TONIGHT IN THE NBA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Portland at Utah 8:00 pm EDT Western Conference semifinals Portland leads, 3-1 ---------------------------------------------------------------- SALT LAKE CITY (Ticker) -- With their two-year reign as Western Conference champions on the line, the Utah Jazz hope to show the Portland Trail Blazers how they earned the crown when they host Game Five of their best-of-seven semifinal series. A pair of home victories, including Sunday's 81-75 win, have put the Blazers ahead 3-1 in the series. Utah, which has lost to the Chicago Bulls in each of the past two NBA Finals, appears to have met its match in an athletic and deep Portland squad. Isaiah Rider scored seven of his 24 points in the final 30 seconds as the Blazers moved within a game of their first trip to the conference finals since 1992. "From a couple of standpoints, this was our best game of the year," said Portland coach Mike Dunleavy following Sunday's win. "I say that because we won it with our hearts and our brains rather than physically. I was really pleased with the way we played down the stretch, we played really smart in the fourth quarter." Portland's ability to stay with Utah physically was never questioned, but the fact that the Blazers have provided the bigger plays in the waning moments of close contests is a surprise. "I think they're doing the things down the stretch to win the game and I don't think we are," admitted Jazz All-Star forward Karl Malone. Malone managed just nine points through the first 40 minutes before finishing with 17. He added 11 rebounds, but Portland center Arvydas Sabonis grabbed a playoff career-high 15 boards and led the bigger and more physical Blazers to a 44-34 edge on the glass. "Portland outplayed us. They have the energy over the top of us," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. "I can't live with players who don't compete. I expect our younger guys to have energy. ... I just want us to come ready to play. We have one game left and I want to see if we've got someone who wants to play." The Jazz have not been ousted prior to the championship round since losing a decisive seventh game to the Seattle SuperSonics in the West finals in 1996. The Blazers sank 33-of-42 free throws in Game Four, compared to a 16-of-26 effort by the Jazz. The team that has gone to the line more has won each game of the series. "For the next game, we're just going to let it all hang out," Malone added. "We're one game from elimination, so we have to come out and get ready because we're in our place and we have to go down with a fight. That's got to be our attitude." -=-=- 