Lauri Markkanen poured in 29 points and George delivered a strong bounce-back performance with 28 as the Utah Jazz beat the Houston Rockets 133–125 on Monday night, avenging Sunday’s blowout loss in Salt Lake City.
Kevin Durant struggled for much of the night but heated up late, scoring 16 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter. Alperen Şengün was brilliant with 31 points and a career-high-tying 14 assists, while Amen Thompson added 23 for a Rockets team that had won five straight on the road.
But Utah controlled most of the night. After Şengün cut the Jazz lead to 126–123 with 52.7 seconds left, George took over—hitting five of six free throws and adding a clutch steal to close it out. It was a dramatic turnaround for the rookie, who went scoreless with eight turnovers in Sunday’s matchup. This time he shot 8-of-14 and handed out eight assists.
Jusuf Nurkić added a season-high 18 points and nine rebounds before fouling out, and Ace Bailey chipped in 13 as Utah improved to 6–6 at home.
The Jazz built a commanding 98–77 lead late in the third quarter before Houston stormed back with a 12–0 run fueled by three steals in 97 seconds, slicing the margin to single digits heading into the fourth. But Houston’s normally sharp defense—allowing just 97.7 points per game during its win streak—couldn’t keep up with Utah’s crisp ball movement and second efforts. The Jazz racked up 24 second-chance points, taking full advantage of Steven Adams’ absence in the middle for Houston.
A wild sequence early in the fourth had Houston committing five fouls in 36 seconds, putting Utah in the bonus—and those free throws proved crucial as George iced the game at the line.
Up next:
*Rockets: Host the Kings on Wednesday.
Jazz: Visit the Nets on Thursday.*
