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SALT LAKE CITY — Lauri Markkanen has spent the season changing the narrative about his still-young career. He was a role player that turned into an All-Star; a stretch big that turned into a No. 1 option.
On Thursday, in Utah's first game back from the All-Star break, he showed he's not done leveling up yet.
Markkanen had 43 points — despite fighting through a rough 3-point shooting night — to drag the Jazz to a hard-fought 120-119 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder at Vivint Arena.
He had 18 points in the fourth quarter to help erase a late 10-point deficit. Then added 6 more points in overtime, including the game-winning free throws with 4.6 seconds left.
"It felt like we were down 6-8 points for the majority of the game and just kept hanging around, kept battling," Jazz coach Will Hardy said. "Everybody stayed the course and we were fortunate to make a lot of big plays down the stretch of regulation, and then, obviously, some big plays down the stretch in overtime."
Most of those were made by Markkanen. With his 3-point shooting a bit cold (he started 1-for-8 from behind the arc), he attacked the basket.
In the fourth quarter, he was 7-of-8 in the paint — four of which were dunks, including a driving baseline two-handed slam through two defenders. That was an exclamation point to a dominant run for Markkanen who showed that he could take over a game late.
"Those are plays that, as the best player on the team and as the leader of the team, the rest of the group follows," Hardy said.
Indeed, Walker Kessler wrestled a rebound away late and fought through two defenders to deliver the game-tying bucket with 4.6 seconds left in regulation.
Then he even topped that on the other end, when he had a game-saving block. Oklahoma City's Isaiah Joe blew by him on the perimeter, but Kessler was able to recover and block a reverse layup to give the Jazz a chance in overtime.
A chance they didn't squander.
Thursday's game was far from easy. Utah had 21 turnovers, shot just 27% from 3-point range, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (39 points) proved to be an absolute menace on the Jazz's defense.
Utah didn't lead in the second half or overtime until Markkanen hit three free throws with 4.6 seconds left in overtime. The Jazz hung on when Gilgeous-Alexander's leaner went in and out at the buzzer — and gave Markkanen another night to remember.
Markkanen's dominance in the paint wasn't a coincidence; it's been a deliberate change to his game. His paint and dunking numbers are the best of his career by a large margin. So what's been the difference?
Markkanen said he changed his workout program a bit after being asked to play small forward in Cleveland last season. He lost some weight and worked on becoming more athletic. That's allowed him to blossom into the player he is now. There's just not a lot of players that can drive from the baseline and jump between two defenders and finish with two hands.
But it's more than just his body; it's his mindset, too. Yes, he's an elite 3-point shooter, but he knows there are nights — like on Thursday — when he can't rely solely on his shot.
"I know it's gonna go in eventually, but just gotta switch it up and keep the defense honest. so trying to be an all around basketball player rather than just a 3-point shooter," he said.
That's what he was on Thursday; and that's why the Jazz were able to come back and get a critical win in the team's chase for the playoffs.
"To be one of the better players in the NBA, you have to do it in a variety of ways. It can't just be jump shots," Hardy said.
At this point, there's no doubt Markkanen is just that: one of the better players in the NBA.
