Mailman Sends Clippers Away This Time, 106-98

The Mailman delivered.

All-Star forward Karl Malone scored 29 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Jazz rebounded from an embarrassing loss to the Clippers last week with a 106-98 win over the Clippers on Tuesday night before 19,991 at the Delta Center.

Malone scored 13 points in the third quarter, one less than the Clippers, as the Jazz outscored the Clippers, 31-14, to break open the game.

“They smelled blood and they came at us pretty hard,” Coach Bill Fitch said after the Clippers collapsed from exhaustion in the third quarter and were outscored 31-14.

“The biggest difference between this game and the last game is that their defense picked up.

“They’re a very good basketball team and we knew coming in here that it was going to be a tough repeat. We knew we weren’t going to surprise anybody.”

Guard Eric Piatkowski said the Clippers, the NBA’s worst defensive team, had a third-quarter lapse.

“The thing that hurt us in the third quarter was that our defense just broke down,” Piatkowski said. “They got a lot of easy fast break baskets. Every time I looked up Malone was getting an easy two points and that’s what things fell apart.”

Forward Rodney Rogers, who fouled out with 10:32 left in the fourth quarter, couldn’t contain Malone, who made 10 of 19 shots, including five of 10 in the third quarter.

Rogers, who had 22 points and nine rebounds in last week’s win against the Jazz, made two of seven shots and had 10 points and three rebounds.

Center Lorenzen Wright also got into foul trouble trying to guard Malone, getting five fouls.

“Rodney was in foul trouble and I was in foul trouble,” Wright said. “What could we do?

“Malone gets a lot of calls, but that’s what you get when you’re an all-star.”

Guard James Robinson, who had a season-best 25 points in his last game against the Jazz, had 22 points, including 11 in the first half as the Clippers outscored the Jazz, 36-26, in the second quarter to tie it at 56-56 at halftime.

“I’m going to continue to have great games,” Robinson said. “That’s just the way I play. It’s not something new.

“It’s all about the opportunity to play. When you get the opportunity to play you get out there and play hard. You’ve just to go out and do the best you can and not pout.”

Robinson got a technical foul with 14 seconds left in the third quarter for protesting after Malone elbowed center Stojko Vrankovic.

“We can’t beat six and seven people every night,” Robinson said. “It’s not fair, but that’s just the way it goes.”

The Clippers, who looked as if they were sleepwalking in the first quarter, falling behind 30-20, shot 50% in the second quarter and outscored the Jazz 36-26 to tie it at 56-56 at halftime.

The Clippers said they spent the All-Star break working out, but you wouldn’t have known it from the way they got started.

The Clippers missed 15 of 20 shots in the first quarter and fell behind 30-20 after the first 12 minutes.

It didn’t help that Wright got into foul trouble early, drawing his third foul with 3:52 remaining in the first quarter.

The Jazz, who beat the Chicago Bulls 24 hours after losing to the Clippers last week, shot 50% in the first quarter.

Adam Keefe made four of six shots and had eight points in the first 12 minutes.