Keyonte George put up 25 points and Collin Sexton contributed 21 points as the Utah Jazz managed to end a three-game slump by securing a 124-122 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.

The undermanned Jazz (29-37) fielded three rookies in the starting lineup – George, Brice Sensabaugh (14 points), and Taylor Hendricks (10 rebounds). Utah received significant boosts from G-League call-ups Johnny Juzang (19 points) and Micah Potter (11 points) who achieved career-high performances.

Veteran John Collins, who spent the previous six seasons with Atlanta, made an impact with 18 points and 11 rebounds against his former team.

Dejounte Murray led the scoring with 33 points and also contributed nine assists and seven rebounds. His consecutive 3-pointers in the late stages of the game ignited a comeback, setting the stage for a tense finish.

Despite having two opportunities to clinch the victory, the Hawks (29-37) fell short as Murray missed a crucial 3-point attempt with 35.9 seconds remaining. Utah then effectively shut down Murray’s passing lanes after regaining possession with just 8.9 seconds left. Vit Krejci’s last-second 3-point attempt also failed to deliver the win.

This game marked former Jazz coach Quin Snyder‘s return to Utah, where he coached the team from 2014 to 2022. Snyder was warmly welcomed by the audience at the Delta Center through a heartfelt pregame video tribute.

De’Andre Hunter contributed 27 points for Atlanta, while Jalen Johnson added 26 points. Clint Cappella secured 15 rebounds and scored 10 points.

Playing without Jordan Clarkson (right groin strain), Lauri Markkanen (quad contusion), and Kris Dunn (rest), the Jazz shot 51.1 percent from the field and nailed 14 3-pointers. Utah dominated the paint, outscoring Atlanta 56-34 in that area.

Murray scored five points in the final 27 seconds of the third quarter, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, which helped the Hawks reduce Utah’s lead to just two.

After a four-point play by Potter, the Jazz swiftly extended their lead to nine before Atlanta responded with seven consecutive points.

Sexton kickstarted an 8-0 scoring run for the Jazz with a jump shot, then forced a turnover and sunk a 3-pointer, giving Utah a 10-point advantage. Murray managed to cut the deficit back to two points with only 1:18 left in the game.