The Associated Press

SEATTLE - Karl Malone couldn't remember a night he didn't score a single point. Until now, that is.

The Mailman, fighting a head cold, got into early foul trouble and went scoreless on 0-for-7 shooting in Seattle's 91-77 victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday night.

It was the first time Malone, who ranks second on the NBA's career scoring list, has been shut out in 18 NBA seasons. For that matter, Malone said it was the first time he's ever gone scoreless, period.

"I don't know if I've ever played in a game where I didn't score, high school or junior high, whatever," he said.

How about the fourth grade?

"Nope. Never," Malone said.

Gary Payton scored 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting, helping the SuperSonics to a 3-0 start for the first time in three years. In the closing minutes, Payton noticed the Mailman's goose egg on the scoreboard and spread the word down the Sonics bench.

"When I heard that, it just went through my head that this must be the first time that's ever happened," said Seattle's Rashard Lewis, who was 6 years old when Malone broke into the league.

"Every time I've seen him play, he's had at least 10 points," Lewis said. "I've never even seen him when he's not in double digits. I guess tonight just wasn't his night."

Desmond Mason had 16 points, Vladimir Radmanovic scored 15 and Peja Drobnjak 10 for Seattle. Kenny Anderson, in his first action this season after fighting back spasms, scored 10.

Andrei Kirilenko scored 17 points for the Jazz, while Matt Harpring had 16 and Scott Padgett 10. John Stockton finished with eight points on 1-of-4 shooting with five assists.

Malone's previous career low was two points on Dec. 18, 1985, his rookie season, at New Jersey. He also had two points before getting ejected from a game in April 2001 at Phoenix.

"I don't have any excuses," Malone said. "When I put my uniform on, I go out there to play."

Malone was called for two quick fouls in the first quarter and got his third with 3:53 left before halftime. After shooting 0-for-5 in the first half, the Mailman missed the two shots he took in the third quarter.

He played 3 minutes after the break, then took a seat at the end of the Jazz bench and only got up for timeouts. Malone said five years ago, he would have tried to play more in the second half.

"If I wanted to watch, I should have stayed at home," Malone said. "Maybe I should have taken the day off."

Malone turned 39 last summer and Stockton turned 40 last spring, but the Mailman refused to use his age as an excuse.

"A 20-year-old can get a stomach virus," he said. "No one said anything last night when we won."

The aging Jazz got no early-season breaks from the NBA schedule-makers, and they looked tired from the opening tip. Utah was playing its fourth game in five nights, making a stop in each time zone.

"We were well aware they played four games in five nights, East Coast to Utah and up here," Sonics coach Nate McMillan said. "We wanted to use our pressure, stay aggressive and be on top of them."

The Sonics took advantage of Utah's 21 percent first-quarter shooting to build a 20-9 lead after the first 12 minutes. Radmanovic scored twice during an 8-2 run to open the second period, and Seattle never looked back.

It was garbage time by the middle of the third quarter, though Mason rewarded fans who stayed for the fourth period with a highlight-reel dunk that gave Seattle a 79-53 lead with 8:35 remaining.

"The two quick fouls (on Malone), the defensive pressure on Stockton, we made them get out of their pick-and-roll," McMillan said. "We made them work at both ends of the floor."

The Sonics are 3-0 for the first time since 1999-2000, when they also beat Utah in their third game as part of an 11-3 start. Later that year, they lost to the Jazz in a first-round playoff series.

Notes: Payton had five rebounds, giving him 4,003 in his 13-year career. He ranks third on the team's career list, trailing Jack Sikma (7,729) and Shawn Kemp (5,978). ... Despite the loss, the Jazz have won eight of 10 against Seattle. Utah won last year's season series 3-1. ... Utah coach Jerry Sloan, in his 15th season, coached his 1,100th game with the Jazz - the most with one team among active coaches.