Lauri Markkanen shone again as the best scorer on the court when the Utah Jazz defeated the Detroit Pistons. The Finn scored the best points pot of his career.
Fan voting for NBA All-Star players opened yesterday, and Utah’s Lauri Markkanen showed again why he should be included among the superstars of the series. Jyväskyläinen scored 38 points and grabbed five rebounds as Detroit’s guest, as the Jazz broke their two-game losing streak by winning 126–111.
The 38-point pot is next to the best performance of Markkanen’s career, which he also achieved in November against Phoenix. The Finn hit nine of his 13 three-point attempts, which is his new record.
Markkanen was on fire right from the opening quarter, during which he sank 16 points. When in the previous match he was no longer played the ball in the second period, now he received more distribution.
– I always give praise to my teammates. They found me well, made screens and I just had to hit threes inside. Fortunately, I got through a few hoops, Markkanen stated after the match.
– There was room for improvement on the defensive end, and I scored a few easy baskets. However, the most important thing was that after a couple of losses we found a way to win again.
Markkanen’s statistics from this season are convincing. In light of the points, he is clearly playing the best season of his career. The scoring average is now 22.3, and threes have been sunk in at a rate of 42.3 percent.
After returning to the court after a slight illness, Markkanen’s average points in the last five games is 26, and the triples have found their way into the sock 55 percent of the time.
Markkanen hopes to participate in the all-star match, but the most important motivator is to always strive for better performances in everyday life.
– It’s wonderful to be part of that conversation, and I work on my game and the team every day. It motivates me and I always just want to get better.
“Of course he belongs to the star game”
The star match will be played in February at Markkanen’s home arena in Salt Lake City. Last season, the game was in his hometown of Cleveland, and in 2020, in Chicago, when Markkanen played for the Bulls.
– The third time tells the truth. Of course, it would be really special to be able to play in your hometown and in front of your home crowd. However, there is still a long way to go.
When the match was over, the head coach of the Jazz Will Hardy benched the Finn, and he could no longer embellish his 38-point pot. According to Hardy, it is not unclear whether the Finn belongs to the star match.
– He played an incredible game. When they play against us, the teams have to make a plan for Lauri. His game has shown everything that is needed this season, and there is almost nothing that needs to be added to it, Hardy stated.
Hardy’s message was also supported by the other stars of the team Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson.
– Of course he belongs to the star game. You have to remember that we are talking about a player over 210 centimeters when you look at his performances. I am really happy that he will now be able to show his skills, said Conley, who played in the All-Star Game in 2021.
– He’s been scoring like crazy, and his numbers are crazy. He’s doing everything at the moment, Clarkson beamed.
The Jazz have won 18 of their 34 games, and the team at the bottom of the series is eighth in the Western Conference. The night before Friday, Finnish time, Utah plays at home against Washington.