Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz reacts as he watches a shot go in the basket against the Brooklyn Nets during the second half of their game February 4, 2022 at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. Chris Gardner/Getty Images/AFP
Donovan Mitchell scored 24 points and backup center Hassan Whiteside contributed 15 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Utah Jazz past the Orlando Magic 114-99 for their fifth consecutive win Friday night in Salt Lake City.
Jordan Clarkson added 18 points for the Jazz, who exploded for 70 points in the second half. Royce O’Neale chipped in with 14 points, five assists and four steals, and Udoka Azubuike totaled 12 points and seven rebounds.
📹| Highlights from a balanced team effort over the Magic ⤵️#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/m7AaTWNnLJ
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 12, 2022
Wendell Carter Jr. scored 22 with nine rebounds for Orlando, which fell to 1-1 on its four-game road trip and lost for the third time in four games.
Cole Anthony had 18 points, six rebounds and five assists but also committed seven turnovers, and Mo Bamba notched 16 points and eight boards in the loss.
Mitchell, who also grabbed seven rebounds, scored nine straight points and 11 overall during a 17-point run in the first quarter for a 24-7 lead.
Orlando, which only scored 12 in the opening period, closed the gap to five with the final seven points of the half. Utah was limited to 16 points in the second quarter and took a lower-than-usual score of 44-39 into the break.
Both offenses clicked in the third quarter.
Carter Jr. helped the Magic trim the Jazz lead to 77-74 with 11 points in the period, while O’Neale boosted Utah with three 3-pointers. Orlando outscored the Jazz 35-33 in that quarter.
Utah dominated the fourth. O’Neale and Clarkson hit 3s midway through the quarter to push the Jazz ahead by 12 points, and they cruised to the victory from there with 37 points in the period.
Rudy Gobert and Rudy Gay were sidelined again for Utah with injuries. Nickeil Alexander-Walker made his Jazz debut, playing just one minute with zero stats, after being acquired in a three-way trade earlier in the week.