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Monday, Jan. 15 9:00pm ET
Malone one assist shy of triple-double

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Donyell Marshall loves being in Utah. The Jazz and their fans are happy to have him.

Donyell Marshall
Jazz forward Donyell Marshall battled for one of his game-high 21 rebounds on Monday.

Karl Malone scored 29 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out nine assists, barely missing his fourth career triple-double as the Utah Jazz beat the Houston Rockets 116-104 in overtime Monday night.

Marshall, meanwhile, had season highs with 26 points and 21 rebounds for the Jazz, who got the first six points of the extra period and went on to outscore Houston 19-7 in overtime.

"I was just trying to do whatever it took for us to win," said Marshall, who joined the Jazz in an offseason trade that sent Adam Keefe to Golden State and Howard Eisley to Dallas.

"Karl has been helping me a lot, showing me where to stand for a rebound, where to be on offense. On defense, Houston is a team that can play above the rim and rebound. I just had to do what I could," Marshall said.

John Starks scored 19 and John Stockton had 18, while Danny Manning and Jacque Vaughn each came off the bench to score 10. The victory moved Utah one-half game ahead of San Antonio for the Midwest Division lead.

Shandon Anderson, who left Utah after the 1998-99 season as a free agent, scored a season-high 26. Steve Francis had 21, Maurice Taylor and Cuttino Mobley each had 15 and Matt Bullard scored 11 for Houston.

"I don't know what happened in overtime," Francis said. "We didn't make shots and they made some big shots that kind of took the lead off."

Malone could have put the Rockets away with the Jazz leading 97-94, but he missed two free throws with 14.2 seconds remaining. After a Houston timeout, Kenny Thomas hit a 3-pointer from the left corner with 5.2 seconds on the clock.

"I probably should have made one of those free throws, but it was a great win for us," said Malone, who wouldn't discuss the near-triple-double. "It was neat the way we finished it, but it probably shouldn't have gotten there (overtime)."

The Jazz set up a play for Stockton, who drove but missed a runner from the left side of the lane as regulation time expired.

Marshall, who made his fourth straight start, is hitting stride with Utah after languishing for seven seasons in Golden State.

"Since we've started him, he seems to play better and better," said Utah coach Jerry Sloan. "He seems to be getting a lot better feel for what we're doing. He's not just looking for 3-point shots like he was early in the season."

Since scoring 20 points and grabbing 15 rebounds against the Rockets on Jan. 6, Marshall has seemed like a perfect fit for the Jazz. He had 16 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's victory over the Lakers.

While Anderson fled Utah, with its predominantly White culture and reputation for family oriented living, Marshall is playing with a winner for the first time ever and enjoying his lifestyle, too.

"A lot of people probably don't want to come here because of the nightlife, but I've been having a ball here," Marshall said. "The fans have accepted me. I haven't had any trouble. I get to spend a lot of time with my kids."

In the first half against the Rockets, Marshall had 12 rebounds in the first half. At one point late in the second period, his 11 boards trailed Houston's team total by only four.

"When we're playing well, that has me excited the most," Marshall said.

It wasn't a crisp effort by the Jazz, who shot 43 percent through the third quarter but turned it on in the fourth. Still, they couldn't shake the pesky Rockets, who got eight points in the final period from Mobley.

For a while, it seemed Anderson would have the last laugh with fans who booed him each time his name came across the public address system. His 3-pointer with 6:13 remaining in regulation pulled the Rockets within 82-81.

Game notes
The Jazz played the third of an eight-game homestand, the longest homestand in the history of the New Orleans-Utah franchise. ... Greg Ostertag worked out before tipoff but changed into street clothes and sat on the Utah bench. ... Houston's Carlos Rogers didn't make the trip for undisclosed personal reasons.
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard

Houston Clubhouse

Utah Clubhouse


RECAPS
New York 104
San Antonio 82

Milwaukee 101
Washington 95

Philadelphia 84
Charlotte 79

New Jersey 84
Atlanta 78

Sacramento 116
Dallas 105

Boston 107
Minnesota 102

Cleveland 107
Golden State 101

Indiana 89
LA Clippers 74

Orlando 113
Chicago 104

LA Lakers 113
Vancouver 112

Denver 122
Seattle 111

Utah 116
Houston 104

FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT

Rudy Tomjanovich Official Site

Karl Malone Official Site

Bryon Russell Official Site


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