SALT LAKE CITY — Lauri Markkanen scored 21 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a 123-108 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night.
Collin Sexton scored 19 points to help the Jazz snap a three-game losing streak. John Collins added 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Keyonte George had 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The Jazz outscored the Bucks 40-13 in the fourth quarter.
Defensively, Utah tallied 15 points off seven turnovers over the final 1½ quarters. The Jazz also allowed only four baskets over the final 12 minutes.
“We were getting stops so it kind of feeds into the offense,” Markkanen said. “You always look at offense and defense separately, but they really go hand in hand. You get stops, you get out and run and then you get good shots.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 33 points, 13 assists, and seven rebounds. Bobby Portis added 27 points and Malik Beasley had 16. Damian Lillard added 12 points, six assists, and a season-high two blocks as Milwaukee played without starters Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton.
The Bucks scored 19 points off 16 Utah turnovers and did not give up a point off a turnover until late in the third quarter.
Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) goes to the basket as Milwaukee Bucks forward Jae Crowder, right, defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, in Salt Lake City. Credit: AP/Rick Bowmer
Everything unraveled in the fourth quarter when Milwaukee could not knock down a shot for long stretches.
“I don’t think it was the energy, I think we need to make shots,” Antetokounmpo said. “It was a lot of wide-open shots that we didn’t make. You make one or two, the momentum stops and it’s a whole different game.”
After trailing by 19 points, Utah erased the deficit in the fourth quarter. Kelly Olynyk and Markkanen made back-to-back 3-pointers to start a 19-3 run that put the Jazz up 104-102 with 6:26 left. Markkanen capped the rally with a second go-ahead 3-pointer.
Milwaukee briefly retook a…
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