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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – John Stockton and Karl Malone have been in the playoffs so often, they can instantly find a comfort zone when pressure mounts.
|  | | Karl Malone, right, John Stockton and Steve Nash, like everyone else, played at a frenzied pace. |
Malone scored 34 points and Bryon Russell had 24 as the Utah Jazz beat the Dallas Mavericks 109-98 in another emotional contest Tuesday night, building a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five, first-round playoff series.
The 39-year-old Stockton scored 17 points in 42 minutes as the veteran Jazz outhustled, outmuscled and outplayed the Mavericks for three quarters, then held on in the fourth.
"You can talk about the series all you want but we won the ball game," said Malone, 37. "We ran off to a nice lead but they cut it down to three, and then they got a good look at a three. We'll take 2-0 any day."
The Mavericks trailed by 20 points late in the third quarter but outscored the Jazz 15-6 over the first six minutes of the final period. Dallas pulled within 90-87 when Dirk Nowitzki hit a 3-pointer and was fouled by Russell.
He made the ensuing free throw, and the Jazz seemed to be in trouble. But Malone and Stockton had all of Utah's points in a 6-0 run that steadied the ship.
"We were a little confused out there," Stockton said. "They threw some things at us and we didn't react well. But the guys on the floor figured it out, got some easy shots and busted it open."
The series goes to Reunion Arena for Game 3 on Saturday. Utah, in the playoffs for the 18th straight season, is looking for its first sweep since beating the Los Angeles Lakers in four games in the 1998 Western Conference finals.
"This series is not over," Malone said. "We're going to a war
zone down in Dallas, but that's part of it."
Michael Finley led the Mavericks with 32 points, while Steve Nash scored 20 and Juwan Howard had 17. Dallas, which made the playoffs for the first time in 11 years, is still looking for its first postseason victory since 1988.
"Our chances are still just as good," Howard said. "You have to win three games, and they only have two."
After Dallas pulled within 90-87, the Mavericks missed a chance to tie when Nash missed a 3-pointer.
"That was the biggest play of the game," Nash said. "It was
straight, dead-on, just a little long."
The Delta Center was rocking and the intensity on the court was turned up for Game 2, which came after Dallas coach Don Nelson claimed the Jazz manipulate referees and the Mavericks brashly predicted they could win.
After five individual technical fouls were called in Game 1, there were six in the first half alone Tuesday. And five minutes into the second half, Utah's Olden Polynice was ejected after a
flagrant foul on Shawn Bradley.
There was spitting, with Vernon Maxwell of the Mavericks hacking
onto the floor. And there was blood, as Russell was treated for a
cut below his left eye after he drew a charge on Calvin Booth's
third-quarter dunk attempt.
Maxwell was ejected late in the third quarter after his second
technical. The teams combined for 70 personal fouls, seven
individual technicals, one flagrant foul and two ejections.
"It's a fine line you walk out there and emotions do run high," Malone said. "Hopefully, you get smart fouls because, I'll be honest with you, we were running out of guys. I don't see why it will be any different when we go down there."
There also were words exchanged between Mark Cuban, the
billionaire owner of the Mavericks, and Jazz coach Jerry Sloan as
the teams went to a timeout with 2:54 remaining.
Ultimately, however, it was decided by Malone's 10 fourth-quarter points and Stockton's deft leadership with the outcome in the balance.
The Mailman outperformed Howard down the stretch as the Jazz
extended their 90-87 lead to 96-87 with 4:02 to play. Malone hit
two free throws and Stockton found Danny Manning cutting for a layup and a 100-89 lead with 2:21 to go.
Utah led 53-41 at halftime and extended the lead to 83-63 with
1:05 remaining in the third quarter after Russell, who lost his
starting to an ankle injury early in the season, connected from
3-point range on consecutive possessions.
"Bryon stepped up huge for us," Malone said. "He looked like
the so-called old Bryon, before the ankle injury. He was doing
everything. He was rebounding. He shot the ball well."
Game notes
Nelson said the NBA rescinded the fine for his ejection in Saturday's series opener. ... John Starks missed Tuesday's game
after being hospitalized for what the Jazz called "a minor medical
procedure" stemming from recent groin pain, unrelated to abdominal
pains that put him in the hospital Sunday. ... Nowitzki was booed
all night. He had said Salt Lake City was "a bad city" in explaining why
the Mavericks went home between games.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Dallas Clubhouse
Utah Clubhouse
Mavericks-Jazz Series Page
Starks undergoes surgery to have testicle removed
Stein: Amazing Stockton continues to key Jazz
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Sweep or no sweep, Utah's John Stockton just wants to win the next game (Courtesy: TBS Sports).
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Despite the loss, coach Don Nelson feels his Mavericks are learning a valuable lesson.
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