Lauri Markkanen Throws Down Tomahawk Slam Just Before Halftime

Dec 16, 2023, 9:42 PM

Lauri Markkanen #23 of the Utah Jazz (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

KSL Sports

SACRAMENTO – Despite playing on a minutes restriction, Jazz All-Star Lauri Markkanen made an impact when he saw the floor.

Markkanen cut to the hoop after an off-ball screen and found himself wide open for a highlight slam.

finnished the half with a 𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒈 💥#TakeNote | @MarkkanenLauri pic.twitter.com/6Bl7pXDjeO

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) December 17, 2023

Markkanen played just 14 minutes in the first half. Every other Jazz starter saw more court time in the first two quarters.

Despite this, Markkanen was Utah’s second-leading scorer at the break with 10. He added a team-best five rebounds and one assist.

Collin Sexton led the way with 16 first-half points.

*ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ʙʟɪɴᴋ*

quick Finnish 😉 pic.twitter.com/uWUKvXsUgA

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) December 17, 2023

Utah trailed Sacramento by 12 at the half, 62-50.

Jazz Shorthanded Against Kings

The Jazz were missing several bodies when they faced the Kings as an illness made its way through the team’s locker room.

John Collins, Omer Yurtseven, and Luka Samanic were all out due to the illness. Talen Horton-Tucker was listed as questionable due to an illness, but was upgraded to available shortly before tip-off.

Lauri Markkanen returned to the lineup after missing the Jazz’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday.

*AVAILABLE – Talen Horton-Tucker (illness)

*AVAILABLE – Johnny Juzang (G League – Two-Way) https://t.co/3TTMLIAlvB

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) December 17, 2023

Markkanen had missed eight consecutive games due to a hamstring strain but returned to the lineup in Tuesday’s win over the New York Knicks.

The Jazz came in on a two-game winning streak for the third time this season and were looking for their first three-game winning streak against Sacramento.

Kings All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox missed the game with a shoulder injury.

Entering the game Sacramento owned the fifth-best record in the Western Conference at 14-9, while the Jazz were ranked 12th at 9-16.

The two teams met on the opening night of the regular season with the Kings winning 130-114 in Salt Lake City.

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Chandler Holt is a co-host for the Jazz Notes podcast and a Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter @ChandlerHoltKSL or on Threads @chandlerho1t.