Portland Prepares for Lakers by Manhandling Utah Again

The Utah Jazz can flail and fume, but it just can’t push the Portland Trail Blazers around anymore.

Arvydas Sabonis and Rasheed Wallace each scored 17 points Sunday as the Trail Blazers withstood a tumultuous fourth quarter to beat the Jazz, 101-92, for their 11th consecutive win.

The Trail Blazers have won 17 of 18 overall and 16 straight at home.

As the final seconds ticked off, the sellout crowd chanted “Beat L.A.!” The Trail Blazers play host to the Lakers on Tuesday night in a showdown between the teams with the league’s best records.

“This should be a carryover to the Tuesday night game,” said Damon Stoudamire of Portland’s ninth win in their last 10 games over Utah at the Rose Garden. “We’re just going to let it all ride on Tuesday.”

Karl Malone and Bryon Russell scored 23 points each to lead Utah. But it was Malone’s physical play in the fourth quarter that stirred up the Trail Blazers and started the Jazz unraveling.

Utah closed to 82-79 on a dunk by Greg Ostertag with 7:58 left, but after a turnover Malone got tangled up with Portland’s Bonzi Wells and threw him to the floor. Wells jumped up and bumped Malone in the chest before they were separated. Both received technical fouls.

Shortly afterward, Ostertag was ejected after tussling with Steve Smith. Ostertag thought Smith fouled him, and the two glared at each other before some angry grabs.

Ostertag had gotten a technical in the second quarter for angrily bouncing the ball, and his second earned him an automatic ejection.