ESPN Network: ESPN.com | NFL.com | NBA.com | NHL.com | WNBA.com | ABCSports | EXPN | FANTASY | INSIDER

  Scores/Schedules
  Standings
  Statistics
  Transactions
  Injuries
  Players
  Message Board
  NBA StatSearch
  NBA en espaņol
Clubhouses






Saturday, Mar. 24 9:00pm ET
Malone becomes league's all-time FT king

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – When Karl Malone was a rookie, he failed to sink even half of his free throws.

Jahidi White
Jahidi White's 18 points and eight rebounds were a bright spot in a dismal outing for the Wizards.

Now in his 16th season, he has made more free throws than anyone else in NBA history.

"It's one of those things I never imagined to accomplish as a player. I don't really think about records like this, but it's pretty awesome," said Malone, who became the NBA career leader for free throws made as the Utah Jazz beat the Washington Wizards 119-93 Saturday night.

Malone became the NBA career leader for free throws made when he converted a pair of foul shots with 10:48 remaining in the third quarter to give Utah a 72-40 lead.

Malone, who has made 8,534 of 11,576 free throws in his 16-year career, passed Moses Malone, who made 8,531 of 11,090.

"That's quite an accomplishment on his part. I was here when he first started out ... and he got better by working at it," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said.

Malone shot just 48 percent from the line in his rookie season and less than 60 percent in his second season.

"It's a tribute to Karl and what it takes to improve. It's another indicator of the type of player he is. He just finds ways of getting better every year," John Stockton said.

Unlike the well-documented free throw travails of Shaquille O'Neal, Malone made his turnaround at the line when no one was watching.

"It's one of those situations when you just need to get away from the cameras and the crowds. The summers are the time to get better," Malone said.

Jacque Vaughn scored a career-high 18 points as the Jazz were in front of the Wizards from start to finish and led by as many as 39 midway through the fourth quarter.

Donyell Marshall scored 16 points, Malone added 15 and Scott Padgett 13 for the Jazz. Richard Hamilton scored 25 points for Washington, which has lost five of its last six games. Jahidi White added 18 as the Wizards closed their road trip with a 1-4 record. The Jazz, coming off a disappointing 101-99 loss to Portland on Thursday, charged to a 28-8 lead in the first eight minutes. Utah scored 20 of its first 28 points on a combination of layups, dunks and free throws, shooting 82 percent in the first quarter. "We made a conscious effort to get easy baskets right from the start," Marshall said. The Wizards shot 26 percent and trailed 41-13 at the end of the first quarter. "Once the Jazz found out we weren't playing defense, they just had their way with us tonight. I thought they kicked our butts," White said.

Utah set season-highs in first-quarter and first-half points. The Jazz led 70-40 at the break.

The Jazz shot 58 percent from the field but his teammates' postgame focus was on what Malone accomplishment during his 9-of-10 performance from the line.

"It's a great tribute to a combination of work ethic and concentration. I heard about his troubles when came into the league and now he's one of the best shooters on our team," Vaughn said.

Game notes
Mitch Richmond, Washington's second-leading scorer, missed the game due to a strained right knee. ... Selected one of the top 50 players in NBA history, Malone has improved his career percentage almost every season and averages 73.7 percent. ... Earlier this season, Malone moved past Wilt Chamberlain and into second place on the NBA career scoring list.

Send this story to a friend
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard

Washington Clubhouse

Utah Clubhouse

RECAPS
Cleveland 117
Denver 105

Dallas 103
Charlotte 100

Utah 119
Washington 93

Seattle 93
Houston 90

Golden State 103
Detroit 95


ESPN.com:  HELP |  ADVERTISER INFO |  CONTACT US |  TOOLS |  SITE MAP
Copyright ©2000 ESPN Internet Group. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information are applicable to this site. Employment opportunities at ESPN.com.