George's career-high 43 points lifts Jazz past Timberwolves at home

SALT LAKE CITY — Clutch players make clutch plays.

Despite facing one of the NBA's most clutch players in Anthony Edwards, it was Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier who rose to the occasion Tuesday night.

It was an entertaining contest between two division rivals, but it was the Jazz who outlasted the Minnesota Timberwolves 127-122 despite being on the wrong side of a back-to-back series.

The back-and-forth game Tuesday looked like it would soon be out of reach for the Jazz after the Timberwolves took a 15-point lead toward the end of the third quarter; however, the Jazz began the fourth with a flurry of buckets by Collier.

"Obviously, the start of the fourth quarter was a big moment for us," Jazz head coach Will Hardy said. "I thought we had so many individuals play well. Our team is very connected. They're rooting for each other."

Along with George, the backcourt duo proved to be clutch when the team needed it most. George made multiple big shots late in the fourth quarter to give Utah some cushion with its lead, but Collier's fourth quarter heroics may have been the catalyst to the Jazz's comeback.

As a second-year guard, Collier tallied 18 points and 10 assists off the bench and made critical plays to light a fire in Utah after things seemed bleak. George also took over in the fourth quarter, elevating his game, once again, to help Utah rally for a comeback win with a career-high 43 points.

With Markkanen still sidelined due to an illness, George took over the No. 1 scoring option with ease. He had his game going early as he poured in 25 points in the first half to give the Jazz a 1-point advantage at the break.

Collier's bully-ball style of play led to some big and-one opportunities and got the home crowd into the game. Collier did miss some key free throws that would have given Hardy a little less stress, but there was no denying the impact he had on the game.

Even with the two guards' performance, Edwards continued to terrorize the Jazz and nearly willed his team to victory in the end. A couple of late 3-pointers and a 3-point play made the game a lot closer, but Utah managed to hang on for the victory.

"I'm proud of our team," Hardy said. "The resilience to play that hard and compete like that for all 48 minutes after being on the road 17 in the last 20 days, and coming back on a back-to-back against a good team that's waiting on us here speaks to the character of the guys."

One of the other bright spots for the night was rookie Ace Bailey. The fifth overall pick in the draft had plenty of plays drawn up for him Tuesday, and he showed some flashes early, not hesitating to be aggressive, even with Rudy Gobert closing in on him.

"Ace had some massive plays," Hardy said. "His cutting, his athleticism, making plays above the rim, even the rebounds late. His presence shows a lot of maturity playing in that game. It's a game where you really have to think and we can't just pick on anybody. I thought he used abilities tremendously."

Bailey finished with 20 points and brought down multiple highlight dunks throughout the game.

Jusuf Nurkic tallied a triple-double for Utah, bringing a physical presence to the paint to combat Minnesota's bigs but also created multiple back door plays for the Jazz.

"His physicality and presence continues to be massive for our team," Hardy said. "The toughness that he shows day in and day out. His presence with our young players has been tremendous."

Nurkic found cutting players all game long to help him record his second-career triple-double. He hauled in 18 rebounds to go along with his 16 points and 10 assists, making it the first Jazz triple-double since Jordan Clarkson on New Year's Day 2024.

Three former Jazzmen made another trip back to the Delta Center with Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley and Joe Ingles now playing for Minnesota. Gobert and Conely both played in the game but it was Gobert who made the biggest impact.

Gobert recorded four blocks to go along with his 11 points and 10 rebounds. Gobert has had a strong season and he is firmly in the mix to potentially add his potential fifth Defensive Player of the Year award, which would be the most all-time.

It felt like a culmination of what Utah's young core has been building towards. A great scoring night from George, strong point guard play from Collier, and a highlight-reel display from the high-flying Bailey.

In what was a rough stretch of play, the Jazz came out hungry against a good Timberwolves team and displayed what could be a sight to come more often once the team turns the corner.

Utah's next test will be their third and final game against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday with the Jazz looking to win the season series.

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