Basketball|Lauri Markkanen scored a career high in his third NBA game of the season.
Lauri Markkanen scored a career-high 51 points in his NBA basketball career when the Utah Jazz beat the Phoenix Suns 138-134 in overtime.
Markkanen made 32 free throws, the most of his NBA career, and sank 14. Markkanen made 6/13 of his threes and 17/17 of his free throws.
At the same time, Markkanen broke the Jazz’s club record for the number of free throws without a miss. The deciding free throws were sunk 1.9 seconds before the end of overtime.
“As long as you’re not mentally tired, you can push through it. In a way, you force yourself out of the mental state of being tired,” said Markkanen ESPN:lle.
In addition, Markkanen grabbed 14 rebounds, nine of them on the defensive end, and made three baskets. Only one loss was recorded for the Finn.
Markkanen’s point tally was the highest for a Jazz player in one game in the regular season since April 1998, when Karl Malone scored 56 points against Golden State. Markkanen’s previous record for points in one game in the NBA was 49, which was set on January 5, 2023.
Markkanen said that he thinks he is in the best shape of his career.
“The game is slower now. The hunger is growing, so hopefully this wasn’t the last time,” Markkanen said.
The Jazz led 122-115 with 23 seconds left in the fourth quarter, but Phoenix Devin Booker sank two 3-pointers and fouled Utah with 4.9 seconds left and a three-point Utah lead.
Booker sank the first free throw and missed the second. Mark Williams brought the game into overtime from an offensive rebound.
At the end of regular time, Markkanen’s jump shot from the end zone missed.
Phoenix’s Grayson Allen tried in vain to stop Lauri Markkanen.
Seven of Markkanen’s points came in overtime.
“I never think that now I’m going for fifty points. But of course, when we’re in overtime and the score is 47, and the opponent starts to break, I start to think that it could very well happen now,” Markkanen said.
Markkanen Despite the night of celebration, Utah’s start to the season raises questions.
Utah has won two of its first three games of the season, which is far too fast for Utah’s multi-year rebuilding project.
Utah needs plenty of losses to increase its odds of taking a top pick in next summer’s NBA draft.
In addition, the young players in Utah’s lineup may very well raise their level significantly over the course of the season.
For example, at last summer’s NBA booking event, he was booked fifth for Utah Ace Bailey has started the season with a cough and collected only 2.7 points per game in the first three games with a miserable shooting percentage of 15.8.
The sample is very small, and in preseason games Bailey played strong, so his efficiency will likely increase. At the same time, it increases Utah’s danger of winning too many games.
Last season, the NBA fined the Jazz because, in the league’s opinion, the club had rested Markkas without an acceptable reason. If Markkanen continues at the same level as he did on Monday against the Suns, Utah will be faced with some difficult choices.
Correction 28.10. 5:33 p.m.: Markkanen’s point record was the highest in the Jazz’s club history in the regular season since 1998. Donovan Mitchell scored 57 points in the 2020 playoffs. The article previously did not elaborate on the statistics regarding the regular season.