Bob Weiss said Utah’s defense and transition game in the second half were the difference.

“They stepped up their defense a notch, and we weren’t quite getting the same shots we were in the first half,” said Weiss, whose team, 41-41 last season under Larry Brown, might not win 30 games this season. “They do a great job of picking you apart, and the smallest mistake, they capitalize on.”

Utah tied its highest point total of the season. The Jazz made 50 of 87 field-goal attempts (57%), much better than their season average of 47.1%, and far better than their 42% clip during a recent slump during which they lost nine of 12 games.

The Clippers made 35 of 75 attempts (46.7%), but were four for 19 from three-point range. Wilkins and Harper were a combined 11 for 27 from the field.

Despite the blowout, Utah Coach Jerry Sloan was angry about his team’s first-half play.

“I’m surprised our fans stayed around and watched us after that. It was a pretty poor exhibition of basketball,” said Sloan. “We didn’t get back and defend them. We just exchanged baskets.

“We weren’t trying to defend them at all. In the second half, we started running the floor better, because of what we were doing on the other end.”