Collier posts career-high 22 assists as Jazz pick up 131-122 win over Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS — The Utah Jazz followed up the news of its big trade by picking up a road win in Indiana, defeating the shorthanded Pacers 131-122 behind a career night from Isaiah Collier.

It was a complete masterclass for Collier who was great for Utah Tuesday night. Playing in all 48 minutes, Collier dished out a career-high 22 assists, smashing his previous career high of 15 assists.

Collier was a maestro in setting up the offense, and showed plenty of grit while doing it. Collier poured in 17 points to go along with his 22 assists, which is the most by any player in the NBA this season. He also becomes the youngest player all-time to record 22 assists in a game.

"I thought the team really competed for all 48 minutes," Jazz head coach Will Hardy said. "Isaiah's 22 assists with only two turnovers is a testament to him. It's a testament to his teammates. Zay made a lot of great decisions for us tonight."

The news of the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade broke earlier in the day on Tuesday, and shortly before tipoff the trade was finalized and made official.

The Jazz had already ruled out a couple players due to injury, and the eight-player trade with Memphis left them with fewer players available. Indiana was also missing four starters, which forced both teams to have just a handful of players able to play in the game.

Utah played just seven players, but all seven reached double figures for the Jazz. Lauri Markkanen led the way with 27 points on an efficient night in just 27 minutes of action.

Collier wasn't the only second-year player with a double-double for Utah as Kyle Filipowski collected his fifth double-double of the season after posting 16 points and 16 rebounds.

Brice Sensabaugh and Svi Mykhailiuk were the only players to come off the bench for the Jazz, but they combined for 38 points. Sensabaugh scored 20 while Mykhailiuk picked up 18 points.

Utah had its hands full with a gritty Pacers team that had plenty of guys looking to make some noise with extended minutes. It wasn't easy — Indiana led after the first quarter — but the Jazz found ways to get solid contributions from its seven-man lineup to squeak out the win.

It's been a tough season for the Pacers, who is just eight months removed from an NBA Finals appearance. On top of Tyrese Haliburton's torn Achilles, Indiana has been plagued by plenty of injuries this season. That hasn't stopped the Pacers from giving it their all every night; and Tuesday night's game showcased plenty of players on both teams who were hungry to make its mark.

Even without their All-Star, Pascal Siakam, Indiana gave Utah all it could, but Collier's ability to find his teammates and help set up open looks for them gave the Jazz the shots they needed.

"(Collier) read sprint slips very well and made those reads on time so that people could get shots off," Hardy said. "I think he also did a great job of recognizing who was in a little bit of a rhythm. He showed a lot of poise and maturity as a point guard."

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