Field Level Media
Oct 29, 2022
Lauri Markkanen and Kelly Olynyk each scored 23 points and played clutch in the fourth quarter to help the Utah Jazz rally past the Memphis Grizzlies for a 124-123 win Saturday night in Salt Lake City.
Jordan Clarkson added 21 points and Collin Sexton had 19 in his first start for Utah to help the Jazz win a night after being blown out in Denver.
Desmond Bane led Memphis with 32 points -- his third game in a row with more than 30 points. Dillon Brooks also had a big scoring night, finishing with 30 points, while Tyus Jones contributed 23 points and 10 assists.
Memphis, which shot a blistering 56.8 percent, played without Ja Morant due to a non-COVID illness.
The Jazz, who shot 51.7 percent, trailed by five, 118-113, with 2:41 remaining after Bane followed a 3-pointer with two free throws. Markkanen, who added nine rebounds and five assists, answered with a 3 and then Olynyk matched a Brooks turnaround shot with a layup, bringing the Jazz within two with 1:46 remaining.
Olynyk hit a 3-pointer after Sexton blocked a shot to give the Jazz their first lead since early in the fourth quarter. Malik Beasley, who had 12 points, added another triple for a 124-120 edge with 23.0 left.
Brooks hit a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left as Memphis pulled within one, 124-123. He then rebounded a Markkanen miss with 4.8 seconds left. However, Memphis wasn't able to get a last shot up.
The Jazz played without four regulars, including Mike Conley (rest), Walker Kessler (illness), Simone Fontecchio and Rudy Gay (COVID-19 protocols).
An early six-point Jazz lead was wiped out after the Grizzlies scored a dozen straight en route to a 30-24 lead after the first quarter.
Utah ended the first half on a tear with an 8-0 run to go up by 10 points before Jones hit a buzzer-beater to make the score 62-54 in favor of the Jazz at the half.
The Jazz led 79-70 when the Grizzlies scored 15 straight points. Utah responded with a 7-0 spurt to reclaim the lead. The wild back-and-forth affair continued in the fourth, beginning with a Bane-led 8-0 surge to begin the quarter.
--Field Level Media