Jazz fend off Rivers, Knicks for 9th straight win

Utah Jazz NBA

Utah Jazz forward Royce O’Neale (23) shoots the ball from under the rim during the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks at Vivint Smart Home Arena on January 26, 2021. Utah Jazz wins 108-94. Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

Royce O’Neale scored a career-high 20 points and Rudy Gobert dominated the interior as the Utah Jazz defeated the New York Knicks 108-94 in Salt Lake City for its ninth straight victory.

With leading scorer Donovan Mitchell struggling — nine points on 3-of-15 shooting — O’Neale connected on 7 of 12 attempts while also grabbing six rebounds.

Gobert hauled in 19 rebounds to go with 18 points and four blocked shots, and Mike Conley scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half.

Austin Rivers led New York with 25 points, including hitting 5 of 7 3-point attempts, but he was held scoreless in the second half after going 10-for-10 from the floor in a red-hot first half.

Julius Randle added 18 points and 10 rebounds for New York, which wrapped up a four-game Western trip with its third straight loss.

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