John Stockton's gutty effort Wednesday was as contagious as the virus working its way through the Jazz locker room.

With Karl Malone sidelined for just the sixth time in his 18-year career, and Stockton nearly as sick, coach Jerry Sloan found enough guys to play hard against the Detroit Pistons at the Delta Center.

But the Jazz coach couldn't find enough guys to make a lousy layup.

The undermanned Jazz battled the Pistons as tough as they could hope for, but they let too many chances slip away, losing 80-78 to fall to 1-4 on the season.