Lauri Markkanen scored 32 points in the win over Indiana. Utah is riding a six-game winning streak.
Utah’s Finnish star Lauri Markkanen was once again on top of his game in the NBA as he scored 32 points in the team’s 132-105 win over the Indiana Pacers.
Markkanen also grabbed 10 rebounds and three assists in the match. In three-point throws, he hit the rim two times out of four.
The Finnish player received incense already before the match from the experienced coach of the opposing side From Rick Carlisle. He compared From Mark to the best European player of all time to Dirk Nowitzki.
– He is the closest to Nowitzki that I have seen.
Carlisle once coached Nowitzki when the German giant became one of the league’s brightest superstars during their 11 years together at the Dallas Mavericks.
The German Nowitzki ranks sixth in the series’ all-time scoring record. He represented Dallas throughout his 21-year career and won the championship with the team in 2011.
Markkanen and Utah’s opponent of the night, the Indiana Pacers, is one of the league’s best offensive teams. However, the team played in the match without its brightest star Tyrese Haliburton. The Finn’s defensive game was praised in the post-match interview.
– You have to learn how to use your body in the right way. Eventually, all the pieces slowly fall into place. We had good energy right from the start of the match. All in all, a great performance from our team today, Markkanen said in the field interview.
Suomalaistaht is the subject of great attention
Markkanen has been in the spotlight a lot in recent days, as the 26-year-old was recently chosen as Finland’s Athlete of the Year. Currently, the Finn is realistically nominated for the NBA All-Star game for the second time.
Yesterday, the NBA chose Markkanen as the best player of the week in the Western Conference.
After the Indiana game, Markkas was interviewed on the field about being named player of the week, and the home crowd rose to a big applause.
– It means a lot, it’s my first! I also hope it won’t be the last. I know that winning makes it easier to achieve awards, so let’s keep winning, Markkanen said in the interview.
In the pre-match press conference, Indiana coach Carlisle also recalled the booking event in 2017, when Markkanen ended up wearing the Chicago Bulls shirt.
– Dallas had the ninth pick in the draft and we were hoping that somehow he would have ended up on our team that night. “When we got to practice with him, it was pretty clear he was going to be picked (in the draft) earlier,” Carlisle recalled.
The coach believes that Markkanen’s experiences in Chicago and Cleveland made him really “explode” in Utah.
In addition to Markkanen, the entire Utah team’s game has been on the upswing recently, as the team is now on a six-game winning streak with the Indiana win. After a difficult early season, the group has unexpectedly started to fight for a place in the playoffs.