Lauri Markkanen scored 49 points against the Houston Rockets on Thursday night. Lauri Markkanen is the latest NBA talent to have a spectacular game in recent weeks. Fans went wild on social media, sharing their comments on the Utah Jazz forward.
At the Toyota Center, Lauri Markkanen guided the Utah Jazz to a 131-114 victory over the Rockets. “The Finner” finished with 49 points, a career-best, eight rebounds, and six 3-pointers. He shot 15-for-27 from the field and 13-for-13 from the foul line.
The Jazz had an early lead, leading by eight points at the end of the first quarter. They kept their lead before pulling away in the fourth quarter. Utah’s five-game losing run came to an end with the victory, which improved their record to 20-21.
The Utah Jazz‘s Lauri Markkanen is experiencing a breakout season. Markkanen, who averages 24.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists, has the potential to be an All-Star this season. Fans went bananas for Markkanen after his 49-point outburst on Thursday.
Lauri Markkanen helps the Jazz snap a five-game losing skid
The Utah Jazz entered Thursday’s game against the Houston Rockets on a five-game losing streak. The Jazz have dropped from a playoff berth to a play-in slot. Their run began on December 26 with a four-point loss to the lowly San Antonio Spurs.
They subsequently fell by five points to the Golden State Warriors, followed by a one-point loss to the Sacramento Kings. The Miami Heat then defeated them at the buzzer on New Year’s Eve, followed by another painful loss to the Kings on Tuesday.
With 0.4 seconds remaining, De’Aaron Fox gave the Kings a two-point advantage. Lauri Markkanen got the long inbounds pass and beat the buzzer with a 3-point attempt. The basket, however, did not count since he was a quarter of a second late. Markkanen said it all on Thursday, leading the Utah Jazz with 49 points.
Lauri Markkanen had a genuinely complete offensive performance, doing a little bit of everything against a Rockets defense that, to be fair, did not always provide much opposition.
He made six three-pointers, five dunks, some difficult mid-range shots, and was a perfect 13 of 13 from the free throw line.
Lauri Markkanen is the sixth player in Jazz history to score 49 points and the first since Donovan Mitchell in 2020. In what has been an unprecedented league-wide scoring frenzy.
Lauri Markkanen also became the 34th different player to score at least 40 points this season, and the 18th different player to do so since Christmas. In comparison, there were just 14 40-point scorers in the whole 2012-13 season.
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