ROCKETS STUMBLE
Rockets collapse late as Jazz surge past Houston
Feb 23, 2025, 10:31 pm
Jazz defeat the Rockets, 124-115. Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.
Keyonte George scored 30 points and Lauri Markkanen added 23 points and 10 rebounds to rally the Utah Jazz to a 124-115 victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.
Walker Kessler had 11 points and 17 rebounds, and Isaiah Collier added 12 points and 10 assists to help Utah snap a two-game skid.
Alperen Sengun led Houston with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Jalen Green added 25 points and 10 assists, and Amen Thompson had 23 points.
Aaron Holiday and Thompson made back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Rockets up 96-89. But the Jazz surged ahead for good behind a 21-5 run. Three straight baskets, capped by Cody Williams' layup, gave Utah a 110-101 lead with 5:59 left.
Sengun and Dillion Brooks each scored a pair of baskets to key an early 13-2 spurt that gave Houston a 45-40 lead midway through the second quarter.
Utah chipped away at the deficit, but did not retake a lead again until the third quarter when Markkanen bookended a string of four straight baskets that powered a 13-5 run. Kessler’s alley-oop dunk three possessions later punctuated that run and put the Jazz up 77-76.
Takeaways
Rockets: Houston committed only four turnovers over the first three quarters before coughing up the ball three times in the fourth.
Jazz: George propped up Utah’s struggling offense in the first half, scoring 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting before halftime.
Key moment
After falling behind by seven early in the fourth, the Jazz scored on six straight possessions and took the lead for good on a pull-up 3 from George.
Key stat
Utah outscored Houston 66-36 in the paint.
Up next
Houston hosts Milwaukee on Tuesday night. Utah hosts Portland on Monday night.
Milos Uzan scored a career-high 22 points and No. 4 Houston clinched at least a share of the Big 12 regular-season title with a 69-61 victory over 10th-ranked Texas Tech on Monday night.
J'Wan Roberts had 16 points and seven rebounds as the Cougars (24-4, 16-1 Big 12) avenged their only conference loss. It was 82-81 at home in overtime when the Red Raiders overcame the early ejection of leading scorer JT Toppin and coach Grant McCasland for their signature victory this season.
Toppin and Elijah Hawkins scored 14 points apiece for the short-handed Red Raiders (21-7, 12-5), who tried to feed off the energetic crowd despite playing just six players. Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes watched his alma mater from a seat next to the Texas Tech bench.
The Red Raiders were without two of their top three scorers in Chance McMillian and Darrion Williams, who have lower-body injuries. McMillian was sidelined for a second consecutive game.
Emanuel Sharpe scored 10 points as the Cougars eliminated Texas Tech from the Big 12 race and left No. 22 Arizona as the only team with a chance to catch them.
Takeaways
Houston: Became the first team to win a major conference title in its first two seasons in a league since Idaho did it in 1922-23.
Texas Tech: On top of the absence of McMillian and Williams, Toppin was nursing cramps in his calf in the second half. He still managed a double-double by grabbing 10 rebounds.
Key moment
The Red Raiders were down three in the final minute when Uzan hit a 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down.
Key stat
The Red Raiders shot a season-worst 30% overall and were at just 20% from 3.
Up next
Houston is home against Cincinnati on Saturday, while Texas Tech visits Kansas.