KMAX: Sports

``Am I comfortable? Never,'' said Johnson, coaching the Jazz as Sloan serves a seven-game suspension for shoving an official. ``I've been in this business for 40 years and I'm never comfortable.''

Johnson might never be, but the Jazz certainly appeared comfortable Friday night as they beat Golden State 102-94 to extend their winning streak to three games and improve to 2-0 during Sloan's hiatus.

Utah was 43-for-78 (55 percent) from the floor while avenging a loss to the Warriors last week that snapped Utah's seven-game winning streak in the series.

Karl Malone had 26 points and 12 rebounds, Matt Harpring and Calbert Cheaney, who was 8-for-9 from the floor, each scored 16, and Andrei Kirilenko added 14 points. John Stockton had 11 assists and seven points.

``We're just trying to keep the ship going until Jerry can get back,'' Stockton said.

The Warriors had six players score in double figures, but couldn't counter the Jazz's potent shooting. Troy Murphy led Golden State with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Bob Sura finished with 16 points, Jason Richardson and Antawn Jamison each scored 15, Erick Dampier 12 and Gilbert Arenas had 10.

``Every time we'd get it close, we'd take a quick shot, run down the shot clock or a turnover here and there,'' Jamison said. ``This is a veteran team. They know how to keep a lead ahead of people, especially in the fourth quarter.''

Sloan's outburst against referee Courtney Kirkland, for which the coach apologized Thursday, will keep him off the bench for more than two weeks. But it also seemed to motivate the Jazz.

Utah had lost three straight before Sloan was kicked out in the first quarter at Sacramento, then went on to beat the Kings, Portland on Wednesday and the Warriors, who had won three of four before Friday.

``He's not here, so you just go out there and just play,'' Malone said of Sloan. ``If nothing else, play for him.''

The Jazz can go a season-high 11 games above .500 with a win on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.

Utah never trailed by more than six and took over the game by outscoring the Warriors 30-21 in the second quarter. Utah led 59-52 at halftime and never let Golden State get closer than four in the final two quarters.

``They tried to come out and run us and it happened in the first quarter when they were getting some easy layups,'' Harpring said. ``The last time we played them we weren't really playing any defense and we kind of gave the game away. So this time we actually buckled down.''

Murphy capped a 9-2 run that got the Warriors to 73-69 late in the third quarter, but the Jazz regained control with back-to-back field goals by Greg Ostertag, who hit a shot just outside the lane as the shot clock expired, and Scott Padgett.

Stockton hit a 3-pointer and Malone added a three-point play with 2 minutes, 4 seconds left in the game to put the Jazz up 101-90, ending a 9-3 run.

Golden State has lost 17 straight at the Delta Center.

``It's tough,'' Warriors coach Eric Musselman said.< ^Notes:@ The Jazz were 26-for-44 (59 percent) in the first half. ... Kirilenko blocked Sura's shot in the lane just before the buzzer at the end of the first quarter to keep the Warriors' lead at 31-29. ... Cheaney didn't miss a shot until late in the fourth quarter when he got off a 20-foot jumper just before the shot clock expired.