Hassan Whiteside Block Leads To Third Triple Of 3Q For Royce O’Neale

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Jazz center Hassan Whiteside made a big block on the defensive end that led to a three-pointer by Royce O’Neale against the Orlando Magic.

The big block by Hassan Whiteside that turned into a three-pointer by Royce O’Neale added to a big already big third quarter for the forward from Baylor. With 6:52 remaining in the third quarter, Magic guard Jalen Suggs tried to get a layup against Whiteside when the big man rejected it off the backboard.

Going back the other way, the Jazz used their ball movement that led to Whiteside finding O’Neale for his third three-pointer of the third quarter. That gave the Jazz a 60-54 lead over Orlando with 6:27 to play in the third quarter.

Hassan: 🚫🚫 pic.twitter.com/XD6kr3k3TY

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 12, 2022

O’Neale had 11 points in the game, with nine of those points coming in the third quarter. Whiteside had eight points, 17 rebounds, one assist and two blocks in the game to that point.

The Jazz are searching for their fifth straight win and trying to remain undefeated in the month of February. Utah had a bad month of January, going 4-12. Entering Friday’s game against Orlando, the Jazz were 4-0 with wins at home against the Denver Nuggets, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors.

Orlando entered the game at Vivint Arena with a 13-43 record. They were coming off of an 18-point win against Portland on Tuesday that started a four-game road trip. The win over Portland snapped a two-game losing streak.

Rudy Gobert was out for the game against the Magic as he hopes to return before the All-Star break. The Utah Jazz big man told ESPN’s Lisa Salters during the game against Golden State on Wednesday that he plans to participate in the All-Star game.

The Jazz game against the Magic can be seen on AT&T SportsNet and heard on The Zone Sports Network.

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