Markkanen Posts Double-Double In Three Quarters
Oct 11, 2022, 9:11 PM
Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (photo: Utah Jazz)
(photo: Utah Jazz)
SALT LAKE CITY – Lauri Markkanen proved just how productive he could be against the San Antonio Spurs recording an 18 point, 10 rebound double-double through the game’s first three quarters.
Markkanen scored 11 points in the third quarter alone to go with three rebounds 4-7 shooting.
The Finnish forward punctuated his double-double with an emphatic breakaway dunk against the Spurs.
The Finnisher living up to his nickname 🇫🇮#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/Kbywn23GJw
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 12, 2022
Despite the strong play from Markkanen, the Jazz trailed the Spurs 93-73 through three quarters.
Markkanen was the Jazz leading scorer when he left the game before the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Markkanen Will Play Prominent Role For Jazz
The veteran forward is coming off a breakout performance at EuroBasket where he concluded the tournament as the second-leading scorer at an impressive 27.9 points per game.
“I feel confident and I think that that showed the way I can play basketball,” Markkanen said at media day.
It’s easy to forget that Markkanen appeared destined for stardom after his second season with the Chicago Bulls. The forward averaged 18.7 points and 9.0 rebounds as a 21-year-old but missed the final seven games of the Bulls season after experiencing fatigue and a rapid heartbeat late in the year.
shooter 2️⃣ shooter#TakeNote | @MarkkanenLauri pic.twitter.com/9SUCmDfVhX
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 12, 2022
In his third year, Markkanen would be sidelined for nearly six weeks with a hip injury shortly before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After a strong summer at EuroBasket, Markkanen is looking to continue his strong play with the Jazz.
“I didn’t surprise myself, I knew I could do this stuff,” the forward said. “But I think now it’s time to try to bring it over here and keep going — keep that good momentum going.”
That good momentum will require Markkanen to stay healthy in Utah. The forward played 68 games during his rookie season with the Bulls but has failed to appear in more than 61 games in any of his four seasons since.
