1997–98 Utah Jazz season

The 1997–98 NBA season was the 24th season for the Utah Jazz in the National Basketball Association, and their 19th season in Salt Lake City, Utah.^[1] The Jazz had been runner-ups in the 1997 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Chicago Bulls in six games. In the 1997–98 season, the Jazz again reached the Finals, and were again defeated by the Bulls in six games.

1997–98 Utah Jazz season
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coach	Jerry Sloan
General manager	Tim Howells
Owner(s)	Larry H. Miller
Arena	Delta Center
Results
Record	62–20 (.756)
Place	Division: 1st (Midwest) Conference: 1st (Western)
Playoff finish	NBA Finals (lost to Bulls 2–4)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	KJZZ-TV Fox Sports Utah
Radio	KFNZ
< 1996–97 1998–99 >

During the off-season, All-Star point guard John Stockton sustained a knee injury that caused him to miss the first 18 games of the regular season,^[2][3][4] as the Jazz got off to an 11–7 start after losing three of their first four games. The team also changed their starting lineup, replacing Bryon Russell at small forward with Adam Keefe, and replacing Greg Ostertag at center with Greg Foster.^[5][6] However, Stockton would eventually return as the Jazz held a 31–15 record at the All-Star break.^[7]

At mid-season, the team traded Foster and Chris Morris to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Rony Seikaly.^[8][9][10] However, after Seikaly failed to report within the mandated 48 hours required by NBA rules because of a foot injury, the trade was called off as the Jazz took Foster and Morris back;^[11][12][13] the Magic then traded Seikaly to the New Jersey Nets.^[14][15][16] The Jazz won 31 of their final 36 games after the All-Star break, including an 11-game winning streak between February and March. The team finished in first place in the Midwest Division with a 62–20 record, and earned the first seed in the Western Conference; their record was also tied with the Bulls as the league's best record.^[17] They also made their fifteenth consecutive trip to the NBA playoffs.^[18]

Three players averaged in double-digits in points, as top scorer Karl Malone averaged 27.0 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, and to the NBA All-Defensive First Team, while Jeff Hornacek averaged 14.2 points, 4.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game, and Stockton provided the team with 12.0 points, 8.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game. In addition, Russell played a sixth man role off the bench, averaging 9.0 points per game, while second-year guard Shandon Anderson contributed 8.3 points per game, and Howard Eisley, who started at point guard for the first 18 games in Stockton's absence, provided with 7.7 points and 4.2 assists per game. On the defensive side, Keefe averaged 7.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while Foster contributed 5.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, and Ostertag provided with 4.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and led the team with 2.1 blocks per game.^[19]

During the NBA All-Star weekend in New York City, New York, Malone was selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game,^[20][21][22] and Hornacek won the NBA Three-Point Shootout.^[23][21][24] Malone also finished in second place in Most Valuable Player voting behind Michael Jordan, who won his fifth MVP award with 92 first-place votes, while Malone had 20 first-place votes, and Stockton finished tied in thirteenth place;^[25][26] Malone also finished tied in thirteenth place in Most Improved Player voting,^[26] and head coach Jerry Sloan finished in second place in Coach of the Year voting.^[27][26]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1998 NBA playoffs, the Jazz trailed 2–1 to the 8th-seeded Houston Rockets,^[28][29][30] but managed to win the series in five games.^[31][32][33] In the Western Conference Semi-finals, they defeated the San Antonio Spurs in five games.^[34][35][36] After that, the Jazz swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals in four straight games to advance to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year.^[37][38][39]

In a rematch of last year's NBA Finals, the Jazz once again met the Chicago Bulls; despite the Jazz having home-court advantage after winning the regular season series over the Bulls in two games, the Bulls once again prevailed over the Jazz in six games, winning their third consecutive NBA championship, and sixth overall in eight years.^[40][41][42]

Following the season, Morris signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Suns, and Antoine Carr signed with the Houston Rockets.

Offseason

NBA draft

Main article: 1997 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	27	Jacque Vaughn[43]	PG	United States	Kansas
2	56	Nate Erdmann	SG	United States	Oklahoma

The Jazz used two picks; a first-round pick on point guard Jacque Vaughn and a second round pick on Nate Erdmann. Vaughn would play with the team for four seasons before going to the Atlanta Hawks and Erdmann was cut from the team right before regular season, therefore signing with Idaho Stampede in the CBA.

Roster

1997–98 Utah Jazz roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From G 40 Shandon Anderson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 208 lb (94 kg) 1973–12–31 Georgia F 55 Antoine Carr 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1961–07–23 Wichita State G 10 Howard Eisley 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 177 lb (80 kg) 1972–12–04 Boston College C 44 Greg Foster 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1968–10–03 UTEP G 14 Jeff Hornacek 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1963–05–03 Iowa State F/C 31 Adam Keefe 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1970–02–22 Stanford F 32 Karl Malone 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1963–07–24 Louisiana Tech F 34 Chris Morris 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1966–01–20 Auburn C 00 Greg Ostertag 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 280 lb (127 kg) 1973–03–06 Kansas F 3 Bryon Russell 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1970–12–31 Long Beach State G 12 John Stockton 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1962–03–26 Gonzaga G 11 Jacque Vaughn 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1975–02–11 Kansas

Head coach Jerry Sloan Assistant(s) Gordon Chiesa David Fredman Phil Johnson Mark McKown Kenny Natt Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster Updated: February 14, 1998

Roster Notes

• Rookie point guard Troy Hudson was waived on December 28, 1997.^[44][45]

Salaries

Player	Salary
Karl Malone	$5,118,578
John Stockton	$5,000,000
Jeff Hornacek	$4,195,000
Chris Morris	$3,000,000
Bryon Russell	$2,857,144
Adam Keefe	$2,300,000
Antoine Carr	$1,600,000
Howard Eisley	$1,240,000
Shandon Anderson	$1,200,000
Greg Ostertag	$647,400
Jacque Vaughn	$601,320
Greg Foster	$504,000
Troy Hudson	$242,000
Total	$28,505,442

^[46]

Regular season

Season standings

Midwest Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
z-Utah Jazz	62	20	.756	–	36–5	26–15	22–2
x-San Antonio Spurs	56	26	.683	6	31–10	25–16	18–6
x-Minnesota Timberwolves	45	37	.549	17	26–15	19–22	14–10
x-Houston Rockets	41	41	.500	21	24–17	17–24	14–10
Dallas Mavericks	20	62	.244	42	13–28	7–34	9–15
Vancouver Grizzlies	19	63	.232	43	14–27	5–36	4–20
Denver Nuggets	11	71	.134	51	9–32	2–39	3–21

#	Western Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Utah Jazz	62	20	.756	–
2	y-Seattle SuperSonics	61	21	.744	1
3	x-Los Angeles Lakers	61	21	.744	1
4	x-Phoenix Suns	56	26	.683	6
5	x-San Antonio Spurs	56	26	.683	6
6	x-Portland Trail Blazers	46	36	.561	16
7	x-Minnesota Timberwolves	45	37	.549	17
8	x-Houston Rockets	41	41	.500	21
9	Sacramento Kings	27	55	.329	35
10	Dallas Mavericks	20	62	.244	42
11	Vancouver Grizzlies	19	63	.232	43
11	Golden State Warriors	19	63	.232	43
13	Los Angeles Clippers	17	65	.207	45
14	Denver Nuggets	11	71	.134	51

^[47]

Record vs. opponents

1997-98 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHA	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MIA	MIL	MIN	NJN	NYK	ORL	PHI	PHX	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	TOR	UTA	VAN	WAS
Atlanta	—	2–1	4–0	1–3	4–0	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–0	0–2	1–3	3–1	0–2	1–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	4–0	0–2	2–0	4–0
Boston	1–2	—	1–2	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	0–4	2–0	1–1	0–4	2–2	1–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–0	0–2	2–0	3–2
Charlotte	0–4	2–1	—	1–3	2–2	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	3–1	1–1	2–2	1–3	3–1	2–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–2
Chicago	3–1	3–1	3–1	—	2–2	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	2–1	4–0	1–1	4–0	4–0	3–1	2–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	4–0	0–2	2–0	3–1
Cleveland	0–4	3–1	2–2	2–2	—	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–2	2–0	3–1	1–2	2–2	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	3–1	1–1	2–0	1–2
Dallas	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	—	3–1	0–2	1–3	0–4	1–1	1–3	0–4	0–2	0–2	2–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–4	0–4	0–4	0–4	2–2	1–1	0–4	4–0	1–1
Denver	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–3	—	0–2	1–3	0–4	0–2	2–2	0–4	0–2	0–2	1–3	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	2–2	1–3	0–4	0–4	0–2	0–4	1–3	1–1
Detroit	2–2	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–0	2–0	—	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–0	0–2	1–2	2–2	0–2	2–2	2–2	1–2	3–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	4–0	0–2	0–2	2–2
Golden State	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	3–1	3–1	0–2	—	1–3	0–2	1–3	1–3	0–2	0–2	0–4	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–4	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	0–2	0–4	1–3	0–2
Houston	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	4–0	4–0	1–1	3–1	—	1–1	4–0	1–3	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–3	4–0	2–2	1–3	2–0	0–4	3–1	1–1
Indiana	3–1	4–0	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	—	2–0	0–2	3–1	4–0	2–0	2–1	2–1	3–1	4–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	4–0	1–1	2–0	4–0
L.A. Clippers	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	3–1	2–2	0–2	3–1	0–4	0–2	—	0–4	0–2	0–2	0–4	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–4	0–4	3–1	1–3	0–4	1–1	1–3	1–3	0–2
L.A. Lakers	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	4–0	2–0	3–1	3–1	2–0	4–0	—	1–1	2–0	4–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–2	2–2	4–0	4–0	1–3	2–0	3–1	4–0	1–1
Miami	3–1	4–0	1–3	1–2	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–1	2–0	2–0	1–3	2–0	1–1	—	3–1	1–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	4–0	0–2	2–0	2–0	0–2	0–2	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–2
Milwaukee	1–3	2–2	1–3	0–4	2–2	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	0–4	2–0	0–2	1–3	—	1–1	0–4	3–1	2–1	2–2	0–2	2–0	2–0	0–2	1–1	3–1	0–2	1–1	1–2
Minnesota	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–2	3–1	2–0	4–0	3–1	0–2	4–0	0–4	1–1	1–1	—	2–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	3–1	1–3	3–1	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–3	4–0	0–2
New Jersey	2–1	2–2	2–2	0–4	1–3	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	4–0	0–2	—	2–2	3–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	3–1	0–2	2–0	1–3
New York	2–2	2–2	3–1	0–4	2–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–2	2–0	1–1	2–2	1–3	1–1	2–2	—	4–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	0–2	2–0	1–3
Orlando	2–2	2–2	1–3	1–3	2–2	2–0	2–0	2–1	1–1	2–0	1–3	2–0	1–1	1–3	1–2	2–0	1–3	0–4	—	4–0	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	1–1	3–1	0–2	2–0	3–1
Philadelphia	1–3	1–3	1–2	1–2	1–3	2–0	2–0	1–3	2–0	1–1	0–4	1–1	2–0	0–4	2–2	0–2	1–3	2–2	0–4	—	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	0–2	2–0	3–1
Phoenix	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	4–0	4–0	1–1	4–0	3–1	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–0	2–0	1–3	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	—	2–2	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–0	1–3	4–0	1–1
Portland	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–0	3–1	3–1	1–1	4–0	2–2	0–2	0–2	3–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–2	—	3–1	2–2	0–4	2–0	3–1	2–2	1–1
Sacramento	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	4–0	3–1	1–1	2–2	0–4	0–2	1–3	0–4	0–2	0–2	1–3	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–3	1–3	—	0–4	1–3	1–1	2–2	2–2	1–1
San Antonio	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	4–0	4–0	1–1	3–1	2–2	2–0	3–1	0–4	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–3	2–2	4–0	—	2–2	2–0	1–3	4–0	1–1
Seattle	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	4–0	2–0	3–1	3–1	2–0	4–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	4–0	3–1	2–2	—	2–0	2–2	4–0	1–1
Toronto	0–4	0–3	0–4	0–4	1–3	1–1	2–0	0–4	2–0	0–2	0–4	1–1	0–2	0–4	1–3	1–1	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	—	0–2	1–1	0–3
Utah	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	4–0	4–0	2–0	4–0	4–0	1–1	3–1	1–3	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–3	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–0	—	4–0	0–2
Vancouver	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	3–1	2–0	3–1	1–3	0–2	3–1	0–4	0–2	1–1	0–4	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	2–2	2–2	0–4	0–4	1–1	0–4	—	1–1
Washington	0–4	2–3	2–2	1–3	2–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–0	1–1	0–4	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–1	2–0	3–1	3–1	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–0	2–0	1–1	—

Game log

1997–98 game log Total: 62–20 (home: 36–5; road: 26–15)
October: 0–1 (home: 0–0; road: 0–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 October 31 @ L.A. Lakers L 87–104 Shandon Anderson (21) Karl Malone (14) Howard Eisley (6) Great Western Forum 16,234 0–1
November: 9–5 (home: 6–2; road: 3–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 2 November 1 Denver W 102–84 Karl Malone (24) Greg Ostertag (11) Eisley, Hornacek (6) Delta Center 19,911 1–1 3 November 3 Washington L 86–90 Karl Malone (21) Karl Malone (16) Hornacek, Vaughn (6) Delta Center 19,911 1–2 4 November 4 @ Phoenix L 84–106 Karl Malone (22) Malone, Ostertag (11) Jeff Hornacek (4) America West Arena 19,023 1–3 5 November 7 @ Denver W 91–89 Karl Malone (20) Karl Malone (11) Howard Eisley (6) McNichols Sports Arena 10,317 2–3 6 November 8 @ San Antonio L 80–87 Karl Malone (26) Hornacek, Malone (7) Howard Eisley (6) Alamodome 19,100 2–4 7 November 12 Vancouver W 98–90 Karl Malone (26) Keefe, Ostertag (9) Howard Eisley (10) Delta Center 19,851 3–4 8 November 14 Seattle W 110–104 Hornacek, Malone (23) Karl Malone (12) Howard Eisley (6) Delta Center 19,830 4–4 9 November 15 @ Dallas W 85–77 Karl Malone (26) Karl Malone (10) Jeff Hornacek (10) Reunion Arena 14,323 5–4 10 November 18 L.A. Lakers L 92–97 Karl Malone (26) Karl Malone (9) Howard Eisley (7) Delta Center 19,911 5–5 11 November 20 @ Sacramento L 95–97 Karl Malone (32) Karl Malone (9) Howard Eisley (8) ARCO Arena 14,648 5–6 12 November 22 San Antonio W 103–74 Karl Malone (20) Karl Malone (11) Hornacek, Malone (7) Delta Center 19,911 6–6 13 November 24 Minnesota W 133–124 (OT) Karl Malone (33) Foster, Malone (9) Howard Eisley (10) Delta Center 19,911 7–6 14 November 28 Golden State W 111–82 Karl Malone (21) Greg Ostertag (10) Jacque Vaughn (8) Delta Center 19,911 8–6 15 November 29 @ L.A. Clippers W 94–91 Karl Malone (42) Karl Malone (18) Jeff Hornacek (7) Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 14,956 9–6
December: 10–5 (home: 5–1; road: 5–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 16 December 1 New Jersey W 100–95 Karl Malone (19) Karl Malone (14) Howard Eisley (7) Delta Center 19,911 10–6 17 December 3 Toronto W 115–98 Karl Malone (23) Karl Malone (15) Eisley, Hornacek (8) Delta Center 19,590 11–6 18 December 5 @ Portland L 77–94 Karl Malone (24) Karl Malone (12) Jeff Hornacek (8) Rose Garden Arena 19,545 11–7 19 December 8 Indiana W 106–97 Karl Malone (31) Greg Ostertag (9) John Stockton (7) Delta Center 19,911 12–7 20 December 9 @ Sacramento L 101–113 Karl Malone (34) Karl Malone (10) John Stockton (5) ARCO Arena 13,624 12–8 21 December 12 Dallas W 68–66 Karl Malone (23) Adam Keefe (11) Malone, Stockton (4) Delta Center 19,911 13–8 22 December 15 @ Washington L 86–88 Karl Malone (26) Karl Malone (13) Eisley, Malone (6) MCI Center 18,756 13–9 23 December 16 @ Miami W 103–95 Karl Malone (29) Antoine Carr (7) Howard Eisley (6) Miami Arena 15,200 14–9 24 December 18 @ Orlando W 85–73 Karl Malone (30) Greg Ostertag (10) Malone, Stockton (5) Orlando Arena 17,258 15–9 25 December 21 @ Cleveland L 101–106 Karl Malone (24) Karl Malone (13) Hornacek, Stockton (6) Gund Arena 19,178 15–10 26 December 22 @ Atlanta W 101–99 Karl Malone (27) Adam Keefe (10) John Stockton (8) Georgia Dome 28,371 16–10 27 December 25 Houston W 107–103 John Stockton (24) Karl Malone (10) Jeff Hornacek (9) Delta Center 19,911 17–10 28 December 27 Portland L 91–102 Karl Malone (24) Karl Malone (11) John Stockton (9) Delta Center 19,911 17–11 29 December 28 @ Vancouver W 89–88 Karl Malone (26) Karl Malone (13) John Stockton (7) General Motors Place 16,488 18–11 30 December 30 @ Denver W 132–99 Greg Ostertag (21) Karl Malone (10) John Stockton (9) McNichols Sports Arena 14,230 19–11
January: 10–3 (home: 8–1; road: 2–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 31 January 3 Atlanta W 97–82 Karl Malone (20) Greg Ostertag (10) John Stockton (12) Delta Center 19,911 20–11 32 January 6 Philadelphia W 98–95 (OT) Hornacek, Malone (21) Greg Ostertag (9) John Stockton (14) Delta Center 19,911 21–11 33 January 8 Milwaukee W 116–109 Karl Malone (39) Greg Ostertag (10) John Stockton (13) Delta Center 19,911 22–11 34 January 10 @ Houston W 111–84 Karl Malone (24) Karl Malone (9) Anderson, Eisley (7) The Summit 16,285 23–11 35 January 12 Cleveland W 106–99 Jeff Hornacek (23) Karl Malone (11) John Stockton (12) Delta Center 19,911 24–11 36 January 16 @ Portland L 86–96 Karl Malone (23) Karl Malone (15) John Stockton (6) Rose Garden Arena 21,538 24–12 37 January 17 Orlando W 107–93 Karl Malone (32) Keefe, Malone (9) John Stockton (10) Delta Center 19,911 25–12 38 January 19 Detroit W 98–89 Karl Malone (30) Karl Malone (15) John Stockton (13) Delta Center 19,911 26–12 39 January 21 Golden State W 98–85 Karl Malone (27) Adam Keefe (8) John Stockton (13) Delta Center 19,911 27–12 40 January 23 @ Indiana L 102–106 Karl Malone (26) Greg Ostertag (11) John Stockton (11) Market Square Arena 16,670 27–13 41 January 25 @ Chicago W 101–94 Karl Malone (35) Karl Malone (11) John Stockton (10) United Center 24,361 28–13 42 January 28 Seattle L 93–101 Karl Malone (27) Karl Malone (15) John Stockton (14) Delta Center 19,911 28–14 43 January 30 Dallas W 104–94 Karl Malone (29) Greg Ostertag (12) Eisley, Stockton (10) Delta Center 19,911 29–14
February: 9–2 (home: 6–1; road: 3–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 44 February 1 @ Golden State W 115–88 Karl Malone (20) Karl Malone (8) Karl Malone (9) The Arena In Oakland 11,269 30–14 45 February 3 @ L.A. Clippers L 102–111 Karl Malone (23) Karl Malone (7) John Stockton (10) Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 13,553 30–15 46 February 4 Chicago W 101–93 Karl Malone (30) Karl Malone (8) John Stockton (18) Delta Center 19,911 31–15 47 February 10 L.A. Clippers W 106–98 Karl Malone (29) Karl Malone (14) John Stockton (10) Delta Center 19,911 32–15 48 February 12 Boston W 118–100 Karl Malone (31) Karl Malone (12) Howard Eisley (10) Delta Center 19,911 33–15 49 February 14 @ Seattle W 111–91 Karl Malone (34) Karl Malone (8) John Stockton (12) KeyArena 17,072 34–15 50 February 16 Charlotte W 96–90 Karl Malone (23) Adam Keefe (12) John Stockton (9) Delta Center 19,911 35–15 51 February 18 New York W 94–78 Karl Malone (25) Adam Keefe (12) Jeff Hornacek (6) Delta Center 19,911 36–15 52 February 21 @ San Antonio W 79–77 Karl Malone (24) Karl Malone (13) John Stockton (6) Alamodome 26,572 37–15 53 February 24 Miami L 102–104 Karl Malone (26) Karl Malone (11) John Stockton (10) Delta Center 19,911 37–16 54 February 26 Phoenix W 108–97 Karl Malone (28) Karl Malone (17) Howard Eisley (10) Delta Center 19,911 38–16
March: 15–2 (home: 5–0; road: 10–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 55 March 1 @ Houston W 106–100 Karl Malone (21) Karl Malone (9) John Stockton (14) The Summit 16,285 39–16 56 March 3 @ Toronto W 108–93 Shandon Anderson (26) Karl Malone (10) John Stockton (11) SkyDome 16,448 40–16 57 March 4 @ Boston W 110–94 Karl Malone (32) Karl Malone (15) John Stockton (9) FleetCenter 18,624 41–16 58 March 6 @ New Jersey W 122–115 Karl Malone (32) Karl Malone (12) John Stockton (9) Continental Airlines Arena 20,049 42–16 59 March 7 @ Milwaukee W 110–92 Karl Malone (40) Karl Malone (8) John Stockton (7) Bradley Center 18,717 43–16 60 March 9 Houston W 100–93 Karl Malone (29) Karl Malone (21) Karl Malone (6) Delta Center 19,911 44–16 61 March 11 Sacramento W 110–95 Karl Malone (25) Karl Malone (9) Karl Malone (9) Delta Center 19,911 45–16 62 March 13 Vancouver W 110–101 Karl Malone (30) Adam Keefe (11) John Stockton (11) Delta Center 19,911 46–16 63 March 15 @ Detroit W 109–98 Karl Malone (28) Karl Malone (9) Eisley, Stockton (7) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 47–16 64 March 16 @ Minnesota W 102–96 Karl Malone (29) Greg Foster (10) three players tied (8) Target Center 17,333 48–16 65 March 18 @ Charlotte L 85–111 Karl Malone (17) Malone, Russell (9) John Stockton (7) Charlotte Coliseum 23,305 48–17 66 March 20 @ Philadelphia W 91–79 Karl Malone (23) Karl Malone (16) Howard Eisley (7) CoreStates Center 20,832 49–17 67 March 22 @ New York W 124–119 (2OT) Karl Malone (30) Karl Malone (14) John Stockton (14) Madison Square Garden 19,763 50–17 68 March 24 Phoenix W 92–73 Karl Malone (19) Greg Foster (15) John Stockton (11) Delta Center 19,911 51–17 69 March 27 @ Dallas W 99–90 Karl Malone (33) Karl Malone (14) Jeff Hornacek (8) Reunion Arena 13,763 52–17 70 March 28 L.A. Lakers W 106–91 Karl Malone (31) Keefe, Malone (8) John Stockton (9) Delta Center 19,911 53–17 71 March 31 @ Seattle L 86–88 Karl Malone (20) Karl Malone (10) Jeff Hornacek (7) KeyArena 17,072 53–18
April: 9–2 (home: 6–0; road: 3–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 72 April 1 Portland W 98–89 Jeff Hornacek (31) Greg Ostertag (9) John Stockton (9) Delta Center 19,911 54–18 73 April 3 Denver W 97–75 Karl Malone (22) Greg Ostertag (8) Howard Eisley (9) Delta Center 19,911 55–18 74 April 5 @ Vancouver W 99–93 Karl Malone (25) Greg Ostertag (9) John Stockton (8) General Motors Place 18,068 56–18 75 April 7 @ Golden State W 101–99 Karl Malone (56) Foster, Malone (9) John Stockton (14) The Arena In Oakland 14,430 57–18 76 April 8 San Antonio W 98–88 Karl Malone (32) Karl Malone (10) John Stockton (9) Delta Center 19,911 58–18 77 April 10 L.A. Clippers W 126–109 Jeff Hornacek (23) Greg Foster (10) Jeff Hornacek (6) Delta Center 19,911 59–18 78 April 11 @ Minnesota L 103–110 Karl Malone (37) Karl Malone (12) Jeff Hornacek (8) Target Center 20,051 59–19 79 April 14 Minnesota W 126–109 Karl Malone (44) Karl Malone (14) Malone, Stockton (6) Delta Center 19,911 60–19 80 April 16 Sacramento W 99–86 Karl Malone (21) Karl Malone (8) Jeff Hornacek (11) Delta Center 19,911 61–19 81 April 17 @ Phoenix W 102–99 Karl Malone (29) Karl Malone (9) Howard Eisley (10) America West Arena 19,023 62–19 82 April 19 @ L.A. Lakers L 98–102 Karl Malone (27) Karl Malone (9) Howard Eisley (4) Great Western Forum 17,505 62–20
1997–98 schedule

Playoffs

1998 playoff game log
First Round: 3–2 (home: 2–1; road: 1–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 23 Houston L 90–103 Karl Malone (25) Karl Malone (11) John Stockton (8) Delta Center 19,911 0–1 2 April 25 Houston W 105–90 Karl Malone (29) Greg Ostertag (11) John Stockton (10) Delta Center 19,911 1–1 3 April 29 @ Houston L 85–89 Malone, Russell (19) Karl Malone (14) Stockton, Eisley (6) Compaq Center 16,285 1–2 4 May 1 @ Houston W 93–71 Karl Malone (29) Karl Malone (13) John Stockton (7) Compaq Center 16,285 2–2 5 May 3 Houston W 84–70 Karl Malone (31) Karl Malone (15) John Stockton (10) Delta Center 19,911 3–2
Conference semifinals: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 5 San Antonio W 83–82 Karl Malone (25) Karl Malone (8) John Stockton (8) Delta Center 19,911 1–0 2 May 7 San Antonio W 109–106 Karl Malone (22) Karl Malone (12) John Stockton (12) Delta Center 19,911 2–0 3 May 9 @ San Antonio L 64–86 Karl Malone (18) Greg Ostertag (9) Hornacek, Vaughn (3) Alamodome 26,086 2–1 4 May 10 @ San Antonio W 82–73 Karl Malone (34) Karl Malone (12) John Stockton (7) Alamodome 28,587 3–1 5 May 12 San Antonio W 87–77 Karl Malone (24) Karl Malone (13) Howard Eisley (7) Delta Center 19,911 4–1
Conference finals: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 16 L.A. Lakers W 112–77 Karl Malone (29) Shandon Anderson (11) Stockton, Eisley (9) Delta Center 19,911 1–0 2 May 18 L.A. Lakers W 99–95 Karl Malone (33) Malone, Russell (7) John Stockton (6) Delta Center 19,911 2–0 3 May 22 @ L.A. Lakers W 109–98 Karl Malone (26) Karl Malone (10) John Stockton (8) Great Western Forum 17,505 3–0 4 May 24 @ L.A. Lakers W 96–92 Karl Malone (32) Karl Malone (14) John Stockton (8) Great Western Forum 17,505 4–0
NBA Finals: 2–4 (home: 1–2; road: 1–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 June 3 Chicago W 88–85 (OT) John Stockton (24) Karl Malone (14) John Stockton (8) Delta Center 19,911 1–0 2 June 5 Chicago L 88–93 Jeff Hornacek (20) Karl Malone (12) Eisley, Stockton (7) Delta Center 19,911 1–1 3 June 7 @ Chicago L 54–96 Karl Malone (22) Greg Ostertag (9) John Stockton (7) United Center 23,844 1–2 4 June 10 @ Chicago L 82–86 Karl Malone (21) Karl Malone (14) John Stockton (13) United Center 23,844 1–3 5 June 12 @ Chicago W 83–81 Karl Malone (39) Karl Malone (9) John Stockton (12) United Center 23,844 2–3 6 June 14 Chicago L 86–87 Karl Malone (31) Karl Malone (11) Karl Malone (7) Delta Center 19,911 2–4
1998 schedule

Player statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Shandon Anderson	82	2	19.5	.538	.219	.735	2.8	1.1	.8	.2	8.3
Antoine Carr	66	8	16.5	.465	.	.776	2.0	.7	.2	.8	5.7
William Cunningham	6	2	6.3	.444	.	.	1.3	.2	.3	.0	1.3
Howard Eisley	82	18	21.0	.441	.407	.852	2.0	4.2	.7	.2	7.7
Greg Foster	78	49	18.5	.445	.222	.770	3.5	.7	.2	.4	5.7
Jeff Hornacek	80	80	30.8	.482	.441	.885	3.4	4.4	1.4	.2	14.2
Troy Hudson	8	0	2.9	.429	.000	.	.3	.5	.3	.0	1.5
Adam Keefe	80	75	25.6	.540	.	.810	5.5	1.1	.7	.3	7.8
Karl Malone	81	81	37.4	.530	.333	.761	10.3	3.9	1.2	.9	27.0
Chris Morris	54	1	10.0	.411	.306	.721	2.1	.4	.5	.3	4.3
Greg Ostertag	63	23	20.4	.481	.	.479	5.9	.4	.4	2.1	4.7
Bryon Russell	82	7	27.1	.430	.341	.766	4.0	1.2	1.1	.4	9.0
John Stockton	64	64	29.0	.528	.429	.827	2.6	8.5	1.4	.2	12.0
Jacque Vaughn	45	0	9.3	.361	.375	.706	.8	1.9	.2	.0	3.1

Playoffs

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Shandon Anderson	20	0	18.9	.515	.273	.676	3.2	1.0	.3	.1	6.7
Antoine Carr	20	0	14.6	.456	.	.750	2.1	.6	.1	.6	4.4
Howard Eisley	20	0	18.3	.368	.296	.923	2.0	4.1	.6	.3	5.6
Greg Foster	20	16	16.8	.453	.500	.600	3.4	.3	.1	.3	4.1
Jeff Hornacek	20	20	31.8	.416	.467	.846	2.5	3.2	1.0	.2	10.9
Adam Keefe	15	10	10.3	.345	.	.647	2.3	.1	.3	.1	2.1
Karl Malone	20	20	39.8	.471	.000	.788	10.9	3.4	1.1	1.0	26.3
Chris Morris	17	0	14.1	.406	.304	.700	2.8	.6	.3	.2	4.5
Greg Ostertag	19	1	17.7	.565	.	.480	4.3	.3	.4	1.9	3.4
Bryon Russell	20	13	34.9	.469	.365	.716	4.7	1.1	1.1	.3	11.0
John Stockton	20	20	29.8	.494	.346	.718	3.0	7.8	1.6	.2	11.1
Jacque Vaughn	7	0	3.4	.200	.500	1.000	.4	.6	.	.	1.0

Player Statistics Citation:^[19]

Awards and records

• Karl Malone, All-NBA First Team
• Karl Malone, NBA All-Defensive First Team
• Karl Malone, NBA Leader, Free Throw Attempts (825) ^[47]

See also

• 1997–98 NBA season