Luka Samanic scores 22, helps Jazz snap 13-game skid with 124-121 win over Rockets
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Luka Samanic scored a season-high 22 points to help the Utah Jazz snap a 13-game losing streak with a 124-121 victory over the Houston Rockets on Thursday night.
Keyonte George chipped in 20 points for the Jazz, who finished 21-20 at home this season. Brice Sensabaugh added 17 points and Talen Horton-Tucker had 16. Kenneth Lofton Jr. scored a season-high 14 points and added nine rebounds.
Houston made 21 3-pointers and outscored Utah in second-chance points and fast-break points. The Jazz persevered and found a way to get in the win column for the first time since mid-March and end the third-longest losing streak in franchise history.
“That desperation that we played with throughout most of the game, but in particular in the second half, is who we’re aiming to be always,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said.
Fred VanVleet knocked down nine 3-pointers and scored a season-high 42 points for the Rockets, who lost for the sixth time in seven games. VanVleet was 9 for 13 from 3-point range while also tallying seven assists and seven rebounds. But he also went just 3 of 17 from inside the arc.
Cam Whitmore added 18 points while also making four 3s. Amen Thompson chipped in 15 points, 10 rebounds and two steals.
“We should be concerned, should be disappointed, should be (angry) at ourselves because it was a wasted opportunity,” VanVleet said.
Down three at halftime, the Jazz opened the third quarter with four unanswered baskets. VanVleet and Aaron Holiday combined for five 3-pointers to erase the deficit. Holiday’s back-to-back 3s made it 89-84 for Houston.
Utah countered with a 14-3 run late in the third and took a 98-92 lead on Sensabaugh’s second-chance corner 3.
VanVleet tied it on a pair of free throws with 2:30 left but the Jazz pulled away for good. Back-to-back layups from Darius Beazley and George keyed a 6-0 run that put Utah up 124-118 with 54 seconds remaining.
“We played extremely hard,” George said. “Our communication was at an all-time high. We did everything the right way and we got the result we wanted.”
VanVleet and Jeff Green each made back-to-back 3-pointers to key a 14-4 run that gave the Rockets a 38-28 lead going into the second quarter.
Houston shot 62% from the perimeter during the first quarter. VanVleet led the way, knocking down six of those 3s and scoring 20 points. His final outside basket beat the first-quarter buzzer to give the Rockets their first double-digit lead.
Utah erased the deficit in the second quarter behind a 13-0 run. Houston went scoreless for three minutes during that stretch. Horton-Tucker capped Utah’s run with a pair of free throws that put the Jazz up 51-49.
“Habits are hard to break and mentalities are hard to change and that’s why we are where we are record-wise and not achieving our goals,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “You’d be better off saying you don’t want to play and get people out there that really want to play.”
UP NEXT
Rockets: Visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.
Jazz: Visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Jabari Smith Jr. vs. Omer Yurtseven (Amen Thompson gains possession) | ||
| 11:43 |  | +3 | Fred VanVleet makes three point jump shot (Amen Thompson assists) | 3-0 |
| 11:27 | | Jabari Smith Jr. blocks Luka Samanic's two point driving dunk | ||
| 11:25 | | Fred VanVleet defensive rebound | ||
| 11:22 | | Amen Thompson misses two point running layup | ||
| 11:20 | | Amen Thompson offensive rebound | ||
| 11:20 | | +2 | Amen Thompson makes two point tip layup | 5-0 |
| 11:07 | | +2 | Omer Yurtseven makes two point dunk (Taylor Hendricks assists) | 5-2 |
| 10:57 | | Jalen Green misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 10:55 | | Keyonte George defensive rebound | ||
| 10:38 | | Johnny Juzang turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 10:24 | | Fred VanVleet misses two point driving reverse layup | ||
| 10:22 | | Jazz defensive rebound | ||
| 10:06 | | Omer Yurtseven misses two point driving hook shot | ||
| 10:04 | | Luka Samanic offensive rebound | ||
| 10:01 | | Keyonte George misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:58 | | Taylor Hendricks offensive rebound | ||
| 9:56 | | +3 | Johnny Juzang makes three point jump shot (Taylor Hendricks assists) | 5-5 |
| 9:35 | | Keyonte George personal foul (Fred VanVleet draws the foul) | ||
| 9:27 | | +2 | Dillon Brooks makes two point driving layup | 7-5 |
| 9:09 | | Jalen Green personal foul (Keyonte George draws the foul) | ||
| 9:02 | | +2 | Luka Samanic makes two point driving floating jump shot (Keyonte George assists) | 7-7 |
| 8:52 | | Jalen Green misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:48 | | Taylor Hendricks defensive rebound | ||
| 8:41 | | Dillon Brooks shooting foul (Luka Samanic draws the foul) | ||
| 8:41 | | +1 | Luka Samanic makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 7-8 |
| 8:41 | | +1 | Luka Samanic makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 7-9 |
| 8:26 | | Taylor Hendricks blocks Amen Thompson's two point cutting dunk | ||
| 8:24 | | Luka Samanic defensive rebound | ||
| 8:20 | | Jabari Smith Jr. shooting foul (Johnny Juzang draws the foul) | ||
| 8:20 | | +1 | Johnny Juzang makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 7-10 |
| 8:20 | | +1 | Johnny Juzang makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 7-11 |
| 8:07 | | +2 | Amen Thompson makes two point floating jump shot (Fred VanVleet assists) | 9-11 |
| 7:50 | | Johnny Juzang misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:49 | | Jazz offensive rebound | ||
| 7:49 | | Fred VanVleet personal foul (Loose ball) (Luka Samanic draws the foul) | ||
| 7:36 | | Keyonte George misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 7:35 | | Jazz offensive rebound | ||
| 7:35 | | Jazz turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 7:24 | | +2 | Fred VanVleet makes two point pullup jump shot | 11-11 |
| 7:06 | | +2 | Luka Samanic makes two point driving bank hook shot | 11-13 |
| 7:06 | | Dillon Brooks shooting foul (Luka Samanic draws the foul) | ||
| 7:06 | | +1 | Luka Samanic makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 11-14 |
| 6:57 | | +3 | Fred VanVleet makes three point pullup jump shot | 14-14 |
| 6:46 | | Jazz 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:37 | | Omer Yurtseven misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 6:35 | | Amen Thompson defensive rebound | ||
| 6:19 | | Jabari Smith Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:16 | | Amen Thompson offensive rebound | ||
| 6:06 | | +2 | Amen Thompson makes two point driving floating jump shot (Fred VanVleet assists) | 16-14 |
| 5:42 | | Johnny Juzang misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:40 | | Omer Yurtseven offensive rebound | ||
| 5:40 | | +2 | Omer Yurtseven makes two point tip layup | 16-16 |
| 5:18 | | Jalen Green turnover (bad pass) (Taylor Hendricks steals) | ||
| 5:13 | | +2 | Luka Samanic makes two point running finger roll layup (Taylor Hendricks assists) | 16-18 |
| 5:03 | | +3 | Fred VanVleet makes three point pullup jump shot | 19-18 |
| 4:49 | | Luka Samanic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:48 | | Jalen Green defensive rebound | ||
| 4:35 | | Fred VanVleet misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:31 | | Johnny Juzang defensive rebound | ||
| 4:23 | | Johnny Juzang offensive foul (Fred VanVleet draws the foul) | ||
| 4:23 | | Johnny Juzang turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 4:12 | | Jalen Green turnover (bad pass) (Taylor Hendricks steals) | ||
| 3:59 | | +2 | Luka Samanic makes two point driving layup (Brice Sensabaugh assists) | 19-20 |
| 3:44 | | Micah Potter personal foul (Jock Landale draws the foul) | ||
| 3:34 | | +3 | Fred VanVleet makes three point stepback bank jump shot | 22-20 |
| 3:04 | | +2 | Micah Potter makes two point layup (Talen Horton-Tucker assists) | 22-22 |
| 2:54 | | Fred VanVleet misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:52 | | Rockets offensive rebound | ||
| 2:52 | | Talen Horton-Tucker personal foul (Loose ball) (Jock Landale draws the foul) | ||
| 2:52 | | Rockets 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:45 | | Brice Sensabaugh shooting foul (Cam Whitmore draws the foul) | ||
| 2:45 | | +1 | Cam Whitmore makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 23-22 |
| 2:45 | | +1 | Cam Whitmore makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 24-22 |
| 2:29 | | +2 | Kenneth Lofton Jr. makes two point driving layup | 24-24 |
| 2:14 | | +2 | Jock Landale makes two point cutting layup (Cam Whitmore assists) | 26-24 |
| 2:02 | | Talen Horton-Tucker misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:59 | | Jabari Smith Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 1:53 | | Darius Bazley blocks Fred VanVleet's two point driving reverse layup | ||
| 1:53 | | Rockets offensive rebound | ||
| 1:51 | | +3 | Jeff Green makes three point jump shot (Jabari Smith Jr. assists) | 29-24 |
| 1:33 | | Brice Sensabaugh misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:29 | | Jabari Smith Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 1:20 | | +3 | Jeff Green makes three point jump shot (Fred VanVleet assists) | 32-24 |
| 1:03 | | Kenneth Lofton Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:59 | | Cam Whitmore defensive rebound | ||
| 0:53 | | Cam Whitmore misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:50 | | Brice Sensabaugh defensive rebound | ||
| 0:42 | | +2 | Brice Sensabaugh makes two point driving floating jump shot | 32-26 |
| 0:30 | | +3 | Fred VanVleet makes three point pullup jump shot | 35-26 |
| 0:10 | | Talen Horton-Tucker misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 0:09 | | Kenneth Lofton Jr. offensive rebound | ||
| 0:09 | | +2 | Kenneth Lofton Jr. makes two point putback layup | 35-28 |
| 0:00 | | +3 | Fred VanVleet makes three point pullup jump shot | 38-28 |
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 | | Rockets delay of game violation | ||
| 11:42 | | Talen Horton-Tucker turnover (lost ball) (Reggie Bullock Jr. steals) | ||
| 11:38 | | +2 | Jabari Smith Jr. makes two point running layup (Cam Whitmore assists) | 40-28 |
| 11:22 | | +3 | Talen Horton-Tucker makes three point jump shot (Brice Sensabaugh assists) | 40-31 |
| 11:08 | | Jabari Smith Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:06 | | Brice Sensabaugh defensive rebound | ||
| 11:00 | | Jalen Green shooting foul (Brice Sensabaugh draws the foul) | ||
| 11:00 | | +1 | Brice Sensabaugh makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 40-32 |
| 11:00 | | +1 | Brice Sensabaugh makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 40-33 |
| 10:43 | | Jalen Green misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:39 | | Brice Sensabaugh defensive rebound | ||
| 10:28 | | +3 | Brice Sensabaugh makes three point jump shot (Talen Horton-Tucker assists) | 40-36 |
| 10:11 | | +3 | Cam Whitmore makes three point pullup jump shot (Jalen Green assists) | 43-36 |
| 10:00 | | Talen Horton-Tucker misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:56 | | Reggie Bullock Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 9:46 | | Jalen Green misses two point driving layup | ||
| 9:44 | | Micah Potter defensive rebound | ||
| 9:39 | | Micah Potter misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:35 | | Jeff Green defensive rebound | ||
| 9:29 | | +3 | Cam Whitmore makes three point jump shot (Jabari Smith Jr. assists) | 46-36 |
| 9:07 | | +2 | Darius Bazley makes two point driving finger roll layup (Talen Horton-Tucker assists) | 46-38 |
| 8:53 | | +3 | Jabari Smith Jr. makes three point jump shot (Cam Whitmore assists) | 49-38 |
| 8:38 | | +3 | Brice Sensabaugh makes three point pullup jump shot (Talen Horton-Tucker assists) | 49-41 |
| 8:21 | | Cam Whitmore misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:19 | | Talen Horton-Tucker defensive rebound | ||
| 8:11 | | +2 | Talen Horton-Tucker makes two point driving layup | 49-43 |
| 8:11 | | Rockets 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:52 | | Cam Whitmore misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 7:51 | | Kenneth Lofton Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 7:45 | | Keyonte George turnover (bad pass) (Jock Landale steals) | ||
| 7:42 | | Jock Landale turnover (lost ball) (Keyonte George steals) | ||
| 7:38 | | +3 | Brice Sensabaugh makes three point jump shot (Keyonte George assists) | 49-46 |
| 7:13 | | Darius Bazley blocks Amen Thompson's two point driving hook shot | ||
| 7:10 | | Darius Bazley defensive rebound | ||
| 6:55 | | +3 | Kenneth Lofton Jr. makes three point jump shot (Darius Bazley assists) | 49-49 |
| 6:38 | | Jalen Green misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 6:35 | | Talen Horton-Tucker defensive rebound | ||
| 6:31 | | Jock Landale shooting foul (Talen Horton-Tucker draws the foul) | ||
| 6:31 | | +1 | Talen Horton-Tucker makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 49-50 |
| 6:31 | | +1 | Talen Horton-Tucker makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 49-51 |
| 6:11 | | Cam Whitmore misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:07 | | Keyonte George defensive rebound | ||
| 6:00 | | Darius Bazley turnover (lost ball) (Fred VanVleet steals) | ||
| 5:54 | | +2 | Jock Landale makes two point running dunk (Amen Thompson assists) | 51-51 |
| 5:35 | | Jock Landale shooting foul (Keyonte George draws the foul) | ||
| 5:35 | | +1 | Keyonte George makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 51-52 |
| 5:35 | | +1 | Keyonte George makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 51-53 |
| 5:24 | | Darius Bazley kicked ball violation | ||
| 5:07 | | Fred VanVleet misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 5:05 | | Darius Bazley defensive rebound | ||
| 4:56 | | Brice Sensabaugh misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:52 | | Amen Thompson defensive rebound | ||
| 4:49 | | +2 | Amen Thompson makes two point running layup | 53-53 |
| 4:49 | | Talen Horton-Tucker shooting foul (Amen Thompson draws the foul) | ||
| 4:49 | | +1 | Amen Thompson makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 54-53 |
| 4:29 | | +2 | Keyonte George makes two point pullup jump shot | 54-55 |
| 4:12 | | +3 | Cam Whitmore makes three point jump shot (Jock Landale assists) | 57-55 |
| 3:58 | | Kenneth Lofton Jr. turnover (bad pass) (Amen Thompson steals) | ||
| 3:56 | | Keyonte George shooting foul (Amen Thompson draws the foul) | ||
| 3:56 | | Jazz 60 second timeout | ||
| 3:56 | | Amen Thompson misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 3:56 | | Rockets offensive rebound | ||
| 3:56 | | +1 | Amen Thompson makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 58-55 |
| 3:50 | | +3 | Keyonte George makes three point pullup jump shot | 58-58 |
| 3:35 | | +2 | Cam Whitmore makes two point cutting dunk (Jock Landale assists) | 60-58 |
| 3:23 | | Jock Landale shooting foul (Luka Samanic draws the foul) | ||
| 3:23 | | Luka Samanic misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 3:23 | | Jazz offensive rebound | ||
| 3:23 | | +1 | Luka Samanic makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 60-59 |
| 3:03 | | +2 | Jabari Smith Jr. makes two point driving floating jump shot | 62-59 | </