SALT LAKE CITY, May 12 -- Karl Malone had 24 points and 13 rebounds Tuesday night as the Utah Jazz knocked down the Twin Towers of the San Antonio Spurs in five games and returned to the Western Conference finals with an 87-77 victory. After being smothered by the Spurs' frontcourt in Game Three, Malone bounced back with consecutive performances that showed why he is the defending NBA Most Valuable Player.
He was in the middle of key surges at the end of the second and third periods, muscling his way past David Robinson and Rookie of the Year Tim Duncan. Jeff Hornacek, who scored a combined eight points in Games Three and Four, scored eight points in the first quarter, when the Jazz grabbed the lead for good. He had a pair of three-pointers as Utah widened the lead to double digits at halftime. After needing the maximum five games to close out the Houston Rockets in the opening round, the Jazz needed the same amount to eliminate the Spurs, who have been to the conference finals just once in the last 15 years. Utah, which has home-court advantage throughout the postseason, awaits the winner of the conference semifinal series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Seattle SuperSonics.
