John Stockton

John Stockton was the hero Monday night, ending a San Antonio Spur rally late as the Utah Jazz defeated the defending champions. Stockton scored 20 points and led the Jazz down the stretch as Utah defeated San Antonio, 91-85, at Salt Lake City, handing the Spurs their second loss in eight games.

John Stockton made five of six free throws in the final 1:17 Wednesday to enable the Utah Jazz to withstand a furious Portland rally and defeat the Trail Blazers, 98-94, at Portland. Utah had a 23-point lead early in the fourth quarter. Karl Malone scored 28 for Utah, but was 0 for 7 from the field in the fourth quarter. Clifford Robinson scored 33 for the Trail Blazers, 20 in the second half.

John Stockton gave the Toronto Raptors a lesson in more than merely basketball Monday night. While a lack of composure cost the Raptors three technical fouls in the last two minutes, Stockton was a study in skill and steadiness in leading the Utah Jazz to a 103-100 victory at Toronto. Stockton, who had 29 points and 12 assists, including a key feed to Adam Keefe with five seconds remaining, said he'll take the victory any way he can get it. "This was an important win on the road," Stockton said.

A physical game against a tough opponent was just what John Stockton needed. Stockton, playing his first game of the season after recovering from knee surgery, had 10 points and seven assists in 20 minutes as the Utah Jazz beat the Indiana Pacers, 106-97, Monday night at Salt Lake City. "This kind of game makes you forget about everything else," said Stockton, the NBA's career assist leader. "It was a brutal game in some ways, and I had to concentrate on that."

John Stockton broke his NBA single-season assist record with 11 assists during the Utah Jazz's 130-103 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics Thursday night. Stockton's 10th assist, a handoff to Tony Brown for a layup with 9:16 left, gave him 1,135 this season, one more than the record he set last season. He was taken out of the game midway through the final quarter.

Utah guard John Stockton is expected back in the starting lineup tonight after missing the second half and overtime of the Trail Blazers' 127-121 victory in Game 5 because of an eye injury. Stockton was inadvertently scratched in his left eye by Portland's Clyde Drexler on the final play of the first half. Stockton wore a patch while flying home late Tuesday night but was cleared to play after being re-examined Wednesday. Dr.

* Season series--Indiana, 2-1. * Story line--You have to give credit to the Knicks for pluck and their performance in Game 5 in Miami, to Coach Jeff Van Gundy for holding them together, as well as not getting stepped on, and to Larry Johnson for his play, even before his hockey-goon elimination of the other side's star. However, although turnabout is fair play and they won't be easy to beat, don't think for a second the Pacers mind seeing them.

After saying last week that he would take "the full eight [exhibition] games" to determine a starting lineup, Clipper Coach Mike Dunleavy indicated Thursday that he might need even more time. In fact, on a night when the Lakers unveiled their star-studded starting five for the first time in a 107-101 exhibition loss to the Clippers at the Arrowhead Pond, Dunleavy said he probably would not have a set lineup when the Clippers open the regular season next week, nor anytime soon.

The Clippers have lost four of their last five games and, although it's difficult to figure out precisely what's wrong, they do realize they haven't been at their best recently. Have they simply run out of gas? "We haven't been in sync the last couple of games," Jeff McInnis said after the Clippers' 105-92 loss Saturday to the Utah Jazz.