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--> --> Portland's Rick Brunson fouls John Stockton in the fourth quarter of Friday's game in Utah. AP Jazz hand Portland 93-85 loss SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - In early November, Karl Malone committed eight turnovers and had just 14 points as the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the jazz by 18 points. Malone is feeling better now, and so are the Jazz. Malone scored 13 of his 24 points in a key nine-minute stretch bridging the third and fourth quarters as the Jazz pulled away and beat the Blazers 93-85 for their fifth victory in six games. "It sure feels good to be one game under .500 instead of six or seven. So this is a nice win for us," Malone said as his team improved to 10-11. Malone added 13 rebounds and six assists and Donyell Marshall scored 25 points for the Jazz, who now embark on a five-game road trip. "Karl kept our intensity up throughout the whole game," said John Stockton, who had 13 points. "He made a statement out there with his rebounds and I think everyone keyed off that." Malone has been averaging 28.8 points in Utah's last five wins. "Karl's been shooting the ball really well. When he gets a good straight look at the basket, he's shot the ball about as well as you could ask anybody to shoot it," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. When the Jazz got him the ball, their lead began to grow. Greg Ostertag's dunk with 9:15 to play highlighted a 12-2 run that gave Utah a 77-57 lead. Portland couldn't trim the lead below 15 points until 2:00 remained in the game. Rasheed Wallace paced the Blazers with 18 points and Ruben Patterson had 15 - all in the first half. Portland, which has lost four of its last five games, was outrebounded 48-31. Portland played without Bonzi Wells, who had swelling in his left knee after scoring 21 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in the Blazers' 105-103 loss to Dallas on Tuesday. "We were fighting uphill the whole game," Portland coach Maurice Cheeks said. These two proud franchises, which have the two longest postseason streaks in the league, are usually battling for a prime seed at the end of the season but may be fighting just to get into the playoffs next April. After getting blown out at home against Minnesota on Wednesday, the Jazz came out with energy and focus. "We got out and executed from the start. We stopped them, forced some turnovers and executed our plays," Malone said. John Starks hit the second of his three 3-pointers early in the second quarter to put Utah in front 32-13. The Blazers came back with a 10-0 run, capped by Dale Davis's three-point play that brought Portland within six points at 38-32. Aided by 13 offensive rebounds, Utah led 50-40 at the half. Notes: Portland placed forward Scottie Pippen on the injury list Friday with a right knee contusion. The Blazers activated guard/forward Mitchell Butler, who played his first NBA game since the 1998-99 season. ... Face in the crowd: Baseball Hall of Fame slugger Reggie Jackson. ... Stockton yelled at Davis after the Portland center knocked him to the ground on a play in the fourth quarter. The next possession the 6-foot-1 Stockton set a strong pick on the 6-foot-11 Davis in the lane. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing