Lauri Markkanen scored a career-high 49 points to lift the Utah Jazz to a 131-114 victory over the Houston Rockets on Thursday night, thereby bringing an end to the team’s five-game losing streak. He scored six three-pointers and made all 13 of his free throws to en route to achieving this feat.
“I’ve said it over and over again this year, it’s just my teammates, the coaching staff, they put me in the right spots to succeed,” Markkanen commented following his performance. “My teammates did a great job delivering me the ball and it was just finishing my shots.”
Markkanen has enjoyed a slew of strong individual showings as of late, scoring his second-highest career points total of 38 for a second time against the Detroit Pistons on December 20.
Jazz coach Will Hardy expressed his satisfaction will Markkanen’s performance, emphasizing the player’s ability to adapt to different conditions and develop different ways to lift his team to victory.
Currently ranked 10th on the Western Conference Standings, Utah has won 20 games – the same tally as the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors, who are seated in eighth and ninth place respectively. The Jazz next faces the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on Saturday night.
