Clips down Jazz

LOS ANGELES — Karl Malone would not normally kill a perfectly good Tuesday evening watching the Los Angeles Clippers.

With his team in town, however, he had ample cause to amble over to the Staples Center.

It couldn't have been for the basketball.

The Clippers recently were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. The Jazz have not needed a calculator for quite some time to know their fate.

"I came for a reason," the NBA's No. 2 all-time scorer said.

That was simply to watch the franchise for which toiled 18 seasons, and - more importantly - to show support for a coach who means so much to him.

So while the Clippers were busy beating the Jazz 94-85, dropping Utah to 24-53 with just five games to go in its 2004-05 season, Malone shared Jerry Sloan's pain.

"Yeah, he needs support," said Malone, who

spent one season after leaving Utah with the Los Angeles Lakers, then retired last Feb. 13. "With the way things have been this year, of course he needs support.

"It's been tough for him," added Malone, who has spent his time since retiring tending to family and business ventures from Arkansas, where he has a ranch, to Utah, where he is downsizing homes, to California, where he still maintains the residence he had while playing for the Lakers. "I know personally, it's been tough."

With son Karl Jr. in tow, then, Malone watched Tuesday from a prime seat located directly behind the Jazz bench.

He hardly seemed to enjoy what he saw, as the 35-43 Clippers - buoyed by rookie point guard Shaun Livingston, who posted his first career double-double - ran a 12-point halftime lead to 23 at 68-45 by late in the third quarter.

It was just the second Jazz game Malone has seen in person this season, the other being when he came to the Delta Center for longtime teammate John Stockton's number-retirement ceremony.

It doesn't take much watching, though, for Malone to know things are so drastically different than when he and all-time steals and assists leader Stockton together took the Jazz to 17 consecutive postseason showings - including two appearances in the NBA Finals.

Sure, medical issues have taken a toll on this season's version of the Jazz.