Keyonte George hit five 3-pointers and scored 30 points to lift the Utah Jazz to a 124-115 win over the visiting Houston Rockets on Saturday night in Salt Lake City.
Lauri Markkanen broke out of a slump, scoring 23 points with 10 rebounds, and Walker Kessler hauled in 17 rebounds with 11 points, three assists and two blocked shots for Utah.
The Jazz shot 50 percent — despite a 13-for-27 free-throw performance — to bounce back from a 23-point loss to Oklahoma City on Friday night to pick up just their seventh home win this season.
Alperen Sengun totaled 27 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for the Rockets, who also played in a back-to-back after beating Minnesota in Houston on Friday night.
Jalen Green contributed 25 points and 10 assists, while Amen Thompson added 22 points and nine boards as the Rockets lost for the second time in three games.
Houston had a seven-point lead early in the fourth quarter after 3-pointers by Thompson and Aaron Holiday when Utah turned things around for its 14th win this season.
The Jazz went on a 16-2 run, regaining the lead early in the fourth on a George 3-pointer and then seized a seven-point edge after Johnny Juzang scored a bucket after a Brice Sensabaugh 3.
The Jazz took their biggest lead, 119-107, with just over three minutes remaining when Isaiah Collier capped a 30-11 run with a scoring drive.
Houston scored five straight to cut the deficit to seven, but Markkanen hit a big 3 to regain the double-digit advantage.
Collier finished with a double-double, notching 12 points and 10 assists, while Sensabaugh also scored 12. KJ Martin added 11 points and Cody Williams had nine points and six rebounds off the bench.
George, who finished hitting 10 of 17 shots and 5 of 8 3-pointers, scored 20 points in the first half as Utah kept it close. The Jazz were up 29-28 after the first, with the Rockets taking a 62-56 advantage into the locker room.
–Field Level Media
