No Rest for Utah Defense, Which Takes Apart the Spurs

While San Antonio rested at home over the weekend, the Utah Jazz was extended to win its series over the Portland Trail Blazers and move into Round 2 of the Western Conference playoffs.

While the Spurs were enjoying their home-court advantage in Game 1 on Tuesday night, the Jazz showed it has more to offer than Karl Malone and John Stockton, it also has a good defense.

Too much defense at San Antonio, where the Spurs were blown out, 95-75, and left the Alamodome with stunned faces, ears full of boos and the knowledge that they have never won a playoff series after losing the first game.

Home-court advantage was a memory.

“I was shocked,” San Antonio’s David Robinson said of the lopsided score. “The thing in my mind is there’s no way we’re going to get blown out. We might blow somebody else out. But we weren’t going to get blown out.”

Spur Coach Bob Hill said his team was thoroughly outplayed.

“Utah beat us in every phase of the game,” Hill said. “We have no excuses. Give Utah credit--they outhustled, outshot us and just flat outplayed us.”

The Jazz got 23 points from Malone and 13 points and 19 assists from Stockton, but the defense was no real surprise. Utah had held Portland to an NBA playoff-low 64 points in winning Game 5 of their series on Sunday.

“Our defense stepped up again,” said Jazz guard Jeff Hornacek, who scored nine of his 17 points in the third quarter. “We made them take tough shots.”

The Jazz, who led San Antonio by five points at halftime, built a comfortable lead in the third quarter and maintained it the rest of the way. Utah opened the second half with a 17-7 run to take a 63-48 lead with 6:35 to play in the third quarter.

“We were quick to the ball. I didn’t know if we’d have any energy coming off of Portland,” said Utah Coach Jerry Sloan. “The Spurs didn’t have a good shooting night and that threw them out of sync. We played hard and all of the guys off the bench gave a good effort.”

Chicago 91, New York 80--Scottie Pippen, who had made only three of 16 shots through three quarters in Chicago, made his first four shots in the fourth for the Bulls, who opened a 2-0 lead in their series with the Knicks.

Michael Jordan, who finished with 28 points, carried the Bulls for the first three quarters as Chicago struggled against New York’s aggressive defense.

Then Pippen, who was only four for 15 in Game 1, found the range. He made a jumpshot, a three-point basket and then a dunk to cap a 12-0 spurt that put the Bulls up, 76-63, with about seven minutes left. Pippen finished with 19 points

“We made some big plays down the stretch,” Jordan said. “Our defense held them . . . and we made some big baskets, especially Scottie.”

New York’s frustration began to surface after the Bulls took control.

Patrick Ewing charged toward Chicago assistant Jim Cleamons, who said something to Ewing from the Bull bench. Referee Jess Kersey restrained Ewing and a double technical was assessed. There were five technicals called in the final period.

Ewing started quickly for the Knicks but again faded. He had two points in the final period of Game 1, and scored only one in the last quarter Tuesday night to finish with 23 points.

NBA Notes

Brad Greenberg, a former executive with the Portland Trail Blazers and former Clipper assistant coach, will replace John Lucas as general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers. . . . Chicago’s Phil Jackson is the NBA’s coach of the year, the first Bull coach to win the honor since Dick Motta in 1971. . . . Rasheed Wallace of the Washington Bullets can wait a year before his case goes forward on charges he assaulted his girlfriend and the mother of his child, Chiquita Bryant, under an arrangement with the prosecutor in Durham, N.C.