Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Lauri Markkanen scored 34 points, leading the Jazz to a 121-106 win over the Knicks.
- Walker Kessler's return provided a significant boost, contributing 11 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks.
- Coach Will Hardy praised the team's collective effort, highlighting Kessler's impact.
SALT LAKE CITY — Lauri Markkanen walked out of the Delta Center just after 6 p.m. on Saturday night. That was different.
"Get to go home and have dinner and hang out with your family a little bit more than on normal game day," Markkanen said. "There's home games that I don't even see my family on that day. So I prefer to get done earlier and get the day's work done."
The early matinee start seemed to fit the Jazz just fine as they ran away from the New York Knicks 121-106 on Saturday.
Late in the game, Collin Sexton got the ball deep behind the arc with the shot clock ticking down, and there weren't many other options except for putting it up.
Splash.
It was that kind of day for the Jazz — and that may be the first time you could have said that this season.
Utah shot 19-of-34 from 3-point range, led by Markkanen's 34 points. Markkanen went 11-of-15 from the field and hit five 3-pointers in the win.
But he was far from alone. Collin Sexton had 25 points and five assists and John Collins added 20 points and 13 rebounds. Johnny Juzang had 12 points in 16 minutes, providing a key spark off the bench.
Keyonte George had 11 points and nine assists and Walker Kessler, who missed the previous six games due to right hip bursitis had 11 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.
"It's fun to see multiple guys play well and not have the game be about one person," Jazz coach Will Hardy said. "We could go down the list and talk about everybody who played in the game, and they each had things that they did to contribute to winning. So it's a really good team win."
And the game showed how much easier things can be when Kessler is in the lineup — if only because he can draw so much attention down low. A job that he trained for his whole life.
"I'm the youngest of three, so …" Kessler quipped.
Kessler gives the Jazz a lob threat at the rim, and if the Jazz can utilize that threat early — like they did on Saturday — that forces the defense to react. The Knicks were forced to honor Kessler's size and brought a weakside defender inside to help.
That, in turn, opened up more reads for Utah's guards. Add in Kessler's improved screening ability and the Jazz got plenty more open 3s with him on the court. Kessler scored just 11 points but was a game-high plus-34.
"There's a different type of confidence level (with Kessler in) getting downhill," George said. "You throw it up there, he's going to get it wherever you throw it. Or he's pulling the weak side defender so much now we got the weak side corner read."
That helped lead to a barrage from the 3-point line. Sexton hit six triples, Markkanen had five and Juzang added four. If you shoot 56% from the 3-point line, a win is likely to come.
Maybe most importantly, though, is the Jazz got Markkanen going. Markkanen was averaging just 18.8 points heading into Saturday's game. Throw in some early injuries, and, well, there may have been some fans worried about the big extension he signed this summer.
Saturday he looked like the player that has helped push Utah to some unexpected win totals over the last two seasons.
Early this season, the Jazz have tried to develop him into an isolation scorer, getting him a mismatch on the elbow and letting him try to score. The team thinks that will benefit him and the team in the long term, especially in the playoffs.
Saturday, though, he was back to what made him an All-Star in his first year with the Jazz: He was deadly coming off screens on catch-and-shoots and was much more efficient driving, too.
"Lauri is obviously a knockdown 3-point shooter playing off the ball, but he's also a driving threat and just coming off the ball and going to the basket," Kessler said. "Playing him and pick up, he's one of the hardest guys for me to stop him getting a shot on the glass because he's just so physical, and so he's a great player."
And one who earned a night with his family following a win. But he's not the only member of the Jazz who's happy with the early start.
"Huge fan," Hardy said. "I will get to go to bed at a reasonable hour."
Sleep may come easy after a 15-point win.
