# 1997–98 Utah Jazz season

The 1997–98 NBA season was the Jazz's 24th season in the National Basketball Association and 19th season in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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.
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, 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. However, Stockton would eventually return as the Jazz held a 31–15 record at the All-Star break.
At mid-season, the team traded Foster and Chris Morris to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Rony Seikaly. 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; the Magic then traded Seikaly to the New Jersey Nets. 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, which was tied with the Bulls as the league's best record. They also made their fifteenth consecutive trip to the playoffs.
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 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.
During the All-Star Weekend in New York City, New York, Malone was selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game, and Hornacek won the Three-Point Shootout. 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; Malone also finished tied in thirteenth place in Most Improved Player voting, and head coach Jerry Sloan finished in second place in Coach of the Year voting.
In the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Jazz trailed 2–1 to the 8th-seeded Houston Rockets, but managed to win the series in five games. In the Western Conference Semi-finals, they defeated the San Antonio Spurs in five games. 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.
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 championship, and sixth overall in eight years.
Following the season, Morris signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Suns, and Antoine Carr signed with the Houston Rockets.

## Offseason
### NBA draft

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
| 1 | 27 | Jacque Vaughn | PG | United States | Kansas |
| 2 | 56 | Nate Erdmann | | 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
### Roster Notes

* Rookie point guard Troy Hudson was waived on December 28, 1997.

### 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 |

## Regular season
### Season standings

| Midwest Divisionvte | 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 Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte |
| # | 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 |

### 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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1October 31@ L.A. LakersL 87–104Shandon Anderson (21)Karl Malone (14)Howard Eisley (6)Great Western Forum 16,2340–1 :
November: 9–5 (home: 6–2; road: 3–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
2November 1DenverW 102–84Karl Malone (24)Greg Ostertag (11)Eisley, Hornacek (6)Delta Center 19,9111–1
3November 3WashingtonL 86–90Karl Malone (21)Karl Malone (16)Hornacek, Vaughn (6)Delta Center 19,9111–2
4November 4@ PhoenixL 84–106Karl Malone (22)Malone, Ostertag (11)Jeff Hornacek (4)America West Arena 19,0231–3
5November 7@ DenverW 91–89Karl Malone (20)Karl Malone (11)Howard Eisley (6)McNichols Sports Arena 10,3172–3
6November 8@ San AntonioL 80–87Karl Malone (26)Hornacek, Malone (7)Howard Eisley (6)Alamodome 19,1002–4
7November 12VancouverW 98–90Karl Malone (26)Keefe, Ostertag (9)Howard Eisley (10)Delta Center 19,8513–4
8November 14SeattleW 110–104Hornacek, Malone (23)Karl Malone (12)Howard Eisley (6)Delta Center 19,8304–4
9November 15@ DallasW 85–77Karl Malone (26)Karl Malone (10)Jeff Hornacek (10)Reunion Arena 14,3235–4
10November 18L.A. LakersL 92–97Karl Malone (26)Karl Malone (9)Howard Eisley (7)Delta Center 19,9115–5
11November 20@ SacramentoL 95–97Karl Malone (32)Karl Malone (9)Howard Eisley (8)ARCO Arena 14,6485–6
12November 22San AntonioW 103–74Karl Malone (20)Karl Malone (11)Hornacek, Malone (7)Delta Center 19,9116–6
13November 24MinnesotaW 133–124 (OT)Karl Malone (33)Foster, Malone (9)Howard Eisley (10)Delta Center 19,9117–6
14November 28Golden StateW 111–82Karl Malone (21)Greg Ostertag (10)Jacque Vaughn (8)Delta Center 19,9118–6
15November 29@ L.A. ClippersW 94–91Karl Malone (42)Karl Malone (18)Jeff Hornacek (7)Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 14,9569–6 :
December: 10–5 (home: 5–1; road: 5–4)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
16December 1New JerseyW 100–95Karl Malone (19)Karl Malone (14)Howard Eisley (7)Delta Center 19,91110–6
17December 3TorontoW 115–98Karl Malone (23)Karl Malone (15)Eisley, Hornacek (8)Delta Center 19,59011–6
18December 5@ PortlandL 77–94Karl Malone (24)Karl Malone (12)Jeff Hornacek (8)Rose Garden Arena 19,54511–7
19December 8IndianaW 106–97Karl Malone (31)Greg Ostertag (9)John Stockton (7)Delta Center 19,91112–7
20December 9@ SacramentoL 101–113Karl Malone (34)Karl Malone (10)John Stockton (5)ARCO Arena 13,62412–8
21December 12DallasW 68–66Karl Malone (23)Adam Keefe (11)Malone, Stockton (4)Delta Center 19,91113–8
22December 15@ WashingtonL 86–88Karl Malone (26)Karl Malone (13)Eisley, Malone (6)MCI Center 18,75613–9
23December 16@ MiamiW 103–95Karl Malone (29)Antoine Carr (7)Howard Eisley (6)Miami Arena 15,20014–9
24December 18@ OrlandoW 85–73Karl Malone (30)Greg Ostertag (10)Malone, Stockton (5)Orlando Arena 17,25815–9
25December 21@ ClevelandL 101–106Karl Malone (24)Karl Malone (13)Hornacek, Stockton (6)Gund Arena 19,17815–10
26December 22@ AtlantaW 101–99Karl Malone (27)Adam Keefe (10)John Stockton (8)Georgia Dome 28,37116–10
27December 25HoustonW 107–103John Stockton (24)Karl Malone (10)Jeff Hornacek (9)Delta Center 19,91117–10
28December 27PortlandL 91–102Karl Malone (24)Karl Malone (11)John Stockton (9)Delta Center 19,91117–11
29December 28@ VancouverW 89–88Karl Malone (26)Karl Malone (13)John Stockton (7)General Motors Place 16,48818–11
30December 30@ DenverW 132–99Greg Ostertag (21)Karl Malone (10)John Stockton (9)McNichols Sports Arena 14,23019–11 :
January: 10–3 (home: 8–1; road: 2–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
31January 3AtlantaW 97–82Karl Malone (20)Greg Ostertag (10)John Stockton (12)Delta Center 19,91120–11
32January 6PhiladelphiaW 98–95 (OT)Hornacek, Malone (21)Greg Ostertag (9)John Stockton (14)Delta Center 19,91121–11
33January 8MilwaukeeW 116–109Karl Malone (39)Greg Ostertag (10)John Stockton (13)Delta Center 19,91122–11
34January 10@ HoustonW 111–84Karl Malone (24)Karl Malone (9)Anderson, Eisley (7)The Summit 16,28523–11
35January 12ClevelandW 106–99Jeff Hornacek (23)Karl Malone (11)John Stockton (12)Delta Center 19,91124–11
36January 16@ PortlandL 86–96Karl Malone (23)Karl Malone (15)John Stockton (6)Rose Garden Arena 21,53824–12
37January 17OrlandoW 107–93Karl Malone (32)Keefe, Malone (9)John Stockton (10)Delta Center 19,91125–12
38January 19DetroitW 98–89Karl Malone (30)Karl Malone (15)John Stockton (13)Delta Center 19,91126–12
39January 21Golden StateW 98–85Karl Malone (27)Adam Keefe (8)John Stockton (13)Delta Center 19,91127–12
40January 23@ IndianaL 102–106Karl Malone (26)Greg Ostertag (11)John Stockton (11)Market Square Arena 16,67027–13
41January 25@ ChicagoW 101–94Karl Malone (35)Karl Malone (11)John Stockton (10)United Center 24,36128–13
42January 28SeattleL 93–101Karl Malone (27)Karl Malone (15)John Stockton (14)Delta Center 19,91128–14
43January 30DallasW 104–94Karl Malone (29)Greg Ostertag (12)Eisley, Stockton (10)Delta Center 19,91129–14 :
February: 9–2 (home: 6–1; road: 3–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
44February 1@ Golden StateW 115–88Karl Malone (20)Karl Malone (8)Karl Malone (9)The Arena In Oakland 11,26930–14
45February 3@ L.A. ClippersL 102–111Karl Malone (23)Karl Malone (7)John Stockton (10)Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 13,55330–15
46February 4ChicagoW 101–93Karl Malone (30)Karl Malone (8)John Stockton (18)Delta Center 19,91131–15
47February 10L.A. ClippersW 106–98Karl Malone (29)Karl Malone (14)John Stockton (10)Delta Center 19,91132–15
48February 12BostonW 118–100Karl Malone (31)Karl Malone (12)Howard Eisley (10)Delta Center 19,91133–15
49February 14@ SeattleW 111–91Karl Malone (34)Karl Malone (8)John Stockton (12)KeyArena 17,07234–15
50February 16CharlotteW 96–90Karl Malone (23)Adam Keefe (12)John Stockton (9)Delta Center 19,91135–15
51February 18New YorkW 94–78Karl Malone (25)Adam Keefe (12)Jeff Hornacek (6)Delta Center 19,91136–15
52February 21@ San AntonioW 79–77Karl Malone (24)Karl Malone (13)John Stockton (6)Alamodome 26,57237–15
53February 24MiamiL 102–104Karl Malone (26)Karl Malone (11)John Stockton (10)Delta Center 19,91137–16
54February 26PhoenixW 108–97Karl Malone (28)Karl Malone (17)Howard Eisley (10)Delta Center 19,91138–16 :
March: 15–2 (home: 5–0; road: 10–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
55March 1@ HoustonW 106–100Karl Malone (21)Karl Malone (9)John Stockton (14)The Summit 16,28539–16
56March 3@ TorontoW 108–93Shandon Anderson (26)Karl Malone (10)John Stockton (11)SkyDome 16,44840–16
57March 4@ BostonW 110–94Karl Malone (32)Karl Malone (15)John Stockton (9)FleetCenter 18,62441–16
58March 6@ New JerseyW 122–115Karl Malone (32)Karl Malone (12)John Stockton (9)Continental Airlines Arena 20,04942–16
59March 7@ MilwaukeeW 110–92Karl Malone (40)Karl Malone (8)John Stockton (7)Bradley Center 18,71743–16
60March 9HoustonW 100–93Karl Malone (29)Karl Malone (21)Karl Malone (6)Delta Center 19,91144–16
61March 11SacramentoW 110–95Karl Malone (25)Karl Malone (9)Karl Malone (9)Delta Center 19,91145–16
62March 13VancouverW 110–101Karl Malone (30)Adam Keefe (11)John Stockton (11)Delta Center 19,91146–16
63March 15@ DetroitW 109–98Karl Malone (28)Karl Malone (9)Eisley, Stockton (7)The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,07647–16
64March 16@ MinnesotaW 102–96Karl Malone (29)Greg Foster (10)three players tied (8)Target Center 17,33348–16
65March 18@ CharlotteL 85–111Karl Malone (17)Malone, Russell (9)John Stockton (7)Charlotte Coliseum 23,30548–17
66March 20@ PhiladelphiaW 91–79Karl Malone (23)Karl Malone (16)Howard Eisley (7)CoreStates Center 20,83249–17
67March 22@ New YorkW 124–119 (2OT)Karl Malone (30)Karl Malone (14)John Stockton (14)Madison Square Garden 19,76350–17
68March 24PhoenixW 92–73Karl Malone (19)Greg Foster (15)John Stockton (11)Delta Center 19,91151–17
69March 27@ DallasW 99–90Karl Malone (33)Karl Malone (14)Jeff Hornacek (8)Reunion Arena 13,76352–17
70March 28L.A. LakersW 106–91Karl Malone (31)Keefe, Malone (8)John Stockton (9)Delta Center 19,91153–17
71March 31@ SeattleL 86–88Karl Malone (20)Karl Malone (10)Jeff Hornacek (7)KeyArena 17,07253–18 :
April: 9–2 (home: 6–0; road: 3–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
72April 1PortlandW 98–89Jeff Hornacek (31)Greg Ostertag (9)John Stockton (9)Delta Center 19,91154–18
73April 3DenverW 97–75Karl Malone (22)Greg Ostertag (8)Howard Eisley (9)Delta Center 19,91155–18
74April 5@ VancouverW 99–93Karl Malone (25)Greg Ostertag (9)John Stockton (8)General Motors Place 18,06856–18
75April 7@ Golden StateW 101–99Karl Malone (56)Foster, Malone (9)John Stockton (14)The Arena In Oakland 14,43057–18
76April 8San AntonioW 98–88Karl Malone (32)Karl Malone (10)John Stockton (9)Delta Center 19,91158–18
77April 10L.A. ClippersW 126–109Jeff Hornacek (23)Greg Foster (10)Jeff Hornacek (6)Delta Center 19,91159–18
78April 11@ MinnesotaL 103–110Karl Malone (37)Karl Malone (12)Jeff Hornacek (8)Target Center 20,05159–19
79April 14MinnesotaW 126–109Karl Malone (44)Karl Malone (14)Malone, Stockton (6)Delta Center 19,91160–19
80April 16SacramentoW 99–86Karl Malone (21)Karl Malone (8)Jeff Hornacek (11)Delta Center 19,91161–19
81April 17@ PhoenixW 102–99Karl Malone (29)Karl Malone (9)Howard Eisley (10)America West Arena 19,02362–19
82April 19@ L.A. LakersL 98–102Karl Malone (27)Karl Malone (9)Howard Eisley (4)Great Western Forum 17,50562–20 :
1997–98 schedule :

## Playoffs

1998 playoff game log :
First Round: 3–2 (home: 2–1; road: 1–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
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
### 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:

## Awards and records

* Karl Malone, All-NBA First Team
* Karl Malone, NBA All-Defensive First Team
* Karl Malone, NBA Leader, Free Throw Attempts (825)