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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
SEATTLE (AP) -- Gary Payton insisted all week the Seattle SuperSonics weren't dead. He and his teammates went out and proved it Saturday.
|  | | Gary Payton helped limit John Stockton to four points on 1-for-8 shooting. Stockton did have 13 assists. |
Despite a 30-point performance from Karl Malone, the Sonics
stayed alive in the playoffs with an 89-78 victory over Utah that
cut the Jazz's lead in the best-of-five first-round series to 2-1.
Game 4 will be in Seattle on Wednesday and Game 5, if necessary,
will be in Salt Lake City on Friday.
Payton scored nine of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, while
Vin Baker, the Sonics' $87 million power forward who was criticized
for his play in Games 1 and 2, added 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Seattle, embarrassed by its performances in Utah, outrebounded
the Jazz 46-38 as rookie Rashard Lewis had 14 points and 10
rebounds.
The difference between the Sonics in Seattle and Salt Lake City?
"I thought we were a little more aggressive today," Payton
said. "When they was hitting us, we were hitting back and it
worked."
Said Malone, who scored 50 points in the playoff opener: "I could have done more. Nobody wants to get swept, especially against a bunch of old guys."
Baker agreed.
"There was a big sense of urgency today. We didn't want to get
swept," he said.
Payton, who shot 8-for-24 from the field, added 10 assists and
seven rebounds in 48 minutes and Utah point guard John Stockton had
just four points on 1-for-8 shooting.
"If we put a little more pressure on him, I think it disrupts
the offense," said Payton of Stockton, who had 13 assists and two
turnovers.
"They outplayed us," Stockton said. "They were aggressive and
kept us uncomfortable. We missed some shots early and that fueled
their fire."
Lewis' 3-pointer from the corner with 5:44 left put the Sonics
in front 76-61. Brent Barry's 3-pointer with 3:43 remaining put the
Sonics ahead 82-62 and he followed that up with another 3 to give
the Sonics an 85-64 lead with 3:06 left.
Barry's lip was bloodied when he was hit by Malone's elbow with
8:14 left and Seattle ahead 68-59.
"Our stuff just worked a little better today," Seattle coach
Paul Westphal said. "This week was no fun."
After two free throws by Malone cut Seattle's lead to 66-59, the
Sonics outscored the Jazz 11-2 with Horace Grant getting the run
started with an 18-footer.
Ruben Patterson, who had 13 points, ignited the Sonics in the
third quarter, when they expanded a six-point lead to 64-52.
Patterson hit a 12-foot jumper on a fastbreak as time expired in
the quarter, but his most impressive play in the period came when
he scrambled on the floor to keep the ball alive before scoring on
a putback with 4:27 left. He then made a free throw after being
fouled by Greg Ostertag that gave Seattle a 54-46 lead.
"I just try to bring a lot of energy to my team," Patterson said.
In the second quarter, Malone picked up two fouls in 23 seconds
and then was called for a technical with 6:13 left in the period.
He sat out the remainder of the first half.
With 3:31 left in the second quarter, Greg Foster of the Sonics
and Armen Gilliam of the Jazz had to be separated by the officials
after getting locked up while Patterson was shooting free throws.
The Sonics led 40-34 at halftime after scoring the the first
nine points of the second quarter, including a 3-pointer by
Shammond Williams.
Utah coach Jerry Sloan refused to blame the four-day layoff from
Game 2 to Game 3 for his team's lackluster performance.
"They had the same number of days off as we did," he said. But
then he sarcastically added, "We've got a few weeks off before we
play again."
Jeff Hornacek of the Jazz said Game 3 was the kind of playoff game he's used to.
"In Utah, we did what we wanted to. You don't expect that in a playoff game," he said. "Tonight is more of what you expect in a playoff game."
Game notes
Sloan was whistled for a technical foul with eight minutes
gone in the opening period for protesting too strongly after
Stockton was tied up by the Sonics. ... Baker got the start despite
missing some practice time this week because of the stomach flu.
... The Sonics ended a six-game playoff losing streak, winning a
playoff game for the first time in nearly two years. Their last
playoff victory came May 4, 1998, when they beat the Los Angeles
Lakers 106-92.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Utah Clubhouse
Seattle Clubhouse
RECAPS
Miami 91
Detroit 72
Phoenix 101
San Antonio 94
Seattle 89
Utah 78
Indiana 109
Milwaukee 96
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Sonics' coach Paul Westphal says its back to square one.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Karl Malone sounds off after the game.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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