Utah Puts Up a Long Fight but Falls Short : West: Jazz takes Trail Blazers to overtime without Stockton and Benoit before losing, 127-121.

PORTLAND, Ore. —  What business the Utah Jazz had being in this game so late, no one quite knew. John Stockton didn’t play during the second half because of an eye injury and another starter, David Benoit, went home to Louisiana after the death of his father.

But there the Jazz was, making it a very risky business for Portland. It was like that into overtime, when the Trail Blazers finally gained control in a 127-121 victory Tuesday night at Memorial Coliseum for a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference finals.

The Jazz got 38 points and 14 rebounds from Karl Malone and 28 from Tyrone Corbin off the bench to stay in the game despite being undermanned. A three-pointer by Stockton’s replacement, Delaney Rudd, with 5.5 seconds to play in regulation tied the score, 107-107.

Once into the five-minute extra period, however, the Trail Blazers used an early 10-1 run to pull away. They sealed it when Buck Williams’ back-to-back dunks made the score 121-114 with 36 seconds remaining.

“I saw that look in everybody’s eyes--’Hey, guys, let’s go,’ ” said Jerome Kersey, who had 29 points and 10 rebounds for Portland. “We pumped it up a bit.”

Stockton’s injury came when Clyde Drexler charged down the lane for a final shot before halftime, only to be stripped of the ball by Malone. When the ball went flying, Drexler’s hand swept across the face of the All-Star guard, hitting Stockton in the left eye.

As both teams left the benches and headed to the locker rooms, Stockton clutched his face and dropped to the court. He stayed there for about a minute, surrounded by the team’s medical personnel before walking off.

Suffering from double vision, Stockton was examined in the locker room by team physician Lyle Mason. Ice was applied to the area and a local anesthetic was given, although an ambulance call was canceled.

Stockton was not in the locker room after the game. A team spokesman said he is expected to play Thursday, when the Jazz try to avoid elimination at the Delta Center.

“I was a little scared when I heard John was not coming back,” Portland Coach Rick Adelman said. “It was, ‘Oh, boy.’ You always get worried in that situation because they’re a team that can step up.”

Which is exactly what Utah did. The Jazz led as late as 102-101 with three minutes to play in regulation, fell behind, then forced the overtime when Rudd rushed upcourt after two free throws by Terry Porter with 13 seconds remaining gave the Trail Blazers a 107-104 lead.

Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan decided against calling an available timeout and advancing the ball to halfcourt in order to have the use of the entire court. Adelman decided against a quick foul to prevent a three-pointer for fear the Jazz would get the ball back and score again.

The result was the seldom-used Rudd going behind a screen by Malone and launching the shot before Cliff Robinson could step up.

“When I came off, (Robinson) didn’t come out like he usually does,” Rudd said.

But the basket provided only a temporary celebration. The Trail Blazers made sure of that during overtime.

The Jazz moved Blue Edwards back into the opening lineup, a spot he occupied during the regular season, and listed Benoit as doubtful for Game 6 at Salt Lake City. Benoit was in Lafayette, La., where his father died Monday morning after a lengthy bout with cancer.

The Trail Blazers had basketball-related problems, namely their reputation. Their failure during the fourth quarter Sunday afternoon in Game 4--bad fouls, Drexler being ejected with 1:30 to play and Portland in a six-point hole--encouraged critics.

All this put the Trail Blazers on the spot. Win or go back to the Delta Center, where the Jazz are 8-0 in the playoffs, facing elimination.

They responded, scoring on 10 consecutive possessions to take a 28-16 lead during the first quarter. The advantage went to 44-30 during the second period, not long after three consecutive three-point trips: Danny Ainge with a jumper from the left side, Williams with a tip-in and free throw, and Kersey with a layup and free throw.

The Jazz decided to join the show.

A 13-2 run followed, Corbin getting six of the points, to cut Portland’s lead to 46-43 with 4:40 remaining before halftime. That’s as close as Utah got before the break, as the Trail Blazers answered back with a mini-rally for a 60-52 lead at halftime.