Original article can be found here.
Alperen Sengun posted a season-high 43 points, Fred VanVleet beat the shot clock with a bank shot with 11 seconds left, and the Houston Rockets fended off the visiting Utah Jazz 125-118 in an NBA Cup game on Friday.
VanVleet had 17 points, including a twirling heave that extended the Rockets’ lead to 123-118. Kevin Durant (22 points, six assists) added two late free throws and finished 10-for-10 at the line. Sengun pulled down 12 rebounds.
Amen Thompson (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Tari Eason (14 points, 11 boards) produced double-doubles for Houston, which won its third game in a row.
Jazz rookie Darryn Peterson scored a career-high 28 points, his fifth consecutive 20-point game. Utah’s Keyonte George had 27 points and seven assists while Ace Bailey added 21 points. That trio finished 11-for-26 on 3-point attempts, but the Jazz dropped their 11th consecutive game.
Bailey, George and Peterson delivered a breathtaking 3-point shooting display in the third quarter. Each connected from deep during a 9-0 spurt that tied the game at 69-69, and when VanVleet stemmed the tide with a 3-pointer, the Jazz responded with an 11-0 rally capped by Bailey’s three-point play. When Bailey hit a 3-pointer with 3:31 left in the third, Utah led 87-77.
However, Sengun and VanVleet engineered a 15-2 run to close out the third for the Rockets, with Sengun contributing a second-chance basket, a driving layup and a free throw in succession. Houston led 92-89 entering the fourth, but the Jazz did not relent.
Jaxson Hayes and Mo Bamba were instrumental in keeping the Jazz afloat in the first quarter. Hayes burned the Rockets on two dunks, while Bamba posted five points, five rebounds and two blocks off the bench. Utah forged a 27-27 tie entering the second quarter and extended its 9-0 run with two more Hayes alley-oop dunks, pulling ahead 31-27 before Houston countered.
The Rockets produced 7-0 and 9-0 runs in the second period. Thompson and Eason scored at the rim late, and Houston took a 63-53 lead into intermission.
Hayes had 12 points and five rebounds in the first half, but he missed the second half due to a left knee injury.
–Field Level Media
Original article
Comments