1989–90 Utah Jazz season
The 1989–90 NBA season was the Jazz's 16th season in the National Basketball Association, and 11th season in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Jazz got off to a fast start early into the season by winning seven of their first eight games. They continued to play solid basketball winning 11 of their 14 games in January, including a nine-game winning streak, and holding a 33–14 record at the All-Star break. The Jazz finished with an impressive 55–27 record, second in the Midwest Division. They made their seventh consecutive trip to the playoffs.
| 1989–90 Utah Jazz season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Jerry Sloan |
| General manager | Tim Howells |
| Owner(s) | Larry H. Miller |
| Arena | Salt Palace |
| Results | |
| Record | 55–27 (.671) |
| Place | Division: 2nd (Midwest) Conference: 4th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | First round (lost to Suns 2–3) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | KSTU Prime Sports Intermountain West |
| Radio | KALL |
Karl Malone averaged 31.0 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, and also finished in fourth place in Most Valuable Player voting. Meanwhile, John Stockton averaged 17.2 points, led the league in assists for the third year in a row averaging 14.5 assists, and contributed 2.7 steals per game, and was selected to the All-NBA Second Team. In addition, Thurl Bailey provided the team with 14.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while Darrell Griffith and top draft pick Blue Edwards both contributed 8.9 points per game each, with Edwards being named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, and Mark Eaton provided with 7.3 rebounds and led the team with 2.5 blocks per game.
Both Malone and Stockton were selected for the 1990 NBA All-Star Game. However, Malone threatened to boycott the All-Star Game, after A.C. Green of the Los Angeles Lakers was voted to be the starting power forward for the Western Conference instead of Malone. Malone did not play in the All-Star Game due to an ankle injury, despite playing all 82 games this season. In the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Jazz won Game 1 against the 5th-seeded Phoenix Suns, but lost the series in five games. Following the season, Bob Hansen was traded to the Sacramento Kings in an off-season three team trade.
One notable highlight of the season was Malone scoring a career-high of 61 points in a 144–96 home win over the Milwaukee Bucks on January 27, 1990.