It started in the fourth quarter with Karl Malone, the Utah veteran, firing a seeing-eye pass down the middle to a grateful Byron Russell, who was lurking beneath the Jazz basket, for the easy bucket.

Next, it was the turn of John Stockton, Malone's long-term teammate, whose crossover dribble on the left side left Toronto's Chris Childs gasping and grasping at air.

Stockton swooped in the for the easy lay-up while being fouled by Childs and Stockton made his free throw to complete the three-point play that put the Jazz up by 73-65.

An eight-point bulge over an injury-riddled Raptor squad these days is plenty enough. But just to make sure, Big Karl sealed it with a sweeping right-handed hook shot from the paint that nudged the lead to 10.

The big one-two punch of the Jazz proved too much for the Raptors to handle last night as Utah pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 94-85 National Basketball Association triumph before a soldout Air Canada Centre.

The injury-ravaged Raptors, playing without four of their regulars, including leading scorer Vince Carter, lost for the third time in a row to fall to 29-24.

Despite the rash of injures, the Raptors kept it tight and fought back from a nine-point disadvantage in the third to trail 64-60 heading into the fourth.

But a 9-2 Utah run midway through the closing quarter that lifted the Jazz in front 75-65 proved too much of a hole for the Raptors to climb out of.