The 1990–91 NBA season was the Jazz's 17th season in the National Basketball Association, and 12th season in Salt Lake City, Utah. Early into the season, the Jazz traveled to Japan to play their first two games against the Phoenix Suns at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. With the offseason acquisition of Jeff Malone from the Washington Bullets, the Jazz continued to play sweet music in the regular season with a 26–12 start. They ended up falling one game short of the Midwest Division title with another stellar record of 54–28, as Karl Malone finished second in the league in scoring with 29.0 points per game, and John Stockton led the league with 14.2 assists per game. Malone and Stockton were both selected for the 1991 NBA All-Star Game. In the first round of the playoffs, the Jazz defeated the 4th-seeded Phoenix Suns in four games, but lost in the semifinals to the Portland Trail Blazers in five games. This was also their final season playing at the Salt Palace. Following the season, Darrell Griffith retired.