Ace Bailey sets career-high, new Utah Jazz record for threes
Mar 19, 2026, 10:08 PM | Updated: Mar 20, 2026, 11:10 am
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz won their 21st game of the season, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks 128-96.
Ace Bailey scored a career-high 33 points, while Elijah Harkless added a career-best 23.
The Bucks were led by Ryan Rollins, who scored 15 points in the loss.
Utah Jazz end losing streak with strong showing against Milwaukee Bucks
Ace Bailey sets Jazz record for three-point attempts
With a lengthy injury report, Ace Bailey and Cody Williams were the Jazz’s primary source of offense, and the two lottery pick wings didn’t disappoint.
Williams led the Jazz to open the game, scoring 19 of his 23 points in the first half, while Bailey played the role of closer.
The majority of the 19-year-old’s points came over the final two quarters, where he scored 20 points in just 18 minutes.
For the game, Williams shot 10-16 from the floor, to go with five assists, three rebounds, and a steal in 27 minutes.
Cody Williams has 5 or more assists in four of his last 6 games.
He’s getting better in all aspects of the game.
— Ben Anderson (@benshoops.bsky.social) March 19, 2026 at 10:02 PM
Williams now has five or more assists in four of his last six games.
“Cody is really finding his footing as a pro, but the confidence he’s playing with every night, the ability to not only find shots for himself, but be a ball mover and a connector on the court offensively has been terrific,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said.
Bailey added nine rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a block in 34 total minutes.
“I think his length and his youth and his energy defensively is really helping us.,” Hardy said of Bailey’s play. “He’s getting his hands on the ball and creating some turnovers.”
The Rutgers product also set a Jazz franchise record, taking an impressive 19 three-pointers against the Bucks, and knocking down seven of his attempts.
Per Basketball Reference, Ace Bailey’s 19 3PA’s are the most ever by a Utah Jazz player.
Bojan Bogdanovic took 18 in 2022.
Bailey knocked down 7 threes (37%).
— Ben Anderson (@benshoops.bsky.social) March 19, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Bailey has connected on multiple threes in nine of his last 10 outings, and has totaled 36 makes during the stretch.
“He’s shooting the ball really well right now,” Hardy added. “19 three-point attempts is crazy, but he made a lot of good reads.”
Lauri Markkanen to be re-evaluated in two weeks
Lauri Markkanen has missed the Jazz’s last 11 games after suffering a hip impingement with inflammation and a bone bruise in late February.
The 28-year-old suffered the injury in practice.
“It was an awkward landing going toward the basket,” Hardy said of the injury. “[He] tweaked his ankle, sort of jammed his hip, so he was pulled from practice.”
On Thursday, KSL Sports learned that Markkanen will miss at least the next two weeks before being re-evaluated for the same injury.
Can echo @NBASarah’s report that Lauri Markkanen will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
That would be Thursday, April 2, and the Jazz would have at most five games left in the season, if he didn’t need a reconditioning period.
— Ben Anderson (@benshoops.bsky.social) March 19, 2026 at 9:34 PM
That would put the former All-Star out for the next seven games, with an earliest return date of April 3, when the Jazz open a three-game road trip in Houston against the Rockets.
The Jazz will have only five games left on the schedule after Markkanen is re-examined, leaving little room for the Finnish forward to return to action if he is cleared for basketball activities.
Markkanen is the Jazz’s leading scorer at 26.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 47 percent from the floor and 35 percent from three.
Entering Thursday’s game, the Jazz are just 4-24 when Markkanen is out of the lineup, and 17-25 when he plays.
The Jazz had the sixth-worst record in the NBA when Markkanen suffered the injury, but had dropped to fifth in his absence.
Next Utah Jazz Broadcast
The Jazz will host the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday at 7:30 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.
