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MEMPHIS — The Utah Jazz finished strong Friday night in Memphis, riding a career performance from Keyonte George to a 130-126 win over the Grizzlies at FedExForum.
George had a career-high 39 points and scored Utah's final 6 points, including the go-ahead jumper in the closing minute.
The opening quarter set the tone for a fast-paced, back-and-forth night of basketball. Ja Morant scored early for Memphis, but Utah answered behind the shooting of George and Lauri Markkanen.
George connected on multiple deep 3-pointers, Markkanen mixed inside finishes with perimeter shots, and Utah got the lead late in the quarter and carried a 36-31 lead after the first quarter.
The Grizzlies came back in the second, with Cam Spencer leading the charge and Morant taking back the lead. Memphis' defense kept Utah from gaining too much ground but couldn't slow down George, who rode a 27-point performance into halftime.
The Grizzlies took control coming out of the half, building a double-digit lead behind Morant and Aldama's scoring. But Utah stayed in the game thanks to the help of Kevin Love, who hit a pair of late 3-pointers that flipped the momentum and sent the Jazz into the fourth quarter with a 103-97 advantage
The fourth quarter was a battle of who could get the ball.
Memphis tied the game up 126-126 with just under a minute left, but George delivered again for the Jazz. He hit a 22-foot jumper to put Utah ahead, then calmly made two free throws with 6.8 seconds left on the clock to seal the win for the Jazz.
Markkanen finished with 26 points and nine rebounds on the night, while George chipped in eight assists to add to his scoring.
For Memphis, Aldama did most of the damage with 22 points; Morant added 21 points and 10 assists, while Spencer scored 20 points and shot a perfect night from beyond the arc.
The Jazz returns home to host Dallas on Monday, which marks the start of a three game home-stand.
