Jazz reserve Sensabaugh drops 21 in opening quarter, sets NBA mark for bench players
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CHICAGO — Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh erupted for 21 points off the bench in the first quarter of a 128-126 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night, establishing the highest first-period total by a reserve since official play-by-play tracking began in 1997-98.
The third-year wing surpassed the previous benchmark of 20, set by Indiana’s Lance Stephenson against Brooklyn on Jan. 5, 2022. Sensabaugh needed just 7 minutes and 14 seconds to reach the new standard, hitting 8 of 9 shots and all three of his attempts from beyond the arc.
Sensabaugh finished with a career-best 43 points in 34 minutes, shooting 15-for-22 overall and 5-for-10 from three-point range. His prior high was 34 points on Jan. 4 in Miami; he followed that effort with 27 points the next night in Orlando.
The outburst ranks as the second-largest scoring night by a Utah reserve, trailing only Jordan Clarkson’s 45-point performance in March 2022. Sensabaugh tallied 28 points before halftime, two shy of the franchise record for any player in an opening half, set by Rodney Hood (30) on March 28, 2016, against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Karl Malone holds Utah’s record for any half with 37 points in the second half against Golden State on April 7, 1998.
Source: ESPN
