| | PORTLAND, Ore. -- Once again, the Utah Jazz and Portland
Trail Blazers wound up in a rough-and-tumble game.
Utah Jazz center Greg Ostertag was ejected from Sunday's 101-92
loss to Portland for scuffling with the Blazers' Steve Smith during
an emotional stretch of the fourth quarter.
|  | | Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and John Stockton attempt to keep Greg Ostertag, right, from Portland's Rasheed Wallace. |
With 5:08 left, Ostertag thought he was fouled by Smith, and the
two glared at each other. They exchanged words before Ostertag
grabbed onto Smith. Teammates, coaches and officials immediately
jumped in, and the players were separated after Smith had his hands
around Ostertag's face and neck.
"I just got locked up," Ostertag said. "I asked him if he was
all right and he got upset. This is a heated rivalry when we play
at home or away. Both teams play hard trying to get a win. This
stuff happens."
Ostertag was issued a technical foul, his second of the game,
and ejected. On his way to the locker room, Ostertag punted the
ball high into the stands but there were no further incidents.
"We just hooked up. He didn't want to let it go," Smith said.
"He gave me a stare, so I started laughing."
The ejection came just minutes after Utah's Karl Malone and
Portland's Bonzi Wells squared off. The Jazz were running downcourt
on a fast break when Malone got tangled up with Wells and threw him
to the floor. Wells jumped up and bumped Malone in the chest, but
the two were quickly separated.
Each player was charged with a technical.
Portland coach Mike Dunleavy said the incidents deserved quick
intervention, particularly in light of Boston Bruins defenseman
Marty McSorley's slash on Vancouver's Donald Brashear last week.
"In light of what's happening with the hockey world, you have
to be worried about cheap shots and somebody losing their cool,"
he said.
Dunleavy also questioned why Utah's John Stockton was underneath
Smith when he made a jumper with four minutes to go. Smith fell
awkwardly, spraining his left ankle.
"It was basically a clip," Dunleavy said.
| |
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