Lauri Markkanen scores 49, pushes Jazz past Rockets, 131-114
By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT PhilBoxing.com Fri, 06 Jan 2023
They don’t call him ‘The Finnisher’ for nothing.
Lauri Markkanen, Utah’s 7-foot forward, dropped a career-best 49 points as the Jazz toppled the Rockets, 131-114, on Thursday night.
The hostile crowd at Houston’s Toyota Center witnessed another masterpiece by Markkanen who made 15-of-27 shots (55.6% FG), 6-of-15 treys (40% 3-PT) and 13-of-13 free throws, as Utah tapped the brakes on their 5-game slide.
Said Houston Coach Stephen Silas on how many times the Rockets sent Markkanen to the free throw line (per NBA.com), “The free throws were the biggest part. It’s always the biggest part. When a guy gets a bunch of points, it’s your ability to be disciplined and not foul him and put him on the line 13 times. That’s usually how it works.”
Markkanen ignited early in the first quarter, scoring 18 points to push the Jazz ahead of the Rockets who in turn led in the third quarter.
Not to be outdone, Utah’s Filipino-American star guard Jordan Clarkson and Malik Beasley added 19 points apiece, and helped the Jazz answer every rally Houston made.
As a team, the hungrier Utah squad made 46-of-93 baskets (49.5% FG), 19-of-48 treys (39.6% 3-PT), had more assists (33 to 19), more steals (10 to 4), more fast break points (18 to 11), and more points in the paint (52 to 46). They led by as much as 22 points. The entire Utah squad scored, sparking a 10-0 run in the third quarter.
O. Agbaji dropped 11, M. Conley scored 9, W. Kessler 8, J. Vanderbilt 5, R. Gay 5, T-Horton 5, and K. Olynyk 2 points.
By contrast, Houston made 38-of-92 baskets (41.3% FG), 15-of-42 treys (35.7% 3-PT), made more rebounds (49 to 42), but turned the ball over more than Utah (15 to 8), and briefly led by 4 points.
The other Filipino-American star guard, Jalen Green led the Rockets with 30 points. Kevin Porter Jr. added 23, Alperen Sengun 20, and Jae'Sean Tate tallied 12 points in his return from a 31-game absence due to injuries.
In the last 5 minutes, Houston tried to make it interesting and went on an 8-2 burst, cutting Utah’s lead to 5 points before Jordan Clarkson retaliated with a 3-pointer followed by a tip-in by Markkanen increasing Utah’s lead to 117-107.
Jalen Green then sank a deuce for Houston to make it 117-109 before Markkanen scored 4 consecutive points, leading Utah on 14-0 run and sealed the win, 131-114.
The Rockets (10-29) have now lost 6 straight games and retain sole last place in the Western Conference.
On the other hand, the Jazz (20-21) are still contenders in a bunched up Western conference— on pace for the play-in tournament for the 2023 NBA playoffs.
Upcoming:
Utah Jazz (20-21): Visit Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.
Houston Rockets (10-29): Host Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night.
Note of Appreciation:
Photos, stats and video are courtesy of the NBA and brought to you by PhilBoxing.com.
