Utah Jazz (21-49) beat Milwaukee Bucks (28-41) 128-96 at home on Thursday, March 19. The final margin was 32 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Jazz struck first, taking the opening quarter 30-19 and a 11-point lead after one. The Jazz kept the pressure on with a 34-25 second quarter, carrying a 20-point lead into halftime.
The Jazz won the third 30-29 to create some separation, taking a 21-point lead into the fourth. The Jazz took the fourth 34-23; the Jazz finished the job for a 128-96 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The Jazz got more from their shots, finishing at 64% effective field-goal shooting compared with 50.6% for the Bucks. The Jazz took better care of the ball, turning it over on 13.2% of possessions compared with 20% for the Bucks. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Bucks did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 21.8 against 15.7. The Jazz made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 100 possessions per team, the Jazz produced 128.7 points per 100 possessions to 96.5 for the Bucks.
Who stood out
Airious Bailey was the game's biggest individual force for UTA: 33 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl on 13-27 shooting. His Game Score of 24.3 led everyone. His team was +15 with him on the floor.
Elijah Harkless (23 pts, 2 reb, 10 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 54% for the Jazz.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Milwaukee Bucks lead 3-0.
The Jazz are now 21-49, and the Bucks are 28-41. The Jazz last five before this game: W-L-L-L-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.