National Basketball Association
Utah 129, New York 97
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 29, 2018
Where: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Officials: #36 Brent Barnaky, #54 Ray Acosta, #71 Rodney Mott
Attendance: 18306

Utah's Rudy Gobert scored 24 points and had 13 rebounds -- in the first half alone -- as the Jazz scored 71 points in the first 24 minutes and waltzed to a 129-97 win over the visiting New York Knicks on Saturday night.

As the score indicates, it was all Jazz all night, except for a six-minute stretch in the third. But Utah closed the quarter on a 15-6 run to take a 97-66 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Utah opened up the fourth period on a 16-2 run and went up 113-68 on Georges Niang's 24-foot, 3-point jumper. Utah's largest lead of the game was 46 points.

Utah was playing without Jae Crowder and Ricky Rubio but did not miss a beat. The Jazz had four players record double-doubles.

Gobert finished with 25 points, including eight dunks and 16 boards, and watched most of the second half from the bench.

Dante Exum, who got his first start of the season, scored 13 points and recorded 13 assists.

Derrick Favors added 12 points and 10 boards for Utah, which also got 15 points from Kyle Korver off the bench.

Thabo Sefolosha scored 10 off the bench and had 10 rebounds.

Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 18 points for the Knicks, who have lost seven straight and 12 of 13 games. Luke Kornet, who made seven 3-point attempts in a loss to Milwaukee on Thursday, connected on four more from beyond the arc and finished with 14 points.

Utah held New York to just 37.2 percent from the field while the Jazz shot a sizzling 54.8 percent.

The Jazz controlled the paint, outrebounding the Knicks, 60-35. The Knicks had 15 turnovers and 17 assists.

The game was close for the first six minutes with the Jazz leading only 18-12. The Jazz went on a 12-2 run and opened up a 30-14 lead on a Korver 3-point jumper.

Utah then closed the quarter on a 9-3 run and led 39-17 heading into the second period, where the Jazz outscored the Knicks 32-17 for a 71-34 lead at intermission.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
New York   Utah
Tim Hardaway Jr. 18 Scoring Rudy Gobert 25
Luke Kornet 5 Assists Dante Exum 13
Noah Vonleh 9 Rebounds Rudy Gobert 16
Tim Hardaway Jr. 6 Free Throws Made Rudy Gobert 5
Noah Vonleh 3 Steals Thabo Sefolosha 3
Kevin Knox 1 Blocks Royce O'Neale 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
New York 97 37.2 15-32 18-22 17 35 1 10 15
Utah 129 54.8 16-36 11-14 30 60 6 8 17
Upcoming Games
  • Utah will play their next game on the road against Toronto. The Jazz have a W/L % of .444 after a win and .526 after a loss.
  • New York will play their next game on the road against Denver. The Knicks have a W/L % of .222 after a win and .250 after a loss.