Keyonte George erupted for a career-high 43 points and Jusuf Nurkic delivered a rare triple-double as the Utah Jazz rallied past the Minnesota Timberwolves 127-122 on Tuesday night.
Nurkic finished with 16 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists for his second career triple-double — and his first since Jan. 16, 2019 — while helping Utah snap a four-game losing streak. Rookie Ace Bailey scored 20 points and Isaiah Collier added 18 points and 10 assists for the Jazz (15-29), who also gave coach Will Hardy the 100th win of his career.
George continued his recent scoring surge, topping 30 points for the third time in his last six games.
Anthony Edwards led Minnesota (27-17) with 38 points, but the Timberwolves couldn’t hold a 15-point lead and finished a four-game road trip with three straight losses. Julius Randle added 19 points, and Rudy Gobert posted 11 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in his return after missing two of the previous three games.
Edwards pulled Minnesota within 121-119 with a three-point play late in the fourth, but George answered with a clutch corner 3-pointer with 59.2 seconds remaining to put the Jazz back in control.
Utah dominated the final period, scoring on its first 11 possessions. Bailey ignited an 11-2 run with a highlight dunk and a 3-pointer that gave the Jazz the lead for good with 7:47 left.
The Timberwolves had surged ahead earlier behind Edwards, who scored 12 points in the third quarter as Minnesota turned a one-point deficit into a 96-84 lead. Minnesota held a 23-9 edge in fast-break points through three quarters but faded down the stretch.
Gobert picked up a technical foul in the fourth quarter for elbowing Nurkic in the face, though a video review ruled it was not a flagrant.
The Jazz were without leading scorer Lauri Markkanen, Kevin Love and Brice Sensabaugh, and entered the night 0-10 without Markkanen this season.
Up next:
*Timberwolves: Host the Chicago Bulls on Thursday.
Jazz: Host the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.*
