"We looked like a young team looking for a way not to lose," said the coach of the 27-40 Nuggets. It was enough to make Issel crinkle his face, shake his head and, well, laugh. "Third quarter was sluggish for us," said Russell, who scored 16, "but we fought back, and we turned it on." Utah went from three down (77-80) with less than seven minutes remaining to 10 up when Russell dunked to make it 91-81 with two minutes to go. And by the end of the third, Denver was up by five.īut the Jazz, using a lineup that included Stockton and subs Greg Ostertag, Armen Gilliam, Howard Eisley and Adam Keefe, got their act together in the fourth. That was critical for a club which jumped to a quick 17-5 lead, only to have the Nuggets get back into it by halftime.ĭenver's James Posey hit two quick 3-pointers to open the third quarter, sending the Nuggets up four at 53-49. "He's not going to run away from you and hide with his quickness, but he's got what it takes to get rid of the basketball out on the floor when he is shooting." "If I was a basketball player and had trouble shooting the ball, I believe I'd see if I could rent a place in his house," Sloan added. "He shot that one (jumper) over in front of their bench, and he didn't have much room to get it off, but he got it off so quick. "It looked like we were saving him for something, but he stepped out there and made some great plays," Sloan said of Hornacek, who spent half of the third quarter on the Jazz bench. That quarter also saw him hit two huge jumpers, one to make it 83-80 Jazz, and the second - a 3-pointer - put Utah up 89-81 with two minutes and 21 seconds to go. Hornacek added seven of 12 points and three of his four assists during his seven-minute stint in the fourth quarter. Sporting a hair-free head not seen since the 1996 Olympic Games, Malone scored nine points of his game-high 28 points and pulled down three of his team-high 10 rebounds in the final eight minutes he played. Malone, with some huge help from Hornacek, helped the Jazz take control in the fourth quarter. Tuesday's game, meanwhile, was not over until the newly bald guy said so. "I just apologized for the way I acted, he said he was sorry for anything he said that was out of line," said Issell, who was the recipient of some digs by Sloan following that January game. Issel promises it is, and said as much when he dropped in on Sloan's supper. 3 incident in which Issel went nuts on the Delta Center sideline, accusing the Jazz of running up the scoring by still having Malone, Stockton and Bryon Russell on the floor for the final minute of a game they won by 20 points. "That's all in the past," Sloan said of a Jan. Instead, Issel and Sloan made amends, and the Midwest Division-leading Jazz - now 45-21 and 3 1/2 games up on defending NBA-champion San Antonio, which lost to Dallas on Monday night - satisfied their hunger for yet another victory. Imagine what the on-a-roll Jazz, winners of eight straight at home and 11 of their last 12 overall, might have done if Sloan was still steaming himself. Still, with two games down between the teams this season and two more still to go, maybe it's a good thing for the Nuggets that all is well between the two coaches. The victorious Jazz won behind a double-double from Karl "Kojak" Malone, 11 assists by John Stockton, a guy who, thank goodness, still has his hair, and some clutch fourth-quarter shooting by one who prefers his hair parted on the side, Jeff Hornacek. Utah took this meeting 96-83, rallying from a late 3-point deficit to win. apologies, a la carte.ĭenver Nuggets coach Dan Issel paid a pre-game visit to the Jazz coach on Tuesday night, and the primary purpose of his call was to address the way he behaved the last time he made a visit to Sloan's house.Sloan accepted the apology, and issued one of his own, but it didn't stop his club from doing to the Nuggets what they last time they played: creamed 'em. Jerry Sloan's Delta Center dinner menu choices last evening featured chicken "Nuggets," wild rice and steamed veggies.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |