NBA Top Five Performances, Jan. 5: Lauri Markkanen Drops Career-High 49 Points

The Jazz forward continues to shine in his first season with Utah.

TOP PLAYER OF THE DAY:

Lauri Markkanen’s 49-point performance against the Houston Rockets propelled the Jazz to a 17-point win Thursday night. Markkanen setting this career-high illustrates the breakout season he is having this year.

OTHERS:

-Jaren Jackson Jr. continued to prove his impact on the Memphis Grizzlies with a double-double against the Orlando Magic. Jackson finished the night with 31 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.

Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant added 32 points to lead the team in scoring. He continues to ascend as a superstar in the league, making highlight plays virtually every night.

morant island. whew.

🗳 https://t.co/DNXlwKqCQW pic.twitter.com/94zMzktpiR

— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) January 6, 2023

The Boston Celtics took a strong road victory against the Dallas Mavericks with a triple-double by star forward Jayson Tatum. Tatum had 29 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists to record just the second triple-double of his career.

Despite the blowout loss, Rockets guard Jalen Green notched his seventh 30-point game on the season. Green continues to be the offensive leader in Houston in his second year in the league.

MORE HEAT-RELATED STORIES

Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo struggling with fan All-Star vote. CLICK HERE

Is Zach LaVine in the mix for the Heat? CLICK HERE

Heat unable to build momentum. CLICK HERE

For a look at some of the latest Heat apparel. CLICK HERE

If you wanna bet on any games at @PrizePicks or PrizePicks.com, use our link and code. They will match your first bet for up to $100. Here's the code: PR-R1YOFY6

Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.