Jazz catch break in playoff stretch

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Jazz will catch a break tonight, and another later this week.

This evening Utah will visit Portland, which will be without star power forward Zach Randolph.

The Trail Blazers' leading scorer and rebounder underwent surgery last Friday to remove bone fragments and repair ligaments in his right hand, and is out for the rest of the season.

After visiting Sacramento on Friday night, the Jazz will return to EnergySolutions Arena on Saturday night to host a Seattle team that also will be without its top scorer.

SuperSonics shooting guard Ray Allen also plans arthroscopic surgery to remove painful bone spurs from his left ankle, and is out for the rest of the season.

Randolph had 36 double-doubles, was averaging 23.6 points per game and had three 40-plus-point games this season, including a 43-point effort against Memphis in his final outing last Thursday.

Prior to shutting down in late March, Allen was averaging a career-best 26.4 points per game and led the Sonics in scoring 40 times this season.

MOTIVATIONAL MAILMAN: Former Jazz and Louisiana Tech star Karl Malone apparently made quite an impact when talking to his old school's football team following a spring practice session last week.

"Those guys were totally tuned in to Karl," first-year head coach Derek Dooley told The News Star newspaper. "That's the way it is with any good motivational speaker.

"There can't be a better role model of anyone on any of Tech's athletic teams than Karl Malone," Dooley added. "Everything he's ever done has been with class and respect, and those are values we want to become part of our program."

DANTLEY WONDERS: According to the Denver Post, former Jazz star Adrian Dantley is "excited" about having his No. 4 jersey retired when the Nuggets visit Utah next Wednesday — "but wishes his number had been retired much earlier."

"Am I happy they are retiring my jersey? Yes," Dantley told the Post last weekend. "But you look at the other players getting their numbers retired in two or three years that played for the team ... This one here, it took (16) years."

Malone, John Stockton, Jeff Hornacek, Mark Eaton and Darrell Griffith all finished their Jazz careers after Dantley did —and had their numbers retired before his.