Collin Sexton had a season-high 30 points and the visiting Utah Jazz snapped a three-game losing streak with a 126-119 win over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night.
Keyonte George had 28 points, while Lauri Markkanen supplied 27 points and 14 rebounds. John Collins chipped in 16 points and nine rebounds.
Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 33 points and seven assists. Malik Beasley added 26 points.
Utah’s Jordan Clarkson and Detroit’s Ronald Holland II were ejected for an altercation late in the third quarter.
The Jazz made nine 3-pointers in the first quarter and roared to a 48-19 lead entering the second. Sexton scored 13 points while making all three of his 3-point attempts. George also knocked down his first three shots from beyond the arc, while the Pistons shot 1-for-11 from deep. Utah was credited with 18 fast break points in the period.
The Pistons scored the first 10 points of the second quarter, and Cunningham’s 3-pointer midway through the period trimmed Utah’s lead to 11. Tobias Harris made consecutive baskets to pull Detroit within six points with three minutes left in the half.
The Jazz responded with a 9-2 run before the break. That gave them a 67-54 halftime advantage. Sexton had 17 points at the half, while Cunningham led Detroit with 14.
Collins and Markkanen hit 3-pointers to open the second half and extend Utah’s lead to 19 points. Kessler’s layup with seven minutes remaining in the quarter gave the Jazz an 83-62 advantage.
After Utah nudged the lead to 22, the Pistons finished the quarter on a 17-6 run to cut the Jazz’s lead in half.
Ausar Thompson’s dunk with 10:12 left in the game sliced Utah’s lead to six.
The Jazz pushed the cushion to 112-99 on 3-pointers by George and Johnny Juzang.
A flurry of Utah turnovers allowed Detroit to make a late run. The Jazz had turnovers on five straight possessions and the Pistons went on a 10-0 run to make it 114-109.
Collins then hit a 3-pointer to give the Jazz some breathing room.
–Field Level Media
