After a hot start saw Utah take a 31-point lead at the half, the Jazz knew Milwaukee would come out strong to start the third quarter.
The Jazz didn't know it was going to be that strong.
The Bucks dominated the third quarter, cutting the deficit to single digits at one point. But Utah never panicked, not at the end of the quarter and not in the fourth. Instead, the Jazz responded to outscore Milwaukee by six over the final 12 minutes to pick up the massive 132-116 victory on Monday night.
"That was a great way to close out this road trip. … That's a good team we just beat," head coach Will Hardy said. "We talked at the end of the third quarter that we would've signed up being up 10 going into the fourth quarter in this game. … We were in a really good spot. It was about trying to win the last 12 minutes of the game and get out of here with a win."
Here are five things to know following the win.
1.) Six in Double Figures
Following George's early scoring burst in the fourth, the Jazz reached six players in double figures. While that's a good stat in general, it's a perfect number to reach, as the Jazz were 12-0 when having six players score 10+ points in a game.
Make it 13 and 0.
Led by three starters with 19+ points, the Jazz got even scoring across the board as three more finished with at least 13 points off the bench. Jordan Clarkson finished with 21 points, while Keyonte George and Kelly Olynyk combined for 31. All three led a bench unit that outscored the Bucks bench 63-31.
Lauri Markkanen had 21 points while Collin Sexton and John Collins each scored 19 to pace the starters. Markkanen added 14 rebounds for back-to-back double-doubles, while Sexton and Collins combined to go 16-of-28 from the floor and 6-of-13 from three.
Kris Dunn finished with just five points (2-of-2 from the floor) but added 13 assists. He also became the first Jazzman with 10+ assists on perfect shooting in a game since John Stockton.
"A lot of guys played well," Hardy said. "We had six people in double figures. … 33 assists. We were able to keep our turnovers relatively low, and we shot the ball well. A great way to end the trip."
2.) Hot Start
On Utah's opening possession, Markkanen knocked down a three. While that was a good start for the Jazz, it was just the beginning of an exceptional opening 12 minutes.
The Jazz shot 15-of-29 from the field, but knocked down 11 threes, their season-high in a quarter. They also dished out 12 assists, four by Clarkson and three by Dunn. Markkanen, Sexton, and Clarkson knocked down at least two threes in the first.
Leading by two just minutes in, Utah went on a 15- 5 run. Sexton caught fire, knocking down threes on three consecutive possessions. After the Bucks cut the deficit to eight with 1:33 remaining, Utah went nuclear to end the quarter. They ended the first on an 11-2 run, including three-pointers on the final three possessions by Clarkson and George.
Ultimately, Utah led the Bucks 41-23 — an impressive showing considering it was their third game in four days, all coming against the top three teams in the Eastern Conference.
"Obviously, in the first half, our offense was really in tune," Hardy said. "We shot the ball great, there's no doubt about that. … But I think that our spacing was very lean. I thought we executed the way that we wanted to, and then it comes down to our players being great players and making shots."
3.) Scary Third Quarter
For how good the Jazz were in the first quarter, the Bucks were even better in the third. They were on fire from three, cutting Utah's 31-point halftime to lead to just 10 heading to the fourth.
Struggling against Utah's interior defense throughout the first half, the Bucks made a concerted effort to attack on offense. It worked as they lived at the rim, shooting 10-of-14. When the Jazz adjusted and started packing the pain, Milwaukee let it fly from deep by going 6-of-8 from three.
The Bucks outscored the Jazz 44-23 during the third.
Milwaukee would've had even more momentum heading to the final 12 minutes, but George answered in a big way. After the Bucks cut the deficit to eight, George grabbed a rebound and raced the length of the court before getting a layup just before time expired.
"The third quarter got away from us, mostly because of our offense," Hardy said. "We were rushing a little bit, we didn't do a very odd job of recognizing matchups and spacing. And that allowed them to play in transition a bunch, and they're a really hard team to guard in transition."
4.) Remarkable Rookie
After struggling from the field the past few games, George broke out of his slump in impressive fashion. He finished with 19 points, six rebounds, and four assists, shooting 7-of-13 from the floor and 4-for-9 from three.
Trying to find a role between scorer and facilitator, George found that balance on Monday. He was more aggressive on offense, attacking with a purpose. What resulted was his ability to make quick reads and find open shooters for good looks.
He was particularly effective in the fourth quarter when the Jazz needed him most.
After getting the bucket that ended Milwaukee's run in the third quarter, he helped the Jazz regain the momentum to start the fourth. Beginning with a three, an and-one, and followed by an assist to Clarkson, George scored or assisted on Utah's 8-0 run.
"I think he was unbelievable this game," Dunn said of George.
5.) What. A. Trip.
Before the Jazz embarked on this three-game road trip against the top-three teams in the Eastern Conference, Hardy talked about Utah's resilience of late. The Jazz have overcome a slow start to begin the day just one game out of the play-in tournament.
"We just have a different presence about us. … I see a team that every day is preparing to win," Hardy said. "The way they carry themselves at practices and shootarounds, the way they prepare for these games, the way they walk onto the floor, they really do think they can win every night. They have a confidence about them as a group. … The way they interact with one another right now is way different than it was at the beginning of the year."
Following Monday's victory, the Jazz went 2-1 on the road trip.
They struggled against Boston but responded 24 hours later to take down the 76ers in impressive fashion. They then took down Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, holding on late in the fourth quarter. Utah will take that momentum into a six-game homestand, set to begin Wednesday against reigning champion Nuggets.
"As a team, we knew this game we had to fly around," Dunn said. "The Bucks, give credit to them, all year they've been playing great basketball. … We knew we had to come out with energy. Credit to a lot of the guys on the team. … As a whole team, we stayed through it and came out with the win."