March 12, 1989 - In his second NBA All-Star Game, Malone scored 28 points and grabbed nine rebounds in 26 minutes. He made 12 of his 17 field-goal attempts and was named the Most Valuable Player in a game played before 44,000 at the Astrodome in Houston.
Jazz 144, Bucks 96
Jan. 27, 1990 - Two nights after being snubbed in the All-Star balloting - the fans voted Laker forward A.C. Green into the West's starting lineup - Malone dropped a career-high 61 points on the Bucks. Milwaukee coach Del Harris said he knew Malone would make a statement in the game, "but I didn't know he was going to write a whole book."
West 135, East 132 (OT)
March 19, 1993 - Playing in front of a wildly enthusiastic home crowd at the Delta Center, Malone scored 28 points on 11-for-17 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds to help the West edge Michael Jordan and the East. Malone was named co-MVP with Jazz teammate John Stockton, who finished with nine points, six rebounds and 15 assists.
Warriors 116, Jazz 113
March 29, 1994 - Malone grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds - including 11 on the offensive end - in the Jazz's loss to Golden State. Utah rebounded nicely from the loss. The Jazz won nine of their last 11 games to finish a 53-win regular season and launch a run to the Jazz's second Western Conference final in three years.
Jazz 98, Blazers 81
March 4, 1995 - Three nights earlier, Malone suffered a severely sprained ankle in the final minutes of a win at Golden State. It seemed impossible that he could play against Portland. But after spending most of two days in the training room, Malone gingerly warmed up before the game and declared himself fit to play. He scored 30 points in a 98-81 victory that extended an eventual nine-game winning streak.
Jazz 122, Clippers 113
Feb. 2, 1996 - After flirting with a triple-double for years, Malone finally got his first one in his 11th season. He finished with 27 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists while leading the Jazz to a victory over the Clippers.
Jazz 110, Lakers 95
May 10, 1997 - With Shaquille O'Neal and the Lakers looking to tie the Western Conference semifinals against Utah, Malone went 18-for-18 from the free-throw line and finished with 42 points to lead the Jazz to a convincing road win in Game 4. The victory gave Utah a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, and the Jazz closed out L.A. in Game 5. Malone's 18 straight free throws is still a franchise playoff record.
Jazz 84, Rockets 70
May 3, 1998 - The Jazz were the defending Western Conference champions, but they faced elimination in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against Houston. Utah trailed in the best-of-five series 1-0 and 2-1 before tying it up with a 91-73 win in Game 4 at the Summit. In the decisive fifth game, Malone scored 31 points and pushed Utah into the second round. The Jazz eventually returned to the NBA Finals.
Jazz 83, Bulls 81
June 12, 1998 - Chicago was ready to celebrate. The Bulls owned a 3-1 lead over Utah in the NBA Finals. Nobody expected the Jazz to put up much of a fight - not after three straight losses, including a 96-54 disaster in Game 2. But Malone scored 39 points in one of the great performances in Finals history and put off the planned postgame party - at least for a few days.
Jazz 104, Sonics 93
April 22, 2000 - The Jazz won 55 games during the regular season but struggled down the stretch, when they finished 3-4. Questions arose whether Utah had enough left in the tank to beat Gary Payton and Seattle in the first round of the playoffs. But Malone scored a franchise playoff-record 50 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to give the Jazz a jump-start in the best-of-five series they eventually won in Game 5.
