Talen Horton-Tucker Fuels Huge Jazz Run Late In Second Quarter
Mar 18, 2023, 8:15 PM | Updated: Mar 20, 2023, 12:42 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – Talen Horton-Tucker and Lauri Markkanen caught fire in the second quarter to lead a Utah run that cut into the large Celtics lead.
The Jazz went on a 21-5 run to drop a double-digit Boston lead down to just one point.
built THTough ๐ฎโ๐จ pic.twitter.com/KlePXXicvp
โ Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 19, 2023
Horton-Tucker scored 9 points in the second quarter. Markkanen had 7.
Kelly Olynyk, Johnny Juzang, Simone Fontecchio, and Walker Kessler also got in on the second-quarter action.
you could say @bigTbailey was Thurly impressed with this one ๐๏ธ pic.twitter.com/OLCMdGT0T7
โ Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 19, 2023
The run was fueled by Horton-Tucker and Markkanen on offense. But, it was a team effort on defense. They held the Celtics to 36% from the field in the second quarter.
Despite the large run, the Jazz trailed by seven at the half, 64-57.
comin’ right back! pic.twitter.com/buMIymRl8y
โ Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 19, 2023
Jazz Open Four-Game Homestand
The Utah Jazz will return to action on Saturday after a five-day hiatus against the Boston Celtics.
The Jazz last played in Miami on Monday night, concluding a marathon six-game road trip that spanned four states and five different teams.
The Celtics, meanwhile, are in the midst of their own six-game road trip with their penultimate stop coming in Salt Lake City.
back home for ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐ก
โฐ 7:00PM MT
๐บ @attsportsnetrm
๐ป @kslsportszone
๐ @vivintarena
๐๏ธ https://t.co/2qwAls9wR4#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/k7uOtphM6Eโ Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 18, 2023
After playing their last six games on the road the Jazz return to Utah to open a critical four-game homestand.
The Jazz will face the Celtics before hosting the Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, and Milwaukee Bucks over the next week.
It was a quiet week for the @utahjazz, and they still climbed a spot in the standings.
Here are the grades for the team over the last seven days. #TakeNote https://t.co/TOKffokcuj
โ KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 17, 2023
With 13 games left in the regular season, the Jazz sit in the 11th seed in the West, a half-game back of both the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder, and tied with the 12th-ranked New Orleans Pelicans.
Unexpected wins over top playoff teams like the Celtics, Kings, or Bucks this late in the season are likely to have a huge impact on final standings, as the Jazz are still in the running for a spot in the playoffs, or a top-ten pick in the lottery.
Collin Sexton remains out for the Jazz, while Jordan Clarkson’s status will be updated before Saturday’s game.
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Celtics Fading In East
Despite owning the second-best record in the East the Celtics are playing arguably their worst basketball of the season.
Boston is just 5-5 in its last 10 outings and is 2-1 to start its six-game road trip including an ugly loss to the Houston Rockets.
locked in ๐ pic.twitter.com/OSr370QVnC
โ Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 17, 2023
The Celtics will face the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday before making the tough turnaround in Utah.
Jayson Tatum is questionable against the Blazers with a hip bruise while center Robert Williams will miss his seventh straight game with a hamstring injury.
Utah Jazz vs. Boston Celtics Broadcast
The Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics will tip off at 7 pm MT in Salt Lake City on Saturday. The game will be televised on AT&T SportsNet and can be heard on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. It can also be streamed on DirecTV Stream and FuboTV.
Chandler Holt is a Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter at @ChandlerHoltKSL.
