Collin Sexton had 22 points with eight assists and John Collins scored 19 to help the Utah Jazz snap a season-high eight-game losing streak with a 113-99 victory over the Orlando Magic on Saturday in Salt Lake City.
The victory was Utah’s first since a 112-111 overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets on Jan. 12. It was also the Jazz’s second victory over the Magic this season.
Franz Wagner led all scorers with 37 points for Orlando, including an 18-for-20 performance from the free-throw line. Still, the Magic struggled offensively en route to their third consecutive defeat and eighth loss in nine games.
Cole Anthony was the only other Magic player to reach double figures. He had 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting off the bench.
Paolo Banchero, who averages 23.7 points, only scored nine points on 4-of-19 shooting. He wasn’t the only Orlando player to struggle offensively as the team shot just 33 percent.
Utah had an efficient offensive performance, shooting 46.4 percent overall while hitting 14 of 35 (40 percent) from 3-point territory. The Jazz had 26 assists on 39 field goals.
Jordan Clarkson hit four 3s for Utah and finished with 16 points off the bench, while Lauri Markkanen chipped in with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Walker Kessler hauled in a game-high 15 boards.
The Jazz didn’t score for nearly two minutes to start the game but snagged a 31-21 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Utah scored seven straight to take a 12-5 lead after Markkanen followed inside buckets by Isaiah Collier and Collins with a 3-pointer.
The Magic pulled within three, but the Jazz then built a 13-point lead by scoring 10 straight — with Markkanen capping the surge with another 3.
Utah, which had six players in double figures, led by as many as 21 and held a double-digit lead the entire second half.
The teams shot well from the free-throw line, with Orlando making 30 of 35 and Utah hitting 21 of 24. Sexton was 9 for 9.
–Field Level Media
