Utah Jazz Run Picture Perfect Fast Break, Lauri Markkanen Finishes
Feb 11, 2023, 6:16 PM | Updated: Feb 13, 2023, 4:41 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – The Jazz transition game got off to a fast start in the first quarter against the New York Knicks.
Kelly Olynyk forced the miss and started the break while Collin Sexton and All-Star Lauri Markkanen ran the floor to finish.
The Jazz (28-29, 10th in West) travel to New York to face the Knicks (30-27, 7th in East) in the second game of a back-to-back for Utah.
fast break with an 🌟 𝘈𝘭𝘭-𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩 🌟 pic.twitter.com/KQmmbsPTMH
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 12, 2023
On a Julius Randle missed shot, Olynyk grabbed the rebound, immediately throwing an outlet pass to Sexton. Settling into his new-found point guard responsibilities, Sexton ran the fast break before lofting a passing to a sprinting Lauri Markkanen who finished with a lay-in.
After missing last night’s win against Toronto, Jordan Clarkson returned and leads Utah with seven first half points. Jalen Brunson leads all scores with 15 points.
New York leads the Jazz 42-36 with 8:32 left in the half.
RELATED: Kessler Career-High Helps Jazz Rally In Toronto
4th Quarter Comeback In Toronto
The Jazz fell behind 111-98 with 5:17 left in the fourth quarter and looked dead to rights after a Pascal Siakam jump shot.
But after struggling to find an offensive rhythm against the Raptors’ defense for the first 43 minutes of the game, the Jazz turned to Markkanen, Kessler, and Kelly Olynyk and quickly erased the Toronto lead.
RELATED: Jazz Stun Raptors With Late Fourth Quarter Rally
The frontcourt trio scored 10 of the Jazz’s next 12 points and cut the Raptors’ lead from 13 to three in just over two minutes of game time.
The big lineup helped the Jazz outscore Toronto 39-20 in the fourth quarter including 22-5 in the final 5:17 as the team won the game going away.
The Jazz turned to a lineup of Sexton, Markkanen, Olynyk, Kessler, and Talen Horton-Tucker to close the game and scored on their final 11 possessions of the night.
.@utahjazz guard Collin Sexton has been dealing tonight#TakeNotehttps://t.co/Mtoei9Npd5
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 11, 2023
Sexton had one of his most complete performances of the season with 22 points, matching his personal best in a Jazz uniform while adding five rebounds, and six assists.
The guard shot an efficient 8-14 from the floor and 6-7 from the free-throw line in 37 minutes on the court.
Jazz & Knicks On Back-To-Back
The Knicks had won two straight and three out of four before falling to the Philadelphia 76ers on the road 119-108 on Friday.
New York sits in the seventh seed in the East just behind the Miami Heat for the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot in the conference.
The Knicks added guard Josh Hart from the Portland Trail Blazers at Thursday’s deadline in exchange for little-used Cam Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono, Svi Mykhailiuk, and a lottery-protected first-round pick.
Tonight’s matchup by the numbers 📊 pic.twitter.com/lGJbfEwlHz
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 11, 2023
The Jazz fell to the Knicks 118-111 in November despite 27 points from Kelly Olynyk. Jalen Brunson scored 25 points and had eight assists for the Knicks.
Utah Jazz vs. New York Knicks Broadcast Details
The Utah Jazz and New York Knicks game is televised on AT&T SportsNet and can be heard on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. It can also be streamed on DirecTV Stream and FuboTV.
