George and Markkanen help Jazz snap 4-game skid with 128-119 win over Kings

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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Keyonte George scored 31 points and Lauri Markkanen added 28 to help the Utah Jazz snap a four-game skid with a 128-119 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.

Brice Sensabaugh had 20 points for the Jazz, who finished 1-3 in NBA Cup group play.

Russell Westbrook, the NBA leader in triple-doubles, had the 206th of his career with 16 points, a season-high 14 assists and 12 rebounds for Sacramento, which went winless in four NBA Cup games. Zach LaVine led the Kings with 34 points, and Keegan Murray had 23 points and nine rebounds.

Trailing by 11 at halftime, Sacramento trimmed the deficit to 67-65 on a 3-pointer from Murray but got no closer.

George hit back-to-back 3-pointers and followed with a floater to help Utah regain a double-digit lead. The Jazz closed the third quarter on a 10-0 run, capped by Jusuf Nurkic’s layup for a 90-73 lead.

Utah held Sacramento without a field goal for six minutes on its way to building a double-digit lead early in the second quarter. Markkanen made three baskets and hit a pair of free throws to fuel a 20-2 run that put the Jazz up 39-27.

Sacramento cut the deficit to 55-51 on a 3-pointer by LaVine that punctuated a 10-2 run. Markkanen countered with a 3 and then beat the buzzer with a layup to extend Utah’s lead to 62-51 going into halftime.

Kings: Host Memphis on Sunday.

Jazz: Host Houston on Sunday.

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