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Home Blog Page 8599

NBA roundup: Bucks beat Bulls, clinch top seed in East


Bobby Portis scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and Brook Lopez added 26 points as the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks took down the visiting Chicago Bulls 105-92 on Wednesday to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Milwaukee also got 20 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds from Jrue Holiday, the only member of the Bucks’ Big Three to play for a majority of the night. Giannis Antetokounmpo was ruled out due to a sore right knee after warming up, and Khris Middleton left early in the first half because of a right knee ailment.

Chicago was led by Nikola Vucevic with 21 points and 11 rebounds. DeMar DeRozan did not score a single point until the fourth quarter, finishing the game with eight points on 3-of-12 shooting. Zach LaVine also struggled, putting up 13 points on 5-of-17 shooting.

Milwaukee earned its third win in a row while Chicago, which is headed to the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, dropped its second straight.

Pelicans 138, Grizzlies 131 (OT)

Herbert Jones Jr. scored a career-high 35 points and host New Orleans overcame a 19-point deficit and a blown six-point lead in the final 11 seconds of regulation to clinch a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament with a victory against Memphis.

CJ McCollum added 31 points and 10 rebounds, Trey Murphy III scored 30 points and Brandon Ingram had 24 for the Pelicans, who are assured of no worse than the No. 9 seed.

Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 40 points, including two free throws in the final second to force overtime, Dillon Brooks added 25, Desmond Bane had 24 and Tyus Jones had 13 points and 12 assists to lead the Grizzlies, who played without seven players, including Ja Morant (left hip soreness).

Mavericks 123, Kings 119

Kyrie Irving hit three late 3-pointers and teamed with Luka Doncic and Tim Hardaway Jr. for 84 points, helping host Dallas move into a tie for 10th place in the Western Conference with a victory over Sacramento.

Irving finished with a game-high 31 points, Doncic 29 and Hardaway 24 as the Mavericks snapped a three-game losing streak. Dallas caught the Oklahoma City Thunder for the West’s last play-in spot with just two games remaining.

De’Aaron Fox had a team-high 28 points and Domantas Sabonis a 19-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist triple-double for the Kings. Sacramento failed to pick up a game on the Memphis Grizzlies, a loser at New Orleans, in their duel for the No. 2 seeding in the West.

Nets 123, Pistons 108

Mikal Bridges scored 26 points and dished out six assists to help visiting Brooklyn pull away from Detroit.

Nic Claxton contributed 19 points and seven rebounds for Brooklyn and Joe Harris supplied 18 points. The Nets extended their lead over the Miami Heat for the sixth-best record in the Eastern Conference to 1 1/2 games with Brooklyn having two games to go. The sixth-place team avoids the play-in tournament.

Detroit lost its 11th straight game and fell for the 22nd time in 23 games. R.J. Hampton’s career-high 27 points led the Pistons. Jaden Ivey logged 23 points and 10 assists, and Jalen Duren had 18 points and eight rebounds.

Hawks 134, Wizards 116
Trae Young led six double-figure scorers with 25 points as Atlanta cruised to a win over visiting Washington.

Atlanta also got 23 points from John Collins and 19 points and seven rebounds from Dejounte Murray. Young, meanwhile, recorded a double-double, complementing his scoring total — which featured 16 points from free throws — with a game-high 16 assists.

Washington’s Daniel Gafford matched Young’s game high in scoring with 25 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor. He also made all nine of his free-throw attempts and grabbed 10 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season.

Celtics 97, Raptors 93

Boston secured the No. 2 seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs with their homecourt win over Toronto despite playing without Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart and Al Horford.

Malcolm Brogdon came off the bench to score a game-high 29 points for the Celtics, who received 25 points, 11 rebounds and five assists from Jaylen Brown. Boston is 2 1/2 games ahead of Philadelphia but holding the tiebreaker, while Milwaukee clinched the top seed with a win on Wednesday.

Pascal Siakam had 28 points and 11 rebounds for Toronto, which is battling Atlanta for the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference standings. The Raptors were just 6-for-33 (18.2 percent) from 3-point range.

Knicks 138, Pacers 129

Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes and Obi Toppin became the first trio of New York players to score 30 points in the same game in more than 44 years in beating host Indiana.

Quickley scored 39 points, one shy of his career-high, while Grimes finished with a career-high 36 and Toppin had 32. They are the first Knicks trio to score at least 30 points each since Earl Monroe, Ray Williams and Toby Knight in a double-overtime loss to Chicago in 1979.

Mitchell Robinson had his 13th double-double of the season (14 points, 16 rebounds) as the Knicks won their fifth straight. T.J. McConnell collected 18 points and 12 assists off the bench for the Pacers, who had eight players score in double figures but lost for the eighth time in 10 games. Jalen Smith scored 19 points, and Bennedict Mathurin had 17 points and eight rebounds.

–Field Level Media

Mavs edge Kings, move into tie for 10th in West


Kyrie Irving hit three late 3-pointers and teamed with Luka Doncic and Tim Hardaway Jr. for 84 points Wednesday night, helping the host Dallas Mavericks move into a tie for 10th place in the Western Conference with a 123-119 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

Irving finished with a game-high 31 points, Doncic 29 and Hardaway 24 for the Mavericks (38-42), who snapped a three-game losing streak. Dallas caught the Oklahoma City Thunder (38-42) for the West’s last play-in spot with just two games remaining.

The Thunder, who own the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage, close out the season at the Utah Jazz and at home against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Mavericks conclude with home games against the Chicago Bulls and the San Antonio Spurs.

De’Aaron Fox had a team-high 28 points and Domantas Sabonis a 19-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist triple-double for the Kings (48-32). Sacramento failed to pick up a game on the Memphis Grizzlies (50-30), a loser at New Orleans, in their duel for the No. 2 seeding in the West.

The Grizzlies have road games against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Thunder remaining on the schedule. The Kings will host the Golden State Warriors before visiting the Denver Nuggets.

After the Mavericks used two 3-pointers apiece from Doncic, Irving and Hardaway in the third quarter to erase a 13-point deficit, the clubs entered the fourth period tied. The teams traded leads 10 times before Irving hit consecutive 2- and 3-point hoops for a 111-107 advantage with 6:10 to go.

The imported star then almost singlehandedly held off the Kings down the stretch, hitting two more threes and a free throw, helping Dallas go up by as many as nine in the final minute.

Irving shot 6-for-10 from 3-point range, Hardaway 5-for-8 and Doncic 3-for-11 as the Mavericks beat the Kings at their own game, making 20 of their 44 3-point attempts (45.5 percent). The visitors went just 12-for-37 (32.4 percent).

Irving also found time for a team-high eight assists.

Doncic completed a double-double with a team-high 10 rebounds, while Christian Wood and Josh Green chipped in with 14 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench.

Harrison Barnes (16 points), Kevin Huerter (14), Malik Monk (13) and Keegan Murray (11) also scored in double figures for the Kings, who split games on a trip that began Tuesday night with a win at New Orleans.

–Field Level Media

Pelicans work OT to beat Grizzlies, clinch play-in berth


Herbert Jones Jr. scored a career-high 35 points and the host New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 19-point deficit and a blown six-point lead in the final 11 seconds of regulation to clinch a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament with a 138-131 overtime victory against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.

CJ McCollum added 31 points and 10 rebounds, Trey Murphy III scored 30 points and Brandon Ingram had 24 for the Pelicans (41-39), who are assured of no worse than the No. 9 seed.

Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 40 points, including two free throws in the final second to force overtime, Dillon Brooks added 25, Desmond Bane had 24, Tyus Jones had 13 points and 12 assists and John Konchar scored 10 points to lead the Grizzlies (50-30), who played without seven players, including Ja Morant (left hip soreness).

Murphy started the overtime scoring by making back-to-back 3-pointers, and New Orleans scored six more points for a 10-point lead with just under two minutes left.

The Pelicans failed to add to a 124-118 lead when Murphy missed a free throw with 11 seconds left in regulation.

Brooks made a 3-pointer with 4.7 seconds left, and Ingram was called for an offensive foul on the ensuing in-bounds.

New Orleans fouled Bane to prevent a potential tying 3-pointer, and he made the first free throw and intentionally missed the second. The strategy worked, as Jackson grabbed the offensive rebound, was fouled and made two free throws with 0.4 seconds left.

The Grizzlies began the fourth quarter with an 11-2 run that gave them a 101-87 lead.

Murphy made three consecutive 3-pointers to pull New Orleans within three. After a basket by Brooks, McCollum made two 3-pointers and Jones and Murphy made one each to give the Pelicans a 111-107 lead.

Memphis scored the next six points to regain the lead, but Ingram made a jumper and two free throws to give New Orleans a 115-113 lead with 2:26 left.

The Grizzlies, who led by 19 late in the second quarter, got within one point three times before Ingram made two free throws and a jumper for a five-point lead with 13 seconds left.

–Field Level Media

Short-handed Bucks top Bulls, wrap up No. 1 seed


Bobby Portis scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while Brook Lopez added 26 points as the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks took down the visiting Chicago Bulls 105-92 on Wednesday to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Milwaukee (58-22) also got 20 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds from Jrue Holiday, the only member of the Bucks’ Big Three to play for a majority of the night. Giannis Antetokounmpo was ruled out due to a sore right knee after warming up, and Khris Middleton left the game early in the first half because of a right knee ailment.

Chicago (38-42) was led by Nikola Vucevic with 21 points and 11 rebounds. DeMar DeRozan did not score a single point until the fourth quarter, finishing the game with eight points on 3-of-12 shooting. Zach LaVine also struggled, putting up 13 points on 5-of-17 shooting.

Milwaukee earned its third win in a row while Chicago, which is headed to the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, dropped its second straight.

The Bulls trailed by 11 in the first quarter, but they went on a 10-2 run toward the end of the second quarter and soon after had a stretch of making six field goals in a row to gain some momentum going into the half. Chicago went into the break with a 51-49 lead.

In the third, the Bulls gained some more traction early on but the Bucks rattled off a 15-0 run to retake the lead 66-61. After Chicago briefly regained the lead shortly after, Milwaukee took it back and did not look back the rest of the way.

The Bucks are starting to rack up some injury issues as they head into the end of the regular season with. In addition to the problems for Antetokounmpo and Middleton, both Grayson Allen and Pat Connaughton sat out on Wednesday because of ankle sprains.

The Bucks manage to split the four-game season series against their I-94 rival 2-2 after the Bulls took the first two matchups this season.

–Field Level Media

Celtics clinch No. 2 seed in East with win over Raptors


The Boston Celtics secured the No. 2 seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs by beating the Toronto Raptors 97-93 at home Wednesday night.

The victory gave Boston a 2 1/2-game lead over Philadelphia. The 76ers have three games remaining in the regular season – one more than Boston – but the Celtics (55-25) hold the tiebreaker. Philadelphia will be the No. 3 seed.

Boston trailed Milwaukee by three games entering Wednesday’s contest, but the Bucks clinched the No. 1 seed with Wednesday’s 105-92 home victory against Chicago.

Malcolm Brogdon came off the bench to score a game-high 29 points for the Celtics, who received 25 points and 11 rebounds and five assists from Jaylen Brown. Derrick White (17) and Mike Muscala (12) also scored in double figures for Boston.

Pascal Siakam had 28 points and 11 rebounds for Toronto (40-40), which is battling Atlanta for the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference standings. The Raptors were just 6-for-33 from 3-point range (18.2 percent).

Scottie Barnes had 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists for Toronto. Precious Achiuwa added 16 points and nine rebounds.

Toronto was within two points following a Barnes 3-pointer with 2:00 remaining in the third quarter but trailed 79-72 entering the fourth. The Raptors trailed 95-93 after an Achiuwa free throw with 12.1 seconds left, but Brogdon sealed the win by sinking two free throws.

Boston played without starters Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart. Tatum was out with a left hip contusion, and Smart said he played through a pinched nerve Tuesday against Philadelphia and felt discomfort during the game.

Al Horford also didn’t play Wednesday. The Celtics have not played Horford in back-to-back games this season.

The Celtics led 31-28 after one quarter and 56-44 at halftime.

The teams will meet again Friday in Boston.

–Field Level Media

Looking to lock down No. 1 seed, Nuggets visit Suns


The Denver Nuggets will make another attempt at clinching the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference on Thursday night against the host Phoenix Suns, who are suddenly the hottest team in the NBA.

The Suns will attempt to run their winning streak to seven games and spoil the Nuggets’ clinching bid when the teams wrap up their four-game season series.

The Suns (44-35) are closing in on securing the No. 4 seed in the West thanks to the streak in which they have won four games by double digits, including two by 20 or more.

Phoenix has found its stride with Kevin Durant finally a consistent member of the starting lineup. Four of the wins during the current streak have occurred since Durant recovered from an ankle injury, and the Suns are 7-0 when Durant has played.

Durant scored 18 points in Tuesday’s 115-94 victory over the visiting San Antonio Spurs after scoring 35 and 30 points over the previous two games. He is averaging 25.6 points and shooting 58.2 percent from the field since Phoenix acquired him from the Brooklyn Nets.

Durant was just the team’s fourth-leading scorer against the Spurs. Devin Booker (27 points), Chris Paul (22) and Deandre Ayton (19) spearheaded the charge.

Paul was 9 of 14 from the field — including 4 of 6 from 3-point range — while reaching the 20-point mark for the first time since Jan. 28 when he poured in a season-high 31 points against the Spurs.

“I never thought I’d have to tell a Hall of Fame player to shoot the ball,” Suns coach Monty Williams said of Paul. “Kevin and Book are going nuts because they all want him to shoot.”

Phoenix also got a boost from reserve Torrey Craig, who scored 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.

“I just wanted to come in and bring a spark,” Craig said afterward. “We get a big lead and think that sometimes teams might lay down because of the guys we have. But it is the NBA and teams make runs.”

The Nuggets have won two of the previous three meetings with the Suns this season, but lost 100-93 in Phoenix on March 31.

That contest was one of three in a row that Denver star Nikola Jokic missed due to a calf injury.

Jokic returned to action on Tuesday, but the visiting Nuggets were pounded 124-103 by the lowly Houston Rockets. Jokic had 14 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes.

In addition to taking the disappointing loss, Denver also lost standout guard Jamal Murray to a sprained right thumb. Murray might miss the rest of the regular season. He is listed as questionable for Thursday, as if Jokic, who landed back on the injury report due to his calf.

The Nuggets (52-27) haven’t played like a dominant team lately as they have just a 6-8 record over the past four weeks. Coach Michael Malone was disturbed after the Houston setback.

“If that’s how we’re going to play, we’ll be out in the first round,” Malone said of the upcoming playoffs. “When we don’t do our jobs, there’s accountability. And I speak the truth. I just called our team ‘soft,’ and I dared someone to challenge me. No one did because we as a group were soft tonight. I’m not saying we are soft, but tonight we were.”

Jokic, who is vying for his third consecutive NBA MVP award, was among the culprits as he committed eight turnovers.

“Felt good,” Jokic said. “Just didn’t play good.”

The Nuggets led by three at halftime before being outscored 68-44 in the second half.

“We started the game OK, but we just lost it,” Jokic said. “The whole game was in their favor. Even when we were finding open shots, we couldn’t make shots. We didn’t make free throws, they were blocking our shots, we had a huge amount of turnovers — it was a one-sided game.”

–Field Level Media

Hawks use balanced effort to pick apart Wizards


Trae Young led six double-figure scorers with 25 points as the Atlanta Hawks cruised to a 134-116 win over the visiting Washington Wizards.

Atlanta (41-39) went on a 10-2 run in the second quarter to take a lead it never relinquished. The advantage grew to as many as 21 points in the fourth quarter thanks to a combination of the Hawks’ balanced offense and effective defense.

Washington (34-46) shot just 6-for-28 from 3-point range and was 45 of 94 from the floor overall, while Atlanta responded by shooting 43-for-84 from the field and 13-for-30 from beyond the arc.

AJ Griffin came off the bench to knock down 4 of 6 shot attempts from deep, matching a career high on his way to 16 points. Fellow Hawks reserve Jalen Johnson added 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds.

Atlanta also got 23 points on 6-of-8 shooting from John Collins, 19 points and seven rebounds from Dejounte Murray and 10 points from Saddiq Bey.

Young, meanwhile, recorded a double-double, complementing his scoring total — which featured 16 points from free throws — with a game-high 16 assists.

Young’s free-throw shooting led the Hawks to a collective 35-for-40 effort at the charity stripe, including a perfect 8-for-8 by Collins. The Wizards finished 20-for-26 at the foul line.

Daniel Gafford matched Young’s game high in scoring with 25 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor. He also made all nine of his free-throw attempts and grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double, his 10th of the season.

Johnny Davis matched the career high he set on Tuesday with 20 points against Atlanta. Corey Kispert added 12 points, while Kendrick Nunn led a trio of reserves in double figures with 15 points.

Jay Huff added 14 points, and Quenton Jackson went for 10 off the bench in the loss, Washington’s fourth straight and fifth in the last six games.

The Hawks held a 67-60 edge at the break before opening things up with a 39-point third quarter to go into the fourth with a 16-point lead. Collins tallied 12 points in the third, while Gafford scored 15 — half of his team’s points in the period.

–Field Level Media

Three Knicks eclipse 30 points in win over Pacers


Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes and Obi Toppin became the first trio of New York Knicks players to score 30 points in the same game in more than 44 years Wednesday night, helping lead the undermanned Knicks to a 138-129 win over the host Indiana Pacers.

The trio combined to score all but two points in a game-ending 23-11 run by the Knicks (47-33), who rested Jalen Brunson (hand, ankle) and RJ Barrett (illness) after learning late Tuesday they were locked into fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

Quickley scored 39 points, one shy of his career-high, while Grimes finished with a career-high 36 and Toppin had 32. They are the first Knicks trio to score at least 30 points since Earl Monroe, Ray Williams and Toby Knight in a 148-143 double overtime loss to the Chicago Bulls on Mar. 24, 1979.

Mitchell Robinson (14 points, 16 rebounds) had a double-double as the Knicks won their fifth straight.

T.J. McConnell (18 points, 12 rebounds) posted a double-double off the bench for the Pacers (34-46), who had eight players score in double figures but lost for the eighth time in 10 games.

Jalen Smith scored 19 points and Buddy Hield had 13 for the Pacers. Aaron Nesmith and Bennedict Mathurin had 12 apiece, Jordan Nwora finished with 11 and Isaiah Jackson added 10.

The game-ending run capped a wild, back-and-forth game that began with the Knicks opening a 32-14 lead. The Pacers then mounted a 30-12 spurt, after which New York went on an 18-8 run before Indiana ended the half with a 15-8 surge.

The Pacers tied the score three times in the third before taking an 82-80 lead on a layup by Mathurin with 7:12 left. The Knicks responded with a 25-5 run in which Toppin scored nine points, but the Pacers went on a quarter-spanning 18-1 spurt to take a 109-106 lead with 9:41 remaining.

The Pacers led by three points three more times before Quickley’s 3-pointer with 5:14 left tied the score at 118-118 and began the decisive run. Nembhard and Grimes traded layups and Toppin’s dunk put the Knicks ahead for good with 4:06 remaining. Another dunk by Toppin and a 3-pointer by Grimes extended the lead to 127-120 and New York led by at least four the rest of the way.

–Field Level Media

Mikal Bridges, Nets cruise past skidding Pistons


Mikal Bridges scored 26 points and dished out six assists to help the visiting Brooklyn Nets pull away from the Detroit Pistons 123-108 on Wednesday night.

Nic Claxton contributed 19 points and seven rebounds for Brooklyn, and Joe Harris supplied 18 points, all in the first quarter. Royce O’Neale supplied 15 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, Cameron Johnson added 15 points and Spencer Dinwiddie had 16 assists.

The Nets (44-36) extended their lead over the Miami Heat (42-37) for the sixth-best record in the Eastern Conference to 1 1/2 games with Brooklyn having two games to go. The sixth-place team will avoid the play-in tournament.

Detroit (16-64) lost its 11th straight game and fell for the 22nd time in 23 games. R.J. Hampton’s career-high 27 points led the Pistons, who were playing their home finale.

Jaden Ivey logged 23 points and 10 assists for the Pistons. Jalen Duren had 18 points and eight rebounds, James Wiseman scored 16 points and Cory Joseph added 12.

Harris made six of eight 3-point attempts in just seven minutes of first-quarter action as the Nets raced to a 47-34 lead. Brooklyn finished the period with a 29-9 run.

Detroit opened the second quarter with a 19-9 surge to cut Brooklyn’s lead to three. Ivey had nine points and three assists during that span.

Brooklyn scored the next eight points, including a pair of Johnson baskets. The Nets also finished the half with a 10-2 spurt for a 74-57 lead.

Dinwiddie didn’t make a field goal in the half but dished out half of the team’s 22 assists. Ivey led Detroit with 13 points and eight assists before the break.

Claxton’s three-point play with seven minutes left in the third quarter gave Brooklyn an 81-65 advantage. Hampton carried the Pistons back within striking range. He scored 14 points in the last three minutes of the quarter, sparking a 17-7 run to make it 96-90.

The Nets used a 7-0 spurt early in the fourth to establish an 11-point lead. From there, Detroit never got closer than six points.

Bridges dunked with four minutes left to make it 114-101, and Brooklyn increased the advantage to as much as 18 points.

–Field Level Media

Jazz in must-win predicament vs. Thunder


Thursday’s game between the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder in Salt Lake City isn’t a playoff game, but it might feel like one to these two young teams.

The visiting Thunder (38-42) and reeling Jazz (36-43) are both still in contention for a chance to compete in the play-in tournament. That despite the fact both come into this contest on three-game losing streaks.

Oklahoma City has the edge and can clinch a spot in the postseason with wins in its final games at Utah and against Memphis on Sunday.

Utah, which has lost seven of eight, has an uphill climb with three games remaining. Not only do the Jazz have to catch up with Oklahoma City, but Dallas is also just ahead of them entering Wednesday’s play and owns the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Regardless, both teams are satisfied to be in this position when looking at the big picture.

“It’s awesome,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault, when asked about that following his team’s 136-125 road loss at Golden State on Tuesday. “You look out on the court, and you’ve got rookie players, you’ve got second- and third-year guys. Everybody at this point is playing the most minutes they’ve ever played in an NBA season, for the most part.”

Similar to the Jazz, the Thunder continue to be competitive even in losses. They led for most of the game against the Warriors and played well in recent losses to Phoenix and Indiana.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to light it up, scoring 32 points against the Warriors, with rookie guard Jalen Williams chipping in 19 points.

“Having to grind through in games that have weight, not only for us but our opponent. Almost every opponent we’ve played the last month has had something to play for,” Daigneault added. “These are games where we’re getting people’s best shot. That’s great for our growth. I love it for our guys and I’m really impressed with how our guys are firing and grinding that out. I’m looking forward to the last two games.”

The Jazz seemed dead in the water at home against LeBron James & Co. late in Tuesday’s game. Despite trailing the Lakers by 10 points with 1:43 remaining, the Jazz stormed back to force overtime before falling 135-133.

Keep in mind, Utah didn’t have three injured starters — Lauri Markkanen (hand), Jordan Clarkson (hand) and Walker Kessler (concussion) — and Collin Sexton (hamstring) was only allowed to play 15-plus minutes as he returned to action. Sexton is listed as out for Thursday’s game.

“They just continue to compete. They pull for each other,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “I thought the energy of the crowd was great.”

With their next-man-up mentality, the Jazz relied on 23 points apiece from Kelly Olynyk (seven rebounds, seven assists) and Talen Horton-Tucker (seven assists) along with 22 points from Ochai Agbaji. In all, seven Jazz players reached double figures and the team had 29 assists even without their top players.

“We’re not always the pretty team,” Hardy said, “but I think the energy and the way our team competes every night is infectious. …”

“I’m with these guys every day. I see how they interact with each other. I see how they prepare. They’re preparing every night to win. They’re not just coming out there to play.”

The Thunder have won two of three meetings against Utah this season.

–Field Level Media