The expectations for the Utah Jazz heading into the 2025-26 season were in the gutter. After all, they were coming off a season in which they won the fewest games in the NBA last season with 17. They have always seemed to throw the season around March and April, with the likes of Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler being “rested” for what one would presume are tanking purposes.
But under the watchful eye of head coach Will Hardy, the Jazz can be very competitive, especially towards the start of a new campaign. On Monday night, the Jazz, after being pushed to the brink by the Phoenix Suns, managed to pull out a 138-134 win in overtime — with Markkanen going off for 51 points on 14-32 shooting from the field.
Markkanen's talent can never be questioned, as he remains one of the most versatile scorers in the league and one of the most efficient all while moving smoothly despite standing at 7'0″. And with his career-high scoring effort in the Jazz's second win of the season in three games, he became the first player in franchise history to score at least 50 points in a single game since Karl Malone put up 56 all the way back in 1998, as pointed out by ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel.
This incredible performance from Markkanen also marks the fourth time this season that someone has crossed the 50-point barrier. The Jazz star joined Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (55), Aaron Gordon (50), and Austin Reaves (51) as those who've crossed the half-century mark in points in a single game thus far this season.
This speaks volumes as to how high the collective talent level is nowadays in the NBA, and the Jazz were the latest to benefit from an awesome game from their best player.
Jazz get second win of the season: a repeat of the 2022-23 season incoming?
During the 2022-23 campaign, the Jazz were very competitive for much of the year before they decided to pull the plug towards the end of the season. Since then, Utah has gotten worse and worse, and it doesn't seem like they've gotten their blue-chip, potential franchise cornerstone from the draft quite yet.
But the Jazz, under Hardy, are playing with so much effort on both ends of the court. They have a legitimate star in Markkanen, and Keyonte George appears to be coming into his own as a talented floor general for Utah. Their next game will be on Wednesday night when they face the Portland Trail Blazers at home.
