Jazz Edge Past Blazers

Karl Malone and John Stockton practically built the Utah Jazz as a franchise, but Donyell Marshall has become indispensable in the team's quest to get back to the NBA finals.

Marshall and Malone each scored 22 points as Utah moved ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers for the best winning percentage in the Western Conference with a 90-84 victory Thursday night.

"Donyell's been a great addition to this team," Stockton said. "We have to do it as a whole club. We don't have five killer guys. We need everybody to contribute every game, and when we do that, we can beat anybody."

Stockton added 18 points for the Jazz (36-16), who won their fourth straight and ninth in 10 games. Utah, which leads the Midwest Division, is one one-thousandth of a percentage point ahead of Pacific-leading Portland (38-17).

"Everybody might want to say that this was just another game, but this was a huge win for us," Malone said. "Those guys have had our number here, and to come in to this playoff intensity and get a win was huge."

Marshall, acquired in a trade from Golden State, is averaging 13 points this season, but has increased his scoring to 18.5 over his last six games. Since moving into the starting lineup following a five-game losing streak in late December and early January, Utah is 16-3.

Rasheed Wallace had 32 points and 11 rebounds, two nights after scoring a career-high 4 in a victory over Denver.

Scottie Pippen, who missed 18 games with an injured right elbow, returned and scored four points on 1-of-4 shooting in 20 minutes.

Damon Stoudamire, who had a season-high 32 points and hit the game-winning shot in overtime when the teams last met on Dec. 28, missed all seven of his shots and was held scoreless for the first time this season.

The Jazz led by nine to start the fourth quarter but let their lead slip to 73-72 on a dunk by Wallace with 5:28 to go. Utah then scored on its last eight possessions.

"We executed, stayed focused and made everything down the stretch," Marshall said. "We needed to show them we can beat them here, and it gave us the best record in the West. This was as close to a playoff game as I have ever played."

Marshall set up Malone for a layup that made it 88-82 with 1:03 left. After Portland's Greg Anthony missed a 3-pointer, Malone connected inside on a pass from Stockton for a 90-82 lead with 25.1 seconds left.

Utah broke a 37-all tie by outscoring the Blazers 16-5 over a 5:44 span, beginning late in second quarter. Portland never got the lead back.

"We didn't do anything throughout the game to show that we were going to take this game over," Pippen said. "We turned the ball over too much, and allowed them to get too many easy baskets, and that's the kind of game they want to play."

The Blazers got just three offensive rebounds, compared with 15 for Utah. And they consistently got beaten on defense early in the game. Utah's first nine baskets came on layups.

Utah wasn't that sharp either, though, committing 10 turnovers. Malone even missed a wide-open layup after a great save and pass by Stockton.

The Jazz inched ahead at halftime on pure hustle, however. Danny Manning, who had eight points in the first 4:35 of the second quarter, ran down an offensive rebound and passed to Marshall, who hit a 3-pointer that put Utah ahead 46-40 at halftime.

Wallace and Steve Smith combined to hit all eight of their shots in the fourth, and Portland battled back. But John Starks made the first of seven straight shots for the Jazz, a 3-pointer, and Utah held onto the lead.

"We didn't have the stops at the end," Portland coach Mike Dunleavy said. "We were scoring almost every time down, but down at the other end, they made the good plays."

H3>Notes