Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin told his young backup center to be ready to bring some extra energy to Monday’s game.
And Enes Kanter obliged.
Kanter scored 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the field and added nine rebounds and a career-high five blocked shots to help the Jazz beat Milwaukee 100-86 at EnergySolutions Arena.
“He said we have to bring so much energy,” Kanter said, referring to himself and his teammates on Utah’s shortened bench. “That’s what we did … we just played great.”
Amazingly, Kanter played only 17 minutes.
Now that’s good production. He scored 11 points and had five rebounds in the second quarter alone.
“He did a great job, giving us energy from the time he stepped on the floor,” Corbin said of Kanter. “He plays smart (and) big inside.”
Wednesday’s game was Kanter’s 10th double-digit game this season and the first once since he scored 10 Jan. 23 against Washington.
Kanter scored 18 when the Jazz beat Toronto earlier this season.
GAME 50
Jazz 100, Bucks 86
• BEST PLAY: With just over a minute left, Paul Millsap blocks Brandon Jennings’ shot, then quickly zips the ball up the court, feeding DeMarre Carroll who is racing down the other side. Carroll catches it in stride and skies in for the dunk, giving the Jazz a 100-84 lead.
• BEST LINE: In just 17 minutes of work, Kanter scored 17 points on go along with nine rebounds and a career-high five blocked shots.
• KEY STAT: The Jazz held Milwaukee to just 31 percent shooting after the first quarter.
• HAPPY THOUGHTS: Al Jefferson said the Jazz have “great positive energy.”
The center said he thought everyone on the team accepts coaching without reservation.
“(On some teams) you have 10 or 11 guys who are coachable and that one guy who’s not, it kind of just (sends) a negative energy going through the team,” he said following Wednesday’s shootaround. “This team, everybody’s coachable. Everybody listens and everybody adjusts. Everybody, when coach gets on to you, they take it and respond from it.”
• MILESTONE: The Jazz have won 11 in a row vs. the Bucks in Salt Lake City.
• INJURY REPORT: Still no Mo Williams (thumb surgery) or Gordon Hayward (sprained shoulder). … The Bucks went without center Larry Sanders (lower back). Sanders came in as the NBA’s No. 1 shot-blocker, averaging 3.2 blocks per game.
• ETC.: The Jazz are 45-41 all-time vs. the Bucks and 21-17 in Salt Lake City. … Milwaukee hasn’t beaten the Jazz on their home floor since October of 2001. …
Randy Foye’s 3-pointer with 9:41 left in the third quarter gave him 116 on the season, second most by a Jazzman in a season. Mehmet Okur holds the record at 129. … Jefferson scored 19 points and had 11 rebounds for his 24th double-double of the season.
• UP NEXT: The Jazz will play host to the Chicago Bulls for a nationally-televised game Friday night beginning at 8:30 p.m. The game will be carried by ESPN.
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