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Jazz smash flat Clippers, solidify hold on playoff spot By
Clark Jessop At the end of the first quarter, the Jazz were beating Elton Brand, 22-9. After watching Brand score their only points in the first 12 minutes, the Los Angeles Clippers could never recover, and lost 99-87 at the Delta Center. Brand finished with 24 points, and Corey Maggette added 18, but they received very little help from their follow starters and key reserves. Michael Olowokandi, Jeff McInnis, Eric Piatkowski and Quentin Richardson combined for a woeful 5-of-34 shooting performance. Darius Miles scored 10 points but was limited to 19 minutes because of foul trouble. Utah was lead by 24 points from Karl Malone and 17 points from rookie Andrei Kirilenko. The Jazz also had strong performances from John Stockton, who finished with 11 points and 9 assists, and 13 points from Bryon Russell who shot 4 of 4 from beyond the three-point line. The Jazz never trailed in the game, and at one point in the third quarter led by 28 points, 67-39. Los Angeles didn't show the kind of intensity usually seen in a team that is fighting for a playoff spot. "I was disappointed," Clippers coach Alvin Gentry said. "I didn't think we played with any sense of urgency." Meanwhile, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said that the win, which put the Jazz five games ahead of the Clippers for the final playoff spot, was an important one. Although the Jazz came out with a win, the game had its drawbacks. For the second game in a row the Jazz had trouble with turnovers. They finished with 23 of them. Also, after a heated discussion, Sloan suspended reserve center John Amaechi for the next game.
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