By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Utah Jazz were all systems go against the Milwaukee Bucks after negating their home court advantage, 132-116, last January 9, 2024, in the ongoing NBA regular season.
With the huge win over the second-seeded Eastern Conference squad, the Jazz rose to no. 12 in the West and improved to 18 wins and 20 losses.
Despite playing their second straight road game in the East, the Jazz didn’t show any signs of slowing down and immediately blew the game wide-open after building an 18-point lead in the first quarter, 41-23.
As early as the fourth minute in the opening frame, the Milwaukee fans already went anxious as Lauri Markkanen and the rest of the Jazz put up an offensive clinic in the first half.
After scoring 41 big points in the first 12 minutes of action, Utah maintained its whooping shooting percentage and dropped 36 markers in the second period.
In just the first half, Utah was already up by 31 points and was poised for an upset against the former NBA champions.
Just when Utah thought they could steamroll its way on the road, the Bucks showed resiliency in the third quarter and snowballed its way to a 44-point frame.
The duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton showed the way for the Bucks after helping Milwaukee get to within a single-digit deficit.
However, The Jazz once again outscored them in the fourth quarter and officially ended their comeback hopes when Utah ballooned their lead again to as many as 20 markers.
Jordan Clarkson and Markkanen connived for 42 points for Utah and continued their stellar performance on the road.
Kris Dunn, Utah’s backup point guard, also showcased his playmaking skills after leading the Jazz in assists with 13 dimes alongside five points and four rebounds.
Meanwhile, Collin Sexton, the team’s main ball handler, dropped 19 points on an efficient 8/13 shooting from the field.
Milwaukee on the other hand only shot 42/94 from the field and missed the presence of superstar point guard Damian Lillard due to personal matters.
