Brice Sensabaugh
It has been quite the season for the Utah Jazz. They lost their starting center Walker Kessler in the first week of the year. Jusuf Nurkic and Kevin Love have been the ones holding it down at the center spot.
They lost a game by 55 points last Saturday to the Hornets, and miraculously bounced back to then stun the Cavs 123-112 on the road in Cleveland. And things got even more crazy against the Bulls last night, where yet another star emerged.
Brice Sensabaugh, who has been up-and-down in his third year, dropped 43 big points.
This is just the 22nd time in NBA history that a reserve scored 43 or more in a game.
Sensabaugh did not even start the game, despite Lauri Markkanen being out with an illness. The surprising note there, he has started nine games on the year. He decided this would be his major night, and nobody was going to stop him.
The Ohio State product had one of the best Jazz performances of the season.
Brice Sensabaugh Going Loco
Keyonte George has been incredible for the Jazz this season. Naturally, they likely game-planned to try and slow him down in the absence of Lauri Markkanen. George put up 25 points on 8-17, but of course, was not the biggest star for Utah.
Brice Sensabaugh, now in his third NBA season, has had flashes of being very good. Two games ago, he dropped 26 points. Against Cleveland, in the win, he had just seven. But last night, not even starting, had the first 40-burger by an NBA reserve this year.
In doing so, he just became the second-youngest to score 40 in franchise history. Of course, at 22 years of age, doing all of this is still just scratching the surface for the scoring forward.
Sensabaugh, coming into the league, was known for the scoring ability. During his one year with the Buckeyes, he averaged over 16 points per game. It was pretty clear why he was a first-round pick, and what he could bring to the floor.
As players have moved around over the last few years in Utah, more opportunities have come into play for the forward. He’s been sharp of late, and will only get more chances with play like this.
Not many Jazz fans will remember that the Bulls actually won the game a few weeks from now, but rather that they have another emerging gem.
Looking Ahead at Utah’s Schedule
The Jazz will play four games in the next six days, including the tail-end of a back-to-back with the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night. If Lauri Markkanen doesn’t return for this one, there should be plenty of chances for Brice Sensabaugh to star once again.
Utah defeated Dallas in their last meeting.
They will face Dallas again on Saturday night, finishing their prolonged stay there. They’ll be staying in Texas a little longer though, a battle with the Spurs lined up for next Monday at 5:00 PM ET. They’ll have a back-to-back situation, finishing up with the Timberwolves on the 20th.
There is no soft spot on the schedule for this team, but teams have to make their own luck in the league. Just as they managed a way past the Cavs, they have proven to have the talent to beat any team, any night.
It was only a week ago that they nearly took down the OKC Thunder. Anything can happen.