Jazz 109, Rockets 101: 5 Takeaways

Laurie Markannen scored 24 points, while Jordan Clarkson chipped in 20 with five three-pointers as the Utah Jazz beat the Houston Rockets, 109-101.

The Jazz came out with energy out of the gates and jumped out to a 61-49 halftime lead. Utah seemed to be cruising to a victory, but the Rockets went on an 8-0 run to start the fourth quarter and cut the lead to two points with 5:39 left in the game.

Utah was able to regroup and go on a 9-3 run over the next three minutes to put the game to bed ultimately.

What did we learn in Utah’s fourth win of the season? Let’s break it down.

Gotta Cut Down on Fouls

Committing fouls was a huge problem for Utah on Wednesday night. Jarred Vanderbilt and Kelly Olynyk both fouled out, which contributed to Houston being in the bonus with 6:43 left in the fourth quarter.

The Jazz had a 14-point lead after three quarters of play, but the inability to play a clean game put Houston right back in it. The Jazz pulled it out but may not be so fortunate against better teams.

Home Energy Sparked by Vanderbilt

Utah took advantage of some home cooking and one day's rest to provide the energy that wasn’t there on Monday night. Vanderbilt led the charge with his effort on the defensive side, and he’s really becoming a fan favorite.

The Jazz need to set their sights on locking up the defensive specialist before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2024.

Talen Horton-Tucker Sighting

Horton-Tucker provided the Jazz a spark in the first half, scoring 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting while knocking down a couple of threes. The fourth-year pro has a reputation for getting his points in bunches, and that was on full display on Wednesday night.

Also, Horton-Tucker provided Jazz fans with a play worthy of a SportsCenter top 10 highlight. At the 7:20 mark in the third quarter, he started at the top of the key and beat his man (Otto Porter Jr) on a dribble-drive to the right and proceeded to jump off one foot and absolutely posterized Tari Eason with a one-handed cock-back thunder-dunk.

Horton-Tucker ended the game with 14 points on a season-high 28 minutes.

Markkanen's Size is a Weapon

Markannen playing small forward is becoming a big matchup problem for the opposition. The 7-footer's 24 points came on 10-for-15 shooting.

Most of Markkanen's buckets were in the paint, taking full advantage of his size and shooting over smaller defenders. Coach Will Hardy’s decision to play Markkanen at the three is paying big dividends for the Jazz.

Collin Sexton Injury

Sexton was ruled out of the second half with a left oblique contusion injury. Tucker-Horton replaced Sexton’s spot in the rotation. The Frozen Rope will provide updates as they become available.

Utah’s next game is Friday when they go on the road to face the Denver Nuggets at 7:00 pm MDT.

Follow Patrick on Twitter @pbyrnesNBA.

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