Jazz at Lakers - 2/7/99 (Highlights)

The first weekend of the lockout-shortened 1998-99 NBA season featured a Sunday afternoon primetime matchup between the two consensus picks to emerge from the West: The Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers. The two teams met in the Conference Finals the previous season - and the more experienced Utah Jazz had won 8 out of 9 playoff games in the two previous seasons against LA. Early on, it appeared LA had finally closed the gap, building a 13-point lead in the 2nd-qtr, largely behind Shaquille O'Neal's 23 first-half points. In the 2nd half however, Utah's experience and execution once again triumphed over the athleticism and raw talent of the Lakers. John Stockton finished with a season-high 26 points and 11 assists while Karl Malone added 28 points and 8 rebounds to offset Shaq's game-high 37 points and 14 rebounds.