Collin Sexton had 22 points and eight assists and John Collins scored 19 points to help the Utah Jazz snap a season-worst eight-game losing streak with a 113-99 victory over the Orlando Magic on Saturday in Salt Lake City.
The victory was Utah’s first since a 112-111 overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets on Jan. 12. It was also the Jazz’s second victory over the Magic this season.
Franz Wagner led all scorers with 37 points for Orlando, doing a good portion of his damage at the free-throw line thanks to an 18-for-20 performance. Still, the Magic struggled offensively en route to their third consecutive defeat and eighth loss in nine games.
Cole Anthony was the only other Magic scorer to reach double figures. He had 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting off the bench.
Paolo Banchero, who averages 22.8 points per game this season, scored only nine on 4-of-19 shooting. He wasn’t the only Orlando player to struggle offensively, as the team shot just 33 percent overall.
Utah had an efficient offensive performance, shooting 46.4 percent from the floor while hitting 14 of 35 attempts from 3-point territory (40 percent). The Jazz had 26 assists on 39 field goals.
Jordan Clarkson hit four threes for Utah and finished with 16 points off the bench, while Lauri Markkanen chipped in with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Walker Kessler hauled in a game-high 15 boards.
The Jazz didn’t score for nearly two minutes to start the game but snagged a 31-21 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Utah scored seven straight points to take a 12-5 lead after Markkanen followed inside buckets by Isaiah Collier and Collins with a 3-pointer.
The Magic pulled within three, but the Jazz then built a 13-point lead by scoring 10 straight points — with Markkanen capping that surge with another 3.
Utah, which had six scorers in double figures, led by as many as 21 and held a double-digit lead for the entirety of the second half.
The teams shot well from the free-throw line, with Orlando making 30 of 35 foul shots and Utah hitting 21 of 24. Sexton was 9-for-9 from the charity stripe.
–Field Level Media
