Lauri Markkanen scored 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lift the Utah Jazz to a 124-117 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night in Salt Lake City.
Markkanen fueled a second-half comeback with 17 points in the third quarter and then sealed the win with a clutch 3-pointer in the final minute of the game.
John Collins totaled 22 points and nine rebounds, Keyonte George added 16 points and Collin Sexton added 14 points to help Utah win its second game in a row.
The Jazz, who trailed by 12 in the third period, pulled off their second consecutive double-digit comeback. They overcame a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points to lead the Thunder. Jalen Williams added 26 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Chet Holmgren contributed 22 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots in the loss.
The Thunder relinquished the lead and momentum before the third quarter ended en route to having their three-game winning streak snapped.
Gilgeous-Alexander hit a deep 3-pointer with 5:28 remaining in the third to put the Thunder up 89-77.
Markkanen then ignited a Jazz surge with a dunk and a 3-pointer. By the time Kris Dunn drained a trey late in the third, Utah held a 96-92 lead thanks to a 14-0, end-of-quarter run. That set up a back-and-forth final period.
After Kelly Olynyk put the Jazz up by eight with 8:24 remaining, the Thunder surged back ahead 110-109 with an 11-2 run that included two Williams 3-pointers.
Utah began its final push with 3:27 left with a Walker Kessler dunk. A 3-pointer from George and jumper from Markkanen followed. Markkanen then hit a clutch shot from beyond the arc for a 122-115 lead with 43.3 seconds to go.
The Thunder led 68-61 entering halftime, having scored 18 points off of nine Jazz turnovers.
Overall, Utah won the rebounding battle 48-32, outscored Oklahoma City 60-36 in the paint and shot 51.7 percent from the floor. The Thunder shot 47.8 percent on field-goal attempts.
–Field Level Media
