Utah Jazz

Karl Malone scored 33 points, including 13 consecutive free throws, and the Utah Jazz extended Miami's losing streak to 17 straight with a 110-94 victory last night. Malone keyed a 12-2 Utah run in the first 2 minutes, 21 seconds of the second half, scoring seven points as the Jazz went ahead, 66-48. Malone had 15 points in the third period as Utah, 10-2 at home, built its lead to 83-58 on Darrell Griffith's three-point goal. The Jazz had an 89-64 advantage beginning the fourth period and went ahead 106-74 on Mike Brown's basket with 4:55 left in the game.

Who: Sixers (34-32) at Utah Jazz (34-33) When: 9 o'clock Where: Energy Solutions Arena, Salt Lake City TV/Radio: Comcast SportsNet/WIP (610-AM)  

Four Philadelphia pro sports teams are in action this weekend. Tonight, the Sixers meet the Utah Jazz in a 7:30 game at the Spectrum. Saturday, the Flyers play the Chicago Black Hawks in a 1:05 game at the same place. Then the Wings meet the Pittsburgh Bulls at 8 p.m. - again at the Spectrum. And Sunday at 1 p.m., the Eagles take on the Washington Redskins at Veterans Stadium. Two runs are scheduled, as well.

There was debate in the Minnesota Timberwolves' huddle as they set up what they hoped would be Chuck Person's winning shot. Should they start the play with 12 seconds left? With 10? With eight? "I said, 'All I need is a hair.' Run it with five or six," said Person, who set a pick for Micheal Williams, popped to the top of the key and calmly hit a jumper with 1.9 seconds left to give Minnesota to a 100-98 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz last night. "It's a quick play. " And an effective one for the Wolves, who have used it to win other games and ran it again and again last night.

Jason Kidd was so ill, he felt like throwing up on the court. Joe Kleine's nose was so battered, he needed plastic surgery after the game. But after beating the Utah Jazz on their home floor, the visiting Phoenix Suns never felt better. Kidd had 19 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds as the revved-up Suns, spurred by a series of physical confrontations with Karl Malone, beat the Jazz, 99-85, last night. Utah lost at home for just the third time this season, while the Suns, who still have a shot at the fifth playoff seed in the West, won their third straight and ninth in their last 12. Rex Chapman added 23 points for Phoenix.

The Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs have to make do without their star players for a little while. San Antonio center David Robinson won't play again until Monday or later because of a concussion and knee injury. Robinson was elbowed by Jazz forward Karl Malone and rendered unconscious Wednesday. Malone was suspended for one game by the NBA yesterday. He sat out last night's game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Robinson spent Wednesday night in a Salt Lake City hospital recovering from the blow, which knocked him unconscious for about two minutes.

Center Greg Ostertag signed with the Sacramento Kings yesterday, leaving the Utah Jazz after nine seasons. The terms of Ostertag's deal weren't immediately available. He signed with Sacramento on the same day center Vlade Divac left the Kings to rejoin the Los Angeles Lakers. "I hope everyone knows that I'm not going to replace Vlade with scoring and passing," Ostertag said. "But I will be rebounding, blocking shots and taking up space in the middle. Hopefully I'll be able to help these guys reach their ultimate goal of winning a championship.

John Stockton has said he wants to return to the Utah Jazz for an 18th season. While team owner Larry Miller wants Stockton back, he won't pay a luxury tax to do it. Clubs with a combined team salary of more than $57 million might, depending on yet-to-be-determined financial factors, have to pay $1 for each $1 spent beyond that limit. Utah is close to the $57 million threshold. Any significant raise for Stockton, who made $11 million last season, could push the Jazz over the edge.

Karl Malone, the second-leading scorer in NBA history, retired after 19 seasons yesterday instead of making another try for an elusive championship. The 41-year-old power forward announced his retirement at a news conference at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, where he spent 18 seasons with the Utah Jazz. The 6-foot-9 Malone had considered signing with a championship contender this season to try to win his first NBA title. "The good, the bad, whatever you might call it - I wouldn't change a thing," Malone said, adding that he would not attempt to make a comeback.

SALT LAKE CITY - The night after the Sixers snapped their 15-game road losing streak at Sacramento, things got back to normal. Randy Foye scored 17 points, Gordon Hayward added 15 on 3-for-3 shooting beyond the arc and the Utah Jazz beat the Sixers, 107-91, Monday night to halt a four-game losing streak. "We got off to a horrible start," Sixers coach Doug Collins said, "then we went to the second unit to see if they could get it going and they got to within 45-40. Then we gave them six straight turnovers and they had a 13-0 run. " Dorell Wright scored 19 for the Sixers (27-43)

SALT LAKE CITY - The inability to be consistent, something that has haunted the 76ers all season long, reared its ugly head again Monday night. One night after the lowest-scoring team in the NBA played with bounce in its stride, the sluggishness that has been a hallmark all season returned in an ugly 107-91 loss to the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena. The Sixers (27-43) shot the ball poorly and never led. They trailed by 19 at the end of the third quarter. Utah, which began the night 11/2 games out of the final Western Conference playoff spot, led by as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter.

The New York Knicks connected on 18 three-pointers to more than offset Carmelo Anthony's absence and whip host Miami, 112-92, Thursday night. While Anthony sat out with a cut on the middle finger of his left hand, Raymond Felton scored 27 points, Steve Novak added 18, and J.R. Smith and Tyson Chandler each had 13 for the Knicks, who won their fifth straight. LeBron James nearly picked up his second straight triple-double - 31 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists - in Miami's second straight loss.

MANU GINOBILI broke out of his shooting slump with 17 points to lead the visiting San Antonio Spurs to an 87-81 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday night and a sweep of their first-round Western Conference series. Ginobili was 0-for-8 from beyond the arc in the first three games. But after Utah pulled within 61-58 with 3:18 left in the third, he hit consecutive three-pointers then added another as the Spurs regained control, taking a 76-58 lead early in the fourth. The Jazz went scoreless for more than 8 minutes during a 15-0 Spurs run. Utah made a furious charge late and was within 83-79 on Al Jefferson's putback with 49 seconds left.

Danny Granger scored 25 points to help the Indiana Pacers defeat the Orlando Magic, 105-87, in Indianapolis on Tuesday night, clinching their first-round Eastern Conference series four games to one. Darren Collison scored 15 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and George Hill added 15 points for the Pacers, who trailed by two at the end of the third quarter but outscored the Magic, 36-16, in the final 12 minutes. It was Indiana's first series win since 2005 and its first clincher on its home court since the first round of the 2000 playoffs.

Kobe Bryant scored 31 points, Andrew Bynum posted the Lakers' first playoff triple-double in 21 years with an NBA postseason record-tying 10 blocked shots, and Los Angeles controlled the tempo in a playoff-opening 103-88 victory over the visiting Denver Nuggets on Sunday. Bynum, the Lakers' all-star center coming off his best regular season, also had 10 points and 13 rebounds while blocking 11 percent of the Nuggets' 90 shots. While Bynum had the Lakers' first playoff triple-double since Magic Johnson in the 1991 NBA Finals, fellow 7-footer Pau Gasol added 13 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists for the playoff-tested Lakers, who never trailed while forcing the NBA's highest-scoring team to play Los Angeles' preferred half-court style.

JOE JOHNSON was exhausted by the time the Hawks and Utah Jazz had dragged each other into a fourth overtime - in Atlanta's third game in 3 nights, no less. "It was unbelievable," he said. "I just had to laugh it off. I've never played in a game like that. " Johnson scored 37 points, Josh Smith added 22 and the Hawks ended Utah's six-game winning streak with a 139-133 victory Sunday night in the NBA's first quadruple-overtime game since 1997. The four overtimes tied for the third-longest game in NBA history.

Amar'e Stoudemire had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Jeremy Lin added 18 points and 10 assists, and the New York Knicks made it four straight easy victories under Mike Woodson by beating the Toronto Raptors, 106-87, on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler each scored 17 points for the Knicks, who bring a week's worth of momentum to the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night for a matchup with the Atlantic Division-leading 76ers. The Knicks rode another night of balanced scoring and renewed defensive intensity to a comfortable lead for most of the final three quarters.

After going 19 games without scoring 100 points, the 76ers have now crossed that barrier three times in their last five games after their 104-91 victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center. When the teams met earlier in the season and the Jazz were without starting center Al Jefferson, the Sixers (24-17) blew a double-digit lead and fought back, only to fall by three points. But Friday the Sixers built a 15-point fourth-quarter lead, going ahead, 89-74, on Lou Williams' 16-footer with just under eight minutes to play, and they held on. The victory marked the first time the Sixers have won back-to-back games since they defeated lottery-bound Cleveland and Charlotte a little more than three weeks ago. Williams, who finished with 21 points, 12 of them in the first half, was able to watch the closing moments from the bench because his teammates stepped up in the fourth quarter.

    Al Jefferson scored 18 points, Paul Millsap had 16, and Earl Watson keyed a game-clinching 14-0 fourth-quarter run to help the Utah Jazz beat the visiting Los Angeles Lakers, 96-87, Saturday night. Watson scored eight points and had six assists in the fourth quarter as the Jazz beat the Lakers for the first time in three tries this season. Lakers coach Mike Brown received two quick technicals and was ejected with 8 minutes, 34 seconds to play after he went ballistic and charged after official Zach Zarba following a Laker turnover.