Ace Bailey Erupts for Career Night in Jazz Loss to Raptors

Despite a tough double-digit loss in front of a Delta Center home crowd, the Utah Jazz fans certainly left this one against the Toronto Raptors having watched their budding rookie talent Ace Bailey put together another memorable performance, this time with a night of some career-best proportions.

In the process of the Jazz's 127-143 loss to the Blazers, Bailey would piece together a career-high 37 points on 11-21 shooting from the field, 7-10 shooting from deep, and paired it with six rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in 35 minutes.

Ace Bailey puts up a CAREER-HIGH 37 points despite the Jazz's 127-143 loss to the Raptors.

In his past 3 games, Bailey is averaging 31.7 PTS, 7.3 REB, 3.7 AST & 2.7 BLK 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xiNxj30jsj
— Utah Jazz On SI (@JazzOnSI) March 24, 2026

It marks Bailey's third consecutive 25-plus point performance for the Jazz, and one which could be drawn up as the rookie's best scoring performance yet, even outside of just what his raw numbers would say.

Bailey also now becomes the fifth-youngest player to rattle off three-straight performances scoring 25 points or more, with the only players being younger to do so being some pretty strong company to be paired with: LeBron James, Cooper Flagg, Carmelo Anthony, and Devin Booker.

ACE BAILEY is the 5th-youngest player in NBA history with 3-straight 25+ point games!

The only players younger:

LeBron James
Cooper Flagg
Carmelo Anthony
Devin Booker pic.twitter.com/lnmEWPzkzZ
— NBA (@NBA) March 24, 2026

Ace Bailey Continues to Show Huge Strides

Coming into the night, it was another setting where Bailey really had the keys to become the Jazz's de facto number one scoring option in their starting lineup when factoring in their multiple key absences up and down the rotation.

Guys like Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen are still out with their own multiple-week injuries, while other key pieces in the rotation following the All-Star break like Isaiah Collier and Cody Williams were out with their own injuries as well.

However, in terms of the Jazz's production on the offensive side of the ball without those pieces, Bailey would show he was clearly capable of keeping the ship afloat for the night.

He was efficient and effective in his opportunities, continued to make a variety of shots around the floor both inside and outside the arc, and gave fans a glimpse of what he's capable of when he's got the green light.

Combined with the similar performances like this one throughout the month, Bailey's confidence and comfort within the Jazz's system are really beginning to show. In the 10 games he's played through March, he's averaging 21.7 points on 46.3% shooting from the field and 43.3% from three, setting a new career-high in scoring three times in the process.

Mar 23, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Ace Bailey (19) shoots the ball during the first quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images | Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

That success for the Jazz as a collective was a different story on the defensive side of the ball, which led to the Jazz allowing one of their top-10 highest scoring nights on the other end this season, and what's now their 11th game allowing a team to score 140 points or more all year.

Despite that, all is to be expected in nights where half of the Jazz's rotation entering the game is signed onto either a two-way or 10-day contract. While they performed well, this rotation claiming a victory over a near-fully healthy Raptors team was always bound to be a difficult task, even with nearly 40 points from Bailey.

The bottom line is this game is exactly the type of performance Utah's front office is eager to see; one that shows some real potential within their young talent on the roster, and especially their top-five pick from last summer, but also takes them one step closer to bigger and better draft lottery odds.

After this one, 10 games remain on the Jazz's schedule before their regular season campaign officially comes to a close. But don't be surprised if we see a couple more explosive scoring outings from their top-five pick in the process that adds even more excitement for what next year could come to offer.