Playing in New York City under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden, the Utah Jazz put together one of their best offensive efforts of the season in a 137-116 win over the Knicks Wednesday night.
The Jazz (42-29) have now won five straight games, including the last two by exactly 21 points. Tonight also marked their second straight game that no starter played more than 29 minutes.
Utah distributed the ball liberally, with 12 players scoring and 11 players finishing with at least one assist.
"We get out and guys are spacing and we're finding the right guys. It's not just one guy who has to handle [the ball] because we have multiple guys who can do that," Donovan Mitchell said. "You see that throughout the entire team, the unselfishness. That's what I love about this team."
Mitchell led the way with 30 points in 29 minutes, while Rudy Gobert and Joe Ingles added 18 points each. Jae Crowder (15 points), Ricky Rubio (12 points) and Derrick Favors (10 points) also scored in double figures in the win.
Utah shot 56.5 percent from the field.
Rookie Kevin Knox scored a team-high 27 points for the league-worst Knicks (14-58), while Mario Hezonja added 23 points and Damyean Dotson scored 21 points in the loss.
Wednesday's Best
Mitchell, who grew up in nearby Greenwich, Connecticut, played in front of a large group of family and friends. It was Mitchell's second time playing in NYC since joining the Jazz, and he had a significantly better showing this time around. Last year, he scored 19 points in 36 minutes in the Jazz loss. Tonight he finished with 30 points on 12-for-20 shooting (including 5-for-9 from three), and he added three rebounds, five assists and a steal.
"Everything was just more relaxed," Mitchell said after the game. "I just enjoyed this experience, playing in this arena after being here so many times as a kid. ... The support has been amazing, and I appreciate everyone who came out."
Key Stretches
Utah led by four midway through the first quarter before going on a 46-22 run over the next 12 minutes to take complete control of the game. The Jazz hit nine 3-pointers over that stretch—three by Kyle Korver; two each by Mitchell and Crowder; and one apiece by Ingles and Raul Neto—as they took a 28-point lead.
The Jazz cruised from there, leading by as many as 37 en route to the 21-point victory.
Significant Stats
20
Utah tied a franchise record with 20 3-pointers as Ingles (6-for-9), Mitchell (5-for-9) and Crowder (3-for-8) each hit multiple threes.
+19
The Jazz have now won five straight games, with an average margin of victory of 19 points over that stretch.
38
Utah finished with 38 assists, with Rubio (nine), Ingles (seven), Neto (six) and Mitchell (five) leading the way. The Jazz are now 16-4 this season when they dish out at least 30 assists.
Coach's Quote of the Night
Jazz head coach Quin Snyder
Notable
Utah now sits in fifth place in the Western Conference standings—a half game ahead of the Spurs, Thunder and Clippers, who are all tied at 42-30. ... The Jazz are now 49-49 all time against the Knicks. ... Danté Exum (knee) remained out for the Jazz. ... Dennis Smith Jr. (back), Frank Ntilikina (groin), Noah Vonleh (ankle) and Allonzo Trier (calf) did not suit up for the Knicks. ... Utah shot 63.3 percent from the field through the first three quarters. ... New York held the advantage in points in the paint (54-48) and transition points (15-10). ... Both teams had 40 rebounds.
Up Next
The Jazz will travel to Atlanta to take on the Hawks on Thursday night. Tipoff is set for 5:30pm MT.
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