A much-needed break seemingly could not have come at a lousier time for the Jazz, who won their fourth straight game Saturday night, but do not play again until Friday night.
     
"It's not great," backup point guard John Crotty said of the lengthy time off. "I'm not going to sit here and say, 'We need it,' because we really don't."
     
Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, however, doesn't seem bothered by the unfortunate timing.
     
"I can't worry about that," said Sloan, whose 16-15 club is coming off stretches of three games in four nights and seven in 12.
     
"These guys are happy to get away from me," Sloan added, "and probably vice versa."
     
It's true, agreed Jazz star Karl Malone, who scored 20 points and pulled down a season-high 17 rebounds in Utah's 89-81 victory over Philadelphia on Saturday night at the sold-out Delta Center.