CHARLOTTE — The Utah Jazz beat the Charlotte Hornets 119-111 on Saturday night at Spectrum Center behind an incredible 37-point game from Talen Horton-Tucker.
After starting their six-game road trip 0-3, the Jazz have now won two straight, improving to 33-35 on the season.
- On a night when Lauri Markkanen was struggling to score, going 3 of 22 from the field, Horton-Tucker stepped up and was one rebound short of a triple-double, finishing the game with 37 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
- Walker Kessler also added a lot for the Jazz, cleaning up on the glass with 16 rebounds and adding 17 points. Though he got a few looks off lobs and working to score on his own, he was persistent on the boards, which allowed him to get putbacks and second-chance opportunities for the rest of the Jazz.
- Finally the Jazz were able to counter a poor shooting night. Though they only hit on 28% of their 3-point attempts, they dominated in the paint and punished a weak interior defensive effort from the Hornets with 66 points in the paint compared to Charlotte’s 36 points.