Salt Lake City, OKC & Los Angeles — Monday night in the NBA’s Western Conference delivered a trio of notable storylines: a record-setting performance in Utah, an injury scare for Dallas’ top draft pick, and another blow to a depleted Lakers roster.
Jazz
Lauri Markkanen erupted for a career-high 51 points as the Utah Jazz edged the Phoenix Suns 138-134 in overtime. The forward became the first Jazz player to reach the 50-point plateau since Karl Malone in 1998, ending a span of nearly 10,000 days — the fourth-longest gap between 50-point games in league history.
Markkanen logged 45 minutes, sealing the victory with two free throws in the final two seconds. He finished 6-for-11 from beyond the arc and a perfect 17-for-17 at the line, tying the franchise mark for most free throws without a miss. His 14 rebounds made him the first player in team history with at least 50 points, 10 boards and five three-pointers in one game.
Guard Keyonte George supported the effort with 26 points and 10 assists.
Mavericks
Dallas rookie Cooper Flagg hurt his left shoulder on the opening possession of a 101-94 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The No. 1 overall pick played through the pain but went 1-for-9 from the field, finishing with two points. Flagg believes the injury occurred while boxing out and said he would undergo imaging.
“It’s just a little sore,” he told reporters. “Ice it, rehab, and I should be good to go.”
Coach Jason Kidd kept Flagg on the bench for most of crunch time as a reserve unit trimmed a 22-point deficit to one. “It wasn’t his night,” Kidd said. Flagg agreed, adding, “We had a group that was rolling. Coach made the right call.”
Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers’ injury list grew when guard Gabe Vincent was diagnosed with a sprained left ankle that will sideline him two to four weeks. Vincent, hurt in Sunday’s win over Sacramento, arrived at Crypto.com Arena on crutches Monday.
He joins an already crowded report that includes LeBron James (sciatica), Luka Doncic (finger sprain/leg contusion), Marcus Smart (quad contusion), Jaxson Hayes (knee soreness), Maxi Kleber (abdominal strain) and Adou Thiero (knee recovery).
Despite the absences, Austin Reaves followed his 51-point outburst in Sacramento with 41 points and five assists in a 122-108 defeat to Portland. Coach JJ Redick praised Reaves’ edge while acknowledging the short bench; Los Angeles had only seven full-time players available, starting Reaves alongside Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt and Jake LaRavia.
The Jazz break a decades-long scoring drought, the Mavericks await test results on their top prospect, and the Lakers search for healthy bodies as the Western Conference season grinds on.
Source: Hoops Wire
