Lauri Markkanen had a nice start to the NBA basketball season. The Finn’s teammate Collin Sexton was Utah’s best scorer.
11:07•Updated 11:10
Lauri Markkanen started the NBA basketball season on Thursday morning Finnish time in his new club Utah Jazz. The season got off to a good start for the Finn.
Markkanen scored 17 points and was the team’s second highest scorer against the Denver Nuggets. The Jazz took a stylish victory over the Nuggets at home with a score of 123–102.
Jazz is the bottom caste of the league, a superstar Nikola Jokic Denver is expected to struggle for the top spot.
Markkanen, who moved from Cleveland to Utah for this season, immediately received praise from the team’s head coach by Will Hardy.
– He (Markkanen) is a versatile player on the field. His size and athleticism, as well as his game intelligence, will be a very important part of the team, Hardy said on the NBA’s website. (you switch to another service)
Markkanen, who was on the court for more than half an hour, threw three successful threes and made four passes leading to the basket. Markkanen grabbed four rebounds, all on the defensive end.
In the post-match interview, Markkanen was praised for his good defensive play.
– I enjoy the competition. I’m ready, whoever needs to be defended. The team has a lot of heart and we have great fans to support us, Markkanen enthused.
“Collin is tough”
The most powerful of the jazz group was Collin Sexton by sinking 20 points. Sexton, recovering from a serious knee injury, also recorded five rebounds and two assists.
Like Markkanen, 23-year-old Sexton moved from Cleveland to Utah for the 2022-2023 season. Last season he played only 11 games due to injury.
Head coach Hardy considers Sexton’s character exceptional.
– Collin is tough. You could see his passion for the sport on the field, especially at the end of the match. He made big plays. He’s manic at the gym. His work ethic is one of the best I’ve seen in the NBA.
Although Sexton and Markkanen were the stars of the team, head coach Hardy praised the entire team.
– We had seven players with doubles, everyone who played got a pass, Hardy pointed out.
In his NBA career so far, Markkanen’s best season in the light of statistics is the 2018–2019 Bulls era, when he got 18.7/9.
You can see the results of the entire NBA round on teletext.
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