Duncan, Spurs Silence Jazz

Don't engrave Karl Malone's name on that MVP trophy just yet. Tim Duncan is making some special deliveries of his own.

Duncan had 36 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocked shots as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Utah Jazz 83-69 Tuesday night. The loss snapped Utah's 11-game winning streak and pulled the Spurs within three games of the Jazz's league-best record. San Antonio also clinched a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

"I felt great out there, as you could see," Duncan said. "This was a big game for us, and we responded like a very good team has to do."

If the ecstatic whoops coming from the Spurs' locker room after the game were any indication, San Antonio also has tossed the Jazz monkey off its back. The Jazz had beaten the Spurs eight of the last nine meetings, including four of five in last year's conference semifinals.

"It was the kind of game you'd expect with the rivalry that exists here," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "These guys have beaten us 97 out of 100, I think."

With his dominating performance, Duncan more than covered for a foul-plagued game from his Twin Towers partner, David Robinson. Duncan had 14 points in the third quarter as the Spurs built a sizeable lead over the out-of-sync Jazz, who shot just 35.4 percent in the game.

"Maybe we thought we could just show up at home with an 11-game winning streak and take care of business," Malone said. "We're the Jazz. If we only score 69 points, anybody can beat us on any given night."

In the fourth quarter, Malone hit a jumper to cut the Spurs' lead to 67-61 with 7:28 to play, but Duncan responded with five points on San Antonio's next three possessions, and a critical block on Malone. The Spurs made an 11-2 run over the next six minutes to put the game away.

The Spurs have won four straight games, with ther last three coming against Portland, Houston and Utah. San Antonio also snapped a three-game road losing streak.

Malone finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds, but he got little help from his supporting cast. Bryon Russell, John Stockton and Shandon Anderson were a combined 9-for-30 from the field, and the Jazz committed 16 turnovers.

Utah lost for the first time in April and for just the second time at home this season. Afterward, the Jazz seemed shocked by their decidedly un-Jazzlike performance.

"If it were anybody else, we wouldn't have to worry about it," said Jeff Hornacek, who had 11 points. "But it's the team that's right behind us in the standings ... and they nailed us."

In fact, it was a 101-87 loss to Utah at the Alamodome on Feb. 28 that sparked the Spurs to their dramatic turnaround. After losing to the Jazz, San Antonio was 6-8; since then, the Spurs are 23-4.

"Right after they beat us at home, we obviously weren't playing well," Popovich said. "Right after that, we started playing very well. So I guess they woke us up."

Duncan dominated the game early, getting 13 points, five rebounds and five blocks in the first half as the Spurs led by double digits. Only three personal fouls prevented him from doing more damage, as the Jazz threw several ill-equipped defenders at Duncan with no success.

Malik Rose had a huge game off the bench for San Antonio, grabbing 11 rebounds, blocking three shots and playing solid defense on Malone. Robinson had 12 points on 3-of-12 shooting, while Sean Elliott added 11.

San Antonio was up 38-28 with 8:19 left in the half before going scoreless in the next 4:57. But the Jazz, who shot 33.3 percent in the first half, couldn't gain much ground and trailed 43-38 at halftime.

Notes: Will Perdue and Adam Keefe, both of whom are nursing broken noses, compared face masks during the pregame shootaround. Keefe played for the first time in five games. ... The two teams will meet again on May 2 in San Antonio. ... Utah's win streak was the longest in the NBA this season and the third-longest in Jazz history. ... A frustrated Malone picked up a technical foul with 4:20 to play and the Jazz down by nine points, but Mario Elie missed the free throw.

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