Keyonte George scored 30 points, and Lauri Markkanen added 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Utah Jazz to a 124-115 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.
Walker Kessler controlled the paint with 11 points and 17 rebounds, while Isaiah Collier contributed 12 points and 10 assists as Utah (14-42) snapped a two-game losing streak.
Alperen Sengun paced Houston (35-22) with 27 points and 12 rebounds, while Jalen Green posted 25 points and 10 assists. Amen Thompson chipped in 23 points, but the Rockets were outscored 66-36 in the paint.
The game turned in the fourth quarter after Houston took a 96-89 lead. Aaron Holiday and Thompson knocked down back-to-back threes, but the Jazz responded with a decisive 21-5 run. Three straight baskets, capped by a Cody Williams layup, put Utah ahead 110-101 with 5:59 remaining.
Sengun and Dillon Brooks had sparked an early 13-2 Rockets run in the second quarter, giving Houston a 45-40 advantage. However, Utah clawed back and seized momentum in the third quarter when Markkanen bookended a 13-5 run. Kessler’s alley-oop dunk shortly after gave the Jazz a 77-76 edge.
George carried Utah’s offense in the first half, scoring 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting before halftime. He stayed aggressive in the fourth, drilling a pull-up three-pointer to give the Jazz a lead they never surrendered.
The Rockets protected the ball well through three quarters, committing just four turnovers. However, they coughed it up three times in the fourth, allowing Utah to capitalize.
Despite a strong shooting night from Jeff Green off the bench, who finished with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, Houston struggled to slow down the Jazz’s interior attack. Utah shot 50% from the field, while Houston finished at 44%.
