SALT LAKE CITY — Keyonte George scored 25 points and Collin Sexton added 21 to lead the Utah Jazz to a 124-122 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.
George and Sexton combined for 11 assists to help the Jazz end a three-game losing streak. Both players had four 20-point games in March and this one helped Utah survive another game without Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson in the lineup.
George is quickly evolving from a spot-up shooter to a multi-dimensional scoring threat. The first-round pick made just one 3-pointer against the Hawks, relying on driving down and finishing at the rim.
“Right now I feel good about the direction my game is going,” George said.
If he continues like this, George could be the long-term answer at point guard – a position the Jazz committee has handled at times earlier in the season.
“Tonight is just a glimpse of what Keyonte’s future can be,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “Finding different ways every night to impact the game and not relying so much on one thing is what gives Keyonte the opportunity to become a true star in this league.”
John Collins had 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Johnny Juzang made five 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 19 points coming off the bench.
Utah finished with 56 points in the paint and 24 points on the fast break.
“That was a priority for us, getting into the paint and trying them as much as we could,” Collins said. “Sometimes you can’t control the guys who are on fire, but we do what we can to mitigate.”
Dejounte Murray led the Hawks with 33 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. De’Andre Hunter scored 27 points, Jalen Johnson added 26 and Clint Capela had 15 rebounds with 10 points.
Atlanta lost its third straight game in Quin Snyder’s return to Salt Lake City despite shooting 20 of 39 from 3-point range. Snyder coached at Utah for eight seasons from 2014-2022.
“We weren’t ready to play defense the whole game,” Murray said. “We had times where we were great, but a lot of times we didn’t talk to each other.”
Atlanta trailed for much of the second half, but cut the deficit to a field goal after Johnson made a 3-pointer with 8:15 left. Sexton and Juzang responded with three unanswered baskets to increase Utah’s lead to 116-106 a minute later.
The Hawks rallied once again. Murray made consecutive 3-pointers to cut Utah’s lead to 124-122 with 1:18 to play. He had two chances on a go-ahead field goal in the final minute, but missed both.
Vit Krejci missed another potential game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds following a Jazz turnover.
“That sequence where they ran, knocked back some shots, I thought we did a great job of keeping our composure, coming back and putting ourselves in a position where we had a chance to win the game,” said Snyder said. .
Collins had four baskets and five rebounds in the first quarter to give Utah the early lead. The Jazz extended their lead to 39-28 on back-to-back baskets from Walker Kessler and Talen Horton-Tucker in the opening minute of the second.
Atlanta erased the deficit and scored on six straight possessions to take a 62-59 lead just before halftime. Capela fueled the run with a pair of dunks.
Utah quickly regained the lead after halftime and led much of the third quarter after shooting 65 percent from the field. George and Brice Sensabaugh combined for 20 points in the third quarter to pace a 37-point quarter for the Jazz.
“They’re definitely not afraid of the moment,” Hardy said. “They absolutely believe in their abilities. These two develop pretty good communication on the field.
FOLLOWING
Hawks: Visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
Jazz: Host Minnesota on Saturday.
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