Onyeka Okongwu delivered one of his best performances of the season with 27 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Atlanta Hawks past the Utah Jazz, 147-134, on Sunday night.
The Hawks, who never trailed at any point, shot 57% from the field and drained 22 of their 41 attempts from deep to secure their 37th win of the season.
Trae Young added 23 points and a game-high 15 assists, orchestrating Atlanta’s offense with precision as the team improved to 37-41 and stayed in 8th place in the Eastern Conference.
Utah, which has now dropped nine straight games, fell to 16-63 overall and remains at the bottom of the Western Conference standings.
Keyonte George posted a career-high 35 points off the bench for the Jazz, knocking down seven 3-pointers and making 8-of-9 free throws in 34 minutes.
Collin Sexton had 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting while rookie Isaiah Collier chipped in with 17 points and 12 assists, continuing a productive first year in the league.
Despite the offensive fireworks from their young core, the Jazz were again undone by defensive issues, giving up 81 points in the first half alone.
Atlanta’s balanced scoring saw six players reach double figures, including Caris LeVert with 21 and Dyson Daniels with 19 points, six assists and six rebounds.
Vít Krejčí was perfect from the floor, finishing 6-of-6 overall and 5-of-5 from three for 17 points, helping to stretch the Jazz defense throughout the night.
The Hawks led 81-64 at halftime and extended the margin to 17 after a 9-0 burst in the fourth quarter ignited by Young’s back-to-back assists.
Okongwu finished two assists shy of a triple-double, playing a season-high 36 minutes while dominating the paint against a depleted Utah frontcourt missing Walker Kessler and John Collins.
Zaccharie Risacher added 16 points in 22 minutes, and Terance Mann contributed 10 points and a highlight put-back dunk that capped Atlanta’s critical run midway through the fourth.
Utah shot well themselves, hitting 52% from the field and 43% from three, but they failed to get enough stops as Atlanta repeatedly got downhill and kicked out to open shooters.
The Jazz have now lost 19 of their last 20 games and have not won back-to-back contests since early January.
With multiple starters sidelined, including Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson and Taylor Hendricks, Utah relied on its younger players, who showed flashes but were overmatched on the defensive end.
