The Utah Jazz, who appear to have discovered a new star in Brice Sensabaugh, aim to build on the momentum from their recent road trip as they host the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday in Salt Lake City.
Sensabaugh scored a career-high 34 points, including seven 3-pointers, on Saturday, followed by 27 points on Sunday. His performances helped Utah secure victories against the Miami Heat (136-100) and Orlando Magic (105-92), ending a five-game losing streak.
These were the first 25-point games of Sensabaugh’s career. The second-year forward is averaging 9.4 points per game this season.
On Sunday, the Jazz were without starters Lauri Markkanen (lower back spasms), John Collins (personal reasons), and Keyonte George (left heel soreness). All three played at least 26 minutes in the first leg of the back-to-back.
The Jazz have been encouraged by the continued development of center Walker Kessler, an Atlanta native who is averaging 10.4 points and 11.3 rebounds this season. Kessler is shooting 71 percent from the field and leads the team with 14 double-doubles.
The Hawks are dealing with their own injury issues.
After winning the first game of their six-game road trip, Atlanta has lost three consecutive games and fallen to .500. The Hawks played without second-leading scorer Jalen Johnson (right shoulder soreness) and key reserve Bogdan Bogdanovic (left lower leg injury management) in a 131-105 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
The absence of Johnson and Bogdanovic has increased pressure on Trae Young, who leads the team in scoring at 22.5 points per game.
In their game against the Clippers, the Hawks committed 13 turnovers in the first half, leading to 22 points for Los Angeles. The Clippers scored 26 fastbreak points before halftime, resulting in a 20-point lead and an easy victory.
The Hawks did get backup forward/center Onyeka Okongwu back from a five-game absence due to left knee inflammation. In four games since his return, Okongwu has averaged 10.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
Tuesday’s game marks the first of two meetings between the teams this season. It also marks a homecoming for Snyder, who coached Utah for eight seasons (2014-22).
