Hawks Clamp Down Late, Spoil Big Nights from Markkanen, Bailey
Nov 13, 2025, 10:29 PM | Updated: Nov 14, 2025, 11:21 am
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz got 61 combined points from Lauri Markkanen and Ace Bailey, but still fell 132-122 to the Atlanta Hawks.
Markkanen scored 40, while Bailey added a career-high 21 to lead Utah.
Onyeka Okongwu powered Atlanta with 32 points, and Jaylen Johnson posted a 31-point triple-double.
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Hawks Defense Clamps Down Late
Thursday’s matchup turned into an offensive shootout, with both teams topping 100 points before the fourth quarter.
Atlanta stayed hot all night, hitting 24-of-47 from three—the most by any NBA team this season. Okongwu drilled a career-high eight threes, while Vít Krejčí added six off the bench.
Vit drills a CLUTCH 3 pic.twitter.com/5JIjeVq8QL
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) November 14, 2025
“I didn’t feel like defensively to start the game, we did a good job of applying pressure,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “Credit to the Hawks, they played a great game. They had the ball moving, and they made a lot of shots.”
For 42 minutes, Utah matched Atlanta’s firepower, trailing just 119-118 with 5:57 left in the fourth.
Then the Hawks’ defense took over. They held the Jazz to four points on 2-of-11 shooting over the final 15 possessions and forced four turnovers.
“Our offense in the fourth quarter hurt us,” Hardy added. “Turnovers, for the most part, this year, haven’t hurt us in a way where they’ve been the reason that we lost. We had 18 live-ball turnovers tonight, and that’s just a hard way to play.”
ONY33333333KA pic.twitter.com/eKGtvfjg2B
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) November 14, 2025
Utah’s carelessness allowed Atlanta to rebuild a double-digit lead and cruise to its fourth straight win—and seventh in its last nine.
Despite Markkanen and Bailey’s combined 61 points, neither could create offense late. Markkanen went scoreless on 0-of-2 shooting in the final six minutes, while Bailey managed two points on 1-of-3.
Keyonte George contributed 19 points, seven assists, and six rebounds, but after Utah cut the lead to one, he shot 1-of-5 and committed two turnovers.
If the Jazz can’t find reliable late-game scoring options, they risk more losses like this one.
Walt Clayton Jr. Sits Out Against Atlanta
While Bailey set his fourth straight career-high, fellow 2025 first-round pick Walt Clayton Jr. didn’t play for the first time this season.
With Isaiah Collier (10 points, seven assists, five rebounds) back in the lineup and second-year wing Cody Williams (two points) earning minutes for his defense, Clayton Jr. stayed on the bench.
The rookie has averaged over six points, three assists, and two rebounds through 11 games, but Utah’s rotation is crowded with young players who need development time. Lineups could shift nightly.
Collier has appeared in only four games after missing the first eight with a hamstring injury, while Williams has been a healthy scratch in half of Utah’s outings.
Clayton Jr. won’t be gifted minutes by the Jazz’s coaching staff, but between the rookie, Williams, and Svi Mykhailiuk, who went scoreless on 0-4 shooting in 25 minutes on Thursday, there should be a healthy competition for floor time throughout the year.
Next Utah Jazz Broadcast
The Jazz will host the Chicago Bulls on Sunday at 6 p.m. MST. The game will be televised on KJZZ, streamed on Jazz+, and heard on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.
