Back and forth it went, for three quarters at least—with the Jazz and Bucks taking turns going on mini runs and clinging to uneasy leads.
And then Utah took off, building a double-digit buffer in the fourth quarter before securing a 121-108 victory Saturday night in a post-Thanksgiving shootout.
The Jazz shot a blistering 56.8 percent from the field and knocked down a franchise-record 18 3-pointers in the win.
Donovan Mitchell led Utah (9-11) with 24 points, while Rodney Hood came off the bench to score 21 points in 29 minutes.
Joe Ingles (15 points), Derrick Favors (16 points), Ricky Rubio (11 points) and Thabo Sefolosha (11 points) also scored in double figures for the Jazz.
Superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was visibly frustrated at times with Utah's physicality, finished with 27 points, 13 rebounds and five assists for the Bucks (9-9). Malcolm Brogdon came off the bench to score 19 points (and shoot 5-for-6 from 3-point range), while Eric Bledsoe and Tony Snell scored 18 points each in the loss.
Saturday's Best
Mitchell was all over the floor, flinging cross-court passes, disrupting Milwaukee's passing lanes, skying for rebounds, and knocking down shots from every angle. The rookie finished with 24 points on 9-for-16 shooting (including 6-for-10 from 3-point range), four rebounds, four assists and two steals in 29 minutes. The only place Mitchell struggled was from the free-throw line, where he missed all three of his attempts—which is ironic since he entered the game shooting 85.7 percent.
Key Stretches
Midway through the second quarter, Ingles beat Antetokounmpo to a lose ball in the backcourt and then fired it back to Alec Burks, who drilled a three to beat the shot-clock buzzer. Ingles followed that up with back-to-back threes to give Utah a 48-39 lead. Milwaukee punched back with 10 straight points to take back the lead, but Utah countered with some slick passing and a 15-7 run to end the first half.
The Jazz closed the third quarter on a 16-4 run to turn a two-point deficit into a 10-point lead heading into the final period. Mitchell found Sefolosha cutting to the hoop for a layup. Hood scored seven points (on a dunk, layup and 3-pointer). Ekpe Udoh added a bucket and Sefolosha capped the run with a layup and then corner three with 3.1 seconds left in the quarter.
And then the Jazz just kept making shots. Ingles drilled a three. Mitchell made a three (from WAY outside) to just beat the shot clock. And then Mitchell crossed over Khris Middleton and hit nothing but net on a step-back jumper to give Utah a 15-point lead with 5:48 left in the fourth quarter. The Jazz cruised from there.
Significant Stats
18
The Jazz were on fire from beyond the arc, making a franchise-record 18 3-pointers in 32 attempts (56.2 percent). Rubio hit a triple to tie the record with four minutes left in the game, and then Mitchell hit No. 18 with just under three minutes remaining. Mitchell (6-for-10), Ingles (5-for-8), Hood (3-for-6) and Rubio (2-for-2) each hit multiple 3-pointers.
31
The Jazz moved the ball like a hot potato, dishing out a season-high 31 assists on 46 made baskets. Ingles led the way with a career-high nine assists, while Rubio finished with seven assists—the most he's had in a game since November 11 against the Nets.
17
The Jazz, who rank second in the league in turnovers forced, came in right at their average tonight with 17 takeaways, which led to 27 points. Milwaukee forced only 10 Utah turnovers.
Coach's Quote of the Night
Notable
The Jazz wore their gold Statement edition uniforms for the first time. ... Utah outscored the Bucks in every quarter. ... There were seven ties and 10 lead changes. ... Rudy Gobert (knee), Joe Johnson (wrist) and Danté Exum (shoulder) did not play for the Jazz. ... Former Jazz forward Joel Bolomboy played the last 1:57 for the Bucks. ... Milwaukee outscored Utah 17-4 in transition points. ... The Jazz, who entered the night leading the NBA in free-throw percentage at 83.9 percent, shot only 11-for-19 (57.9 percent) from the line. ... The Jazz are now 8-4 at home.
Up Next
The Jazz will stay at home to face the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 8:00pm MT.
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