Efficient Jazz Play Rockets Another Chorus Stockton Enjoys A Big Night As Utah Rips Rowdy Houston

The Utah Jazz are operating so efficiently and so precisely that they’ve turned the Houston Rockets into a creaky, cranky, complaining shell of a team whose play has deteriorated into thuggery.

In another display of nearly flawless team basketball, the Jazz picked-and-rolled, outrebounded and frustrated Houston in a 104-92 victory Wednesday night for a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series.

Utah broke the game open with a surge at the end of the third quarter, and things deteriorated so much for Houston in the fourth quarter that Charles Barkley flattened John Stockton on a flagrant foul on which Barkley said he “was trying to separate his shoulder or break his rib.”

Utah had such a well-rounded attack that the fans, for the first time in at least a month, didn’t even chant “M-V-P” at Karl Malone. Instead, they were on their feet cheering the entire team - and with good reason.

Stockton had 26 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds, Malone had 24 points and 15 rebounds, Jeff Hornacek scored 17 points and Bryon Russell added 12.

Utah’s bench pitched in, too, just as it did in the Jazz’s 101-86 victory in Game 1. Led by reserve center Greg Foster and backup point guard Howard Eisley, Utah’s bench outscored Houston’s 23-11.

The Jazz also outrebounded Houston 56-37.

The series moves to Houston for Game 3 on Friday night and Game 4 on Sunday, and the series may not make it back to the Delta Center if the Rockets can’t find a way to stop Utah’s multi-faceted attack.

“We’ve got to win Friday, we’ve got to win Friday,’ Barkley repeated afterward. “You can come back from 3-1, but not from 3-0.”

Hakeem Olajuwon led the Rockets with 30 points, but almost half of them came in the fourth quarter when Houston was already out of it. Barkley, who fouled out, added 16 points and Clyde Drexler had 15.

The Jazz took control by ending the third quarter with a 15-2 run, getting strong contributions from their lesser-known players while Houston’s attack deteriorated into a series of isolation plays, most of them unsuccessful, for its three superstars.

Hornacek hit a corner jumper, Eisley made a 3-pointer and Foster made a corner jumper while the Rockets were clearing out four players and giving the ball to Barkley or Drexler. Problem was, the one-on-one stuff wasn’t working and Olajuwon was resting on the bench.

On one isolation, Russell stole the ball from Drexler and went in for a fastbreak dunk. On the next, Drexler dribbled away the shot clock before missing a 3-pointer.

The strategy worked no better when the Rockets went to Barkley, who was rejected once by Malone and once by Foster and missed his other two attempts.

Eisley made another jumper, Foster scored on a drive and Eisley closed the period with two free throws to complete the 15-2 run and give Utah an 83-68 lead.

“It’s amazing how long we hung around,” Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. “They made a run, we missed five layups in 3 minutes and we could never make a game out of it after that.”

Houston was unable to cut its deficit below nine points in the fourth quarter. Tempers started to flare as Barkley flattened Stockton under the Utah basket and was called for a flagrant foul.

“Next time, I’ll break him in half,” Barkley said to referee Jack Nies.

“They’re going to keep setting their moving picks, and obviously the refs aren’t going to do their jobs,” Barkley said in the interview room before mentioning that he was deliberately trying to hurt Stockton.

When a roomful of reporters chuckled at Barkley’s comment, thinking it was another of his overstatements, he scolded them.

“I was serious,” he said.

“Whatever,” Stockton replied. “That’s my comment on what he did and what he said - whatever.”

Jazz 104, Rockets 92

Houston (92) - Elie 2-8 7-8 12, Barkley 5-12 6-10 16, Olajuwon 12-22 6-9 30, Drexler 6-18 0-0 15, Maloney 2-9 3-3 8, Willis 2-7 2-2 6, Threatt 2-6 0-0 4, Johnson 0-3 0-0 0, Harrington 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 31-85 25-34 92.

Utah (104) - Russell 5-9 1-2 12, Malone 9-21 6-10 24, Ostertag 0-5 2-2 2, Hornacek 6-9 4-5 17, Stockton 7-14 12-12 26, Foster 3-5 0-0 6, Eisley 2-3 2-2 7, Anderson 0-1 2-2 2, Carr 1-4 2-2 4, Morris 2-6 0-0 4, Howard 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 35-78 31-37 104.

Houston 23 19 26 24 - 92

Utah 25 23 35 21 - 104

3-Point goals-Houston 5-16, (Drexler 3-6, Maloney 1-3, Elie 1-4, Johnson 0-1, Barkley 0-2), Utah 3-10, (Eisley 1-2, Hornacek 1-2, Russell 1-4, Foster 0-1, Morris 0-1). Fouled out-Barkley. Rebounds-Houston 45 (Barkley 12), Utah 67 (Malone 15). Assists-Houston 13 (Drexler 4), Utah 21 (Stockton 12). Total fouls-Houston 25, Utah 25. Technicals-Drexler, Malone, Utah illegal defense. Flagrant fouls-Barkley. A-19,911 (19,911).