1989–90 Utah Jazz season

1989–90 Utah Jazz season
Head coachJerry Sloan
General managerTim Howells
OwnerLarry H. Miller
ArenaSalt Palace
Results
Record55–27 (.671)
PlaceDivision: 2nd (Midwest)
Conference: 4th (Western)
Playoff finishFirst round
(lost to Suns 2–3)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
TelevisionKSTU
Prime Sports Intermountain West
RadioKALL

The 1989–90 Utah Jazz season was the 16th season for the Utah Jazz in the National Basketball Association, and their 11th season in Salt Lake City, Utah.[1] The Jazz had the 21st overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft, and selected shooting guard Blue Edwards out of East Carolina University.[2]

With the addition of Edwards, the Jazz got off to a fast start by winning seven of their first eight games of the regular season.[3] The team continued to play solid basketball winning 11 of their 14 games in January, which included a nine-game winning streak, and holding a 33–14 record at the All-Star break.[4] The Jazz posted a seven-game winning streak between February and March, and finished in second place in the Midwest Division with a 55–27 record, earning the fourth seed in the Western Conference;[5] the team made their seventh consecutive trip to the NBA playoffs.[6]

Karl Malone averaged 31.0 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, while John Stockton averaged 17.2 points, 14.5 assists and 2.7 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, and Thurl Bailey provided the team with 14.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. In addition, Edwards and Darrell Griffith both contributed 8.9 points per game each, with Edwards being named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, while Bob Hansen provided with 7.6 points per game, Mike Brown averaged 6.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, and Mark Eaton provided with 4.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and led the team with 2.5 blocks per game.[7]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Miami Arena in Miami, Florida, Malone and Stockton were both selected for the 1990 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team. However, Malone threatened to boycott the All-Star Game, after A.C. Green of the Los Angeles Lakers was voted by the fans as the starting power forward for the Western Conference instead of Malone, who was selected as a reverse.[8][9][10] Malone did not play in the All-Star Game due to an ankle injury, despite playing all 82 games this season;[11][12] Rolando Blackman of the Dallas Mavericks was selected as his replacement.[13][14][15] Meanwhile, Hansen participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout.[16][17] Malone finished in fourth place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Stockton finished in ninth place,[18][19] and Eaton finished tied in fifth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting.[19]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1990 NBA playoffs, the Jazz faced off against the 5th–seeded Phoenix Suns, who were led by the quartet of All-Star forward Tom Chambers, All-Star guard Kevin Johnson, Jeff Hornacek, and sixth man Eddie Johnson. The Jazz won Game 1 over the Suns at home, 113–96 at the Salt Palace,[20][21] but then lost the next two games as the Suns took a 2–1 series lead. The Jazz managed to win Game 4 over the Suns on the road, 105–94 at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum to even the series. However, the Jazz lost Game 5 to the Suns at the Salt Palace, 104–102, thus losing in a hard-fought five-game series.[22][23][24]

The Jazz finished 22nd in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 517,256 at the Salt Palace during the regular season.[7][25] Following the season, Hansen was traded to the Sacramento Kings in an off-season three team trade.[26][27] One notable highlight of the regular season occurred on January 27, 1990, in which Malone scored a career-high of 61 points against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Salt Palace, as the Jazz defeated the Bucks, 144–96.[28][29][30]

Draft picks

Main article: 1989 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
1 21 Blue Edwards SG/SF  United States East Carolina
2 48 Junie Lewis  United States South Alabama

Roster

1989–90 Utah Jazz roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
F 41 Thurl Bailey 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1961–04–07 NC State
C 40 Mike Brown 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 257 lb (117 kg) 1963–07–19 George Washington
F 24 Raymond Brown 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1965–07–05 Idaho
C 53 Mark Eaton 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) 275 lb (125 kg) 1957–01–24 UCLA
G/F 30 Blue Edwards 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1965–10–31 East Carolina
G 35 Darrell Griffith 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1958–06–16 Louisville
G 20 Bob Hansen 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1961–01–18 Iowa
G 15 Eric Johnson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1966–02–07 Nebraska
C 45 Eric Leckner 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 265 lb (120 kg) 1966–05–27 Wyoming
F 32 Karl Malone 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1963–07–24 Louisiana Tech
G 11 Delaney Rudd 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1962–11–08 Wake Forest
G 12 John Stockton 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1962–03–26 Gonzaga
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Roster
Updated: February 16, 1990

Regular season

Season standings

Midwest Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-San Antonio Spurs 56 26 .683 – 34–7 22–19 19–9
x-Utah Jazz 55 27 .671 1 36–5 19–22 21–7
x-Dallas Mavericks 47 35 .573 9 30–11 17–24 17–11
x-Denver Nuggets 43 39 .524 13 28–13 15–26 15–13
x-Houston Rockets 41 41 .500 15 31–10 10–31 13–15
Minnesota Timberwolves 22 60 .268 34 17–24 5–36 6–22
Charlotte Hornets 19 63 .232 37 13–28 6–35 7–21
#
Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Los Angeles Lakers 63 19 .768 –
2 y-San Antonio Spurs 56 26 .683 7
3 x-Portland Trail Blazers 59 23 .720 4
4 x-Utah Jazz 55 27 .671 8
5 x-Phoenix Suns 54 28 .659 9
6 x-Dallas Mavericks 47 35 .573 16
7 x-Denver Nuggets 43 39 .524 20
8 x-Houston Rockets 41 41 .500 22
9 Seattle SuperSonics 41 41 .500 22
10 Golden State Warriors 37 45 .451 26
11 Los Angeles Clippers 30 52 .366 33
12 Sacramento Kings 23 59 .280 40
13 Minnesota Timberwolves 22 60 .268 41
14 Charlotte Hornets 19 63 .232 44

Game log

Regular season

1989–90 game log
Total: 55–27 (home: 36–5; road: 19–22)
November: 8–4 (home: 7–2; road: 1–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
1 November 3 Denver W 122–113 Salt Palace 1–0
2 November 8 Charlotte W 102–86 Salt Palace 2–0
3 November 10 San Antonio W 106–92 Salt Palace 3–0
4 November 11 @ Houston L 92–100 The Summit 3–1
5 November 13 Washington W 106–93 Salt Palace 4–1
6 November 15 Chicago W 108–107 Salt Palace 5–1
7 November 17 Indiana W 114–100 Salt Palace 6–1
8 November 21 @ Minnesota W 103–101 (OT) Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 7–1
9 November 22 Orlando L 97–119 Salt Palace 7–2
10 November 25 L.A. Lakers L 86–92 Salt Palace 7–3
11 November 27 New Jersey W 105–68 Salt Palace 8–3
12 November 29 @ Indiana L 88–100 Market Square Arena 8–4
December: 11–5 (home: 7–1; road: 4–4)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
13 December 1 @ Atlanta L 103–114 The Omni 8–5
14 December 2 @ Washington W 100–98 Capital Centre 9–5
15 December 5 @ Cleveland W 94–80 Richfield Coliseum 10–5
16 December 7 Dallas W 107–97 Salt Palace 11–5
17 December 9 Houston W 104–90 Salt Palace 12–5
18 December 11 Cleveland L 110–113 (OT) Salt Palace 12–6
19 December 13 Phoenix W 102–95 Salt Palace 13–6
20 December 15 Detroit W 94–91 Salt Palace 14–6
21 December 17 @ Minnesota W 122–112 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 15–6
22 December 19 @ New York L 107–115 Madison Square Garden 15–7
23 December 20 @ Boston L 109–113 Boston Garden 15–8
24 December 22 @ Charlotte W 114–100 Charlotte Coliseum 16–8
25 December 23 @ San Antonio L 98–115 HemisFair Arena 16–9
26 December 26 Golden State W 133–118 Salt Palace 17–9
27 December 28 Portland W 113–109 Salt Palace 18–9
28 December 30 Miami W 117–98 Salt Palace 19–9
January: 11–3 (home: 7–0; road: 4–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
29 January 2 @ Golden State L 120–133 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena 19–10
30 January 3 @ Seattle W 119–108 Seattle Center Coliseum 20–10
31 January 5 @ Portland L 89–118 Memorial Coliseum 20–11
32 January 6 @ Denver W 123–120 McNichols Sports Arena 21–11
33 January 10 Denver W 130–99 Salt Palace 22–11
34 January 13 @ Dallas W 109–99 Reunion Arena 23–11
35 January 17 Atlanta W 95–88 Salt Palace 24–11
36 January 19 Charlotte W 116–93 Salt Palace 25–11
37 January 20 @ Sacramento W 94–81 ARCO Arena 26–11
38 January 23 Houston W 102–94 Salt Palace 27–11
39 January 25 New York W 115–89 Salt Palace 28–11
40 January 27 Milwaukee W 144–96 Salt Palace 29–11
41 January 30 @ Portland L 98–122 Memorial Coliseum 29–12
42 January 31 L.A. Clippers W 120–101 Salt Palace 30–12
February: 9–4 (home: 5–0; road: 4–4)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
43 February 2 Dallas W 105–92 Salt Palace 31–12
44 February 4 @ Detroit L 83–115 The Palace of Auburn Hills 31–13
45 February 5 @ Philadelphia L 89–114 The Spectrum 31–14
46 February 7 @ New Jersey W 108–101 Brendan Byrne Arena 32–14
47 February 8 @ Charlotte W 94–74 Charlotte Coliseum 33–14
48 February 13 Minnesota W 110–104 (OT) Salt Palace 34–14
49 February 14 @ Phoenix L 103–114 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 34–15
50 February 16 @ San Antonio L 86–100 HemisFair Arena 34–16
51 February 17 Sacramento W 110–106 Salt Palace 35–16
52 February 19 Philadelphia W 115–102 Salt Palace 36–16
53 February 21 Boston W 116–103 Salt Palace 37–16
54 February 22 @ L.A. Clippers W 116–102 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 38–16
55 February 25 @ L.A. Lakers W 104–103 Great Western Forum 39–16
March: 11–4 (home: 6–1; road: 5–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
56 March 1 Portland W 119–102 Salt Palace 40–16
57 March 3 San Antonio W 112–98 Salt Palace 41–16
58 March 5 @ Miami L 104–105 Miami Arena 41–17
59 March 6 @ Orlando W 111–101 Orlando Arena 42–17
60 March 8 @ Chicago W 98–94 Chicago Stadium 43–17
61 March 9 @ Milwaukee W 108–100 Bradley Center 44–17
62 March 11 @ Denver W 110–109 McNichols Sports Arena 45–17
63 March 13 Phoenix L 106–114 Salt Palace 45–18
64 March 15 Seattle W 117–95 Salt Palace 46–18
65 March 17 @ Sacramento L 109–122 (OT) ARCO Arena 46–19
66 March 19 Sacramento W 105–97 Salt Palace 47–19
67 March 21 L.A. Clippers W 118–102 Salt Palace 48–19
68 March 23 Golden State W 106–91 Salt Palace 49–19
69 March 24 @ L.A. Clippers W 112–79 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 50–19
70 March 29 @ Golden State L 123–128 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena 50–20
April: 5–7 (home: 4–1; road: 1–6)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
71 April 1 @ L.A. Lakers L 103–119 Great Western Forum 50–21
72 April 3 Charlotte W 127–104 Salt Palace 51–21
73 April 5 @ Seattle L 91–101 Seattle Center Coliseum 51–22
74 April 9 @ Phoenix L 115–119 (OT) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 51–23
75 April 10 Seattle W 114–102 Salt Palace 52–23
76 April 12 L.A. Lakers W 107–104 Salt Palace 53–23
77 April 14 Houston L 99–103 Salt Palace 53–24
78 April 15 @ Minnesota W 103–90 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 54–24
79 April 17 @ Dallas L 96–97 Reunion Arena 54–25
80 April 18 @ San Antonio L 93–102 HemisFair Arena 54–26
81 April 20 Minnesota W 97–89 Salt Palace 55–26
82 April 22 @ Houston L 88–100 The Summit 55–27
1989–90 schedule

Playoffs

1990 playoff game log
Western Conference First Round: 2–3 (home: 1–2; road: 1–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 April 27 Phoenix W 113–96 Karl Malone (21) Karl Malone (11) John Stockton (17) Salt Palace
12,616 		1–0
2 April 29 Phoenix L 87–105 Karl Malone (20) Karl Malone (10) John Stockton (8) Salt Palace
12,616 		1–1
3 May 2 @ Phoenix L 105–120 Thurl Bailey (30) Karl Malone (11) John Stockton (19) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
14,487 		1–2
4 May 4 @ Phoenix W 105–94 Karl Malone (33) Karl Malone (11) John Stockton (14) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
14,487 		2–2
5 May 6 Phoenix L 102–104 Bailey, Malone (26) Mark Eaton (9) John Stockton (17) Salt Palace
12,616 		2–3
1990 schedule

Player statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

Season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Thurl Bailey 82 33 31.5 .481 .000 .779 5.0 1.7 .4 1.2 14.2
Mike Brown 82 0 17.0 .515 .500 .789 4.5 .6 .4 .3 6.2
Raymond Brown 16 0 3.5 .286 .000 .9 .3 .0 .0 1.0
Mark Eaton 82 82 27.8 .527 .669 7.3 .5 .4 2.5 4.8
Blue Edwards 82 49 23.0 .507 .300 .719 3.1 1.8 .9 .4 8.9
Darrell Griffith 82 1 17.6 .464 .372 .654 2.0 .8 .8 .2 8.9
Bob Hansen 81 81 26.8 .467 .351 .516 2.8 1.8 .6 .1 7.6
Eric Johnson 48 2 5.7 .238 .167 .765 .6 1.3 .4 .0 1.1
Nate Johnston† 6 0 2.2 .364 1.000 1.000 .3 .0 .0 .2 1.8
Eric Leckner 77 0 9.9 .563 .743 2.5 .2 .2 .3 4.3
Jim Les† 1 0 6.0 .500 .0 1.0 .0 .0 2.0
Karl Malone 82 82 38.1 .562 .372 .762 11.1 2.8 1.5 .6 31.0
José Ortiz 13 0 4.9 .452 .500 .600 1.2 .5 .2 .1 3.2
Delaney Rudd 77 2 11.0 .429 .286 .660 .7 2.3 .3 .0 3.5
John Stockton 78 78 37.4 .514 .416 .819 2.6 14.5 2.7 .2 17.2

Playoffs

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Thurl Bailey 5 5 38.0 .489 .792 6.4 1.4 1.0 1.2 21.0
Mike Brown 5 0 13.4 .467 .800 2.0 .6 .2 .2 3.6
Raymond Brown 3 0 2.0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
Mark Eaton 5 5 25.6 .529 .200 6.0 .0 .6 2.8 3.8
Blue Edwards 5 0 18.8 .538 .333 .875 3.6 1.6 1.4 .4 7.2
Darrell Griffith 5 0 19.4 .452 .556 .800 4.2 .6 1.2 .2 9.4
Bob Hansen 5 5 29.0 .488 .500 .250 2.8 1.0 .6 .0 10.0
Eric Johnson 1 0 3.0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
Eric Leckner 3 0 9.3 .600 1.000 .556 2.7 .7 .0 .0 6.0
Karl Malone 5 5 40.6 .438 .000 .756 10.2 2.2 2.2 1.0 25.2
Delaney Rudd 5 0 9.0 .348 .143 .500 .6 2.6 .2 .0 3.6
John Stockton 5 5 38.8 .420 .077 .800 3.2 15.0 1.2 .0 15.0

Player statistics citation:[7]

Awards and records

Transactions

Free agents

Subtractions
Player Date signed New team
Jim Farmer Expansion Draft June 15, 1989 Orlando Magic

References

  1. ^ 1989-90 Utah Jazz
  2. ^ "1989 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  3. ^ "Utah Jazz at Minnesota Timberwolves Box Score, November 21, 1989". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  4. ^ "NBA Games Played on February 8, 1990". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  5. ^ "1989–90 Utah Jazz Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  6. ^ "Utah Jazz". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c "1989–90 Utah Jazz Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  8. ^ McManis, Sam (January 26, 1990). "A.C. Green Boxes Out Unhappy Malone for Starting Berth: NBA All-Stars: Utah Player Says He Will Boycott Game. Magic and Worthy Make It Three Lakers on West Squad". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  9. ^ Kragthorpe, Kurt (January 26, 1990). "All-Star Voters Pick Green, and Malone's Angry". Deseret News. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  10. ^ Howard-Cooper, Scott (February 11, 1990). "NBA ALL-STAR GAME: Entire Family Is Back Together--Almost". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  11. ^ Hafner, Dan (February 9, 1990). "NBA ROUNDUP: New Twist: Malone to Skip All-Star Game Again". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  12. ^ Kragthorpe, Kurt (February 10, 1990). "NBA Wants a Look at Hurt Ankle". Deseret News. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  13. ^ "Blackman to Replace Injured Karl Malone". Tampa Bay Times. February 10, 1990. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  14. ^ "1990 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com. NBA.com Staff. September 13, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  15. ^ "1990 NBA All-Star Game: East 130, West 113". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  16. ^ "NBA All-Star Weekend". The Hour. February 9, 1990. p. 32. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
  17. ^ "NBA & ABA All-Star Game Contest Winners". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
  18. ^ McManis, Sam (May 22, 1990). "Magic Repeats in MVP Vote; Barkley Is 2nd: Pro Basketball: Johnson Is the First Back-to-Back Winner Since Larry Bird. Michael Jordan Finishes a Close Third". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  19. ^ a b "1989–90 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  20. ^ Howard-Cooper, Scott (April 28, 1990). "Jazz Loses Big Lead, But Still Wins, 113-96". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  21. ^ Wakley, Ralph (April 28, 1990). "Jazz 113, Suns 96". United Press International. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  22. ^ "Last-Gasp Jump Shot Sends Suns to Round 2". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 7, 1990. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  23. ^ Howard-Cooper, Scott (May 7, 1990). "Suns' Truth Hurts Jazz in Game 5: NBA Playoffs: Kevin Johnson's Last-Second Basket Sets Up a Date with the Lakers for Phoenix, 104-102". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  24. ^ "1990 NBA Western Conference First Round: Suns vs. Jazz". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  25. ^ "1989–90 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  26. ^ "Bullets Get Pervis Ellison in Three-Way Trade: Pro Basketball: Jeff Malone Goes to Jazz, with Hansen and Leckner Going to Sacramento. Nets Deal for Theus, Meaning They Will Probably Pick Coleman". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. June 26, 1990. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  27. ^ Brady, Jim (June 25, 1990). "Bullets, Jazz, Kings Make Three-Way Deal". United Press International. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  28. ^ "NBA ROUNDUP: Malone Eloquently States His Case, Scoring 61 Points in Jazz Victory". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. January 28, 1990. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  29. ^ Kragthorpe, Kurt (January 28, 1990). "Malone Scores 61 - Says He'll Play in All-Star Game". Deseret News. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  30. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks at Utah Jazz Box Score, January 27, 1990". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
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