Late Shot Lifts Jazz to Victory

Even though he’s the NBA’s fourth-leading scorer, Karl Malone says he hasn’t played well this season.

The Houston Rockets don’t want to hear it.

Malone’s 20-foot jumper with 2.7 seconds to play was the winner Thursday night as the Utah Jazz erased a 15-point fourth quarter deficit to defeat the Rockets, 88-87, at Salt Lake City.

The victory ended the Rockets’ nine-game winning streak and kept the Jazz in first place in the Midwest Division. It also might give Malone the nudge he needs to bring his play back up to his own lofty standards.

“I was a little surprised I was that wide-open,” Malone, who scored 16 points, said of his final shot. “It’s a more difficult shot than one with someone on you . . . but I’ve been shooting the ball better lately, and I got it to go.”

Bryon Russell led the Jazz and matched his career high with 25 points.

Utah’s dramatic comeback overshadowed a stellar game by Hakeem Olajuwon, who had 32 points, including the 25,000th of his career.

Denver 113, Seattle 110--Chauncey Billups scored a career-high 32 points and backcourt partner Nick Van Exel added 31 for the Nuggets at Denver.

San Antonio 103, Vancouver 91--Tim Duncan scored a career-high 39 points to lead the Spurs at San Antonio.

San Antonio got its 15th victory in 17 games despite playing without center David Robinson, who sat out because of an inflamed left knee.

Toronto 88, Indiana 87--Vince Carter scored 31 points, six in the final 1:10, to lead the Raptors at Toronto.

Philadelphia 88, Miami 84--Matt Geiger had 25 points and 10 rebounds for the 76ers, who held off a furious rally by the Heat at Miami.

Jamal Mashburn, activated from the injured list before the game, had 18 points and six rebounds for the Heat.

Mashburn sat out the previous 26 games because of a knee injury.

New York 78, Cleveland 74--Latrell Sprewell got his wish and returned to the starting lineup, but he sat on the bench for the final eight minutes as the Knicks rallied behind Chris Childs, who scored nine of his 11 points in the fourth quarter at New York.

Sprewell, who was unhappy in a reserve role over the previous 16 games, replaced the injured Larry Johnson in the starting five but scored only 11 points in 30 minutes.

Detroit 107, Chicago 75--Joe Dumars, playing in his 1,000th game, scored 18 points at Auburn Hills, Mich., as the Pistons won their sixth in a row.

The Pistons played the fourth quarter without forward Christian Laettner, who suffered a fractured rib in the third quarter and is expected to be sidelined about two weeks.

Laettner, who sat out the first 22 games because of a ruptured Achilles tendon, absorbed an elbow to the ribs from Bull forward Mark Bryant.

New Jersey 90, Atlanta 85--Stephon Marbury scored 27 points and Keith Van Horn scored 24 for the Nets, who overcame a 14-point second-half deficit at East Rutherford, N.J.