The Utah Jazz beat the Indiana Pacers 139-119 on Friday night at Vivint Arena. They improved to 14-11 on the season with Lauri Markkanen leading the way with a 24-point, 13-rebound double-double.
Midway through a six-game homestand, the Jazz will be back at it Saturday for the second game of a back-to-back against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Here are three keys that contributed to the Jazz’s Friday night victory:
- Presented with an opportunity to shoot a lot (so, so, so many) free throws, the Jazz made the most of their time at the line, going 32 of 37. The Pacers also shot 81.8% from the free throw line, but the Jazz’s shooting elsewhere helped them out, with 44.1% of their 3-point attempts going in.
- With Kelly Olynyk in foul trouble, the Jazz relied on the services of Walker Kessler to keep them steady through the night and he was very impressive in his 25 minutes, finishing with a career-high 20 points to go with 11 rebounds and two blocks.
- After getting a DNP on Wednesday night, Talen Horton-Tucker acquitted himself well against the Pacers with some solid decision making, finishing the night with a team-high nine assists. Though he didn’t have the scoring night that he would have wanted with just six points, Horton-Tucker was critical in keeping the Jazz moving the ball as the game stalled and slogged at times.