Lauri Markkanen scores 33, leads Jazz to 124-117 win over Thunder

By JOHN COON

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Lauri Markkanen had 33 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Utah Jazz to a 124-117 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.

John Collins chipped in 22 points and nine rebounds for the Jazz while Keyonte George added 16 points and six assists. Utah outscored the Thunder 19-9 in second-chance points and had a 60-36 edge in the paint.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 28 points and seven assists. Jalen Williams had 26 points, five rebounds, and five assists and Chet Holmgren added 22 points and eight rebounds for the Thunder. Oklahoma City scored 21 points off 17 Utah turnovers.

Williams made three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, the last one giving Oklahoma City a 113-112 lead with 3:54 left. George countered with a pair of 3-pointers and fed Markkanen for another basket that put the Jazz up 119-113 going into the final minute.

Gilgeous-Alexander and Ousmane Dieng combined to score baskets on Oklahoma City’s final six first quarter possessions to give the Thunder a 33-28 lead. Oklahoma City kept rolling in the second quarter, eventually extending its lead to 41-31 on a turnaround jumper from Aaron Wiggins.

Utah erased the deficit and took a brief 50-49 lead on a layup by Collin Sexton. Back-to-back 3s by Cason Wallace and Luguentz Dort put the Thunder back in front before halftime.

Holmgren scored 13 points in the third quarter to help Oklahoma City extend its lead to 89-77. He scored three baskets and assisted another to cap a 16-6 run that put the Thunder up by double digits.

Markkanen matched Holmgren’s third quarter outburst, scoring 17 points in the quarter. His production helped the Jazz build momentum enough on offense to make another rally. Utah went on a 16-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarter to take a 98-92 lead.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma City is at Dallas on Saturday.

Utah is at Phoenix on Thursday night.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA