NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks jumped on the Utah Jazz for a 23-0 lead Friday night, the largest game-opening run in the NBA since the league began keeping detailed play-by-play for all four quarters.
The Knicks pitched a shutout for half the first quarter and led by 28 by the time it was over.
Karl-Anthony Towns opened the scoring with a 3-pointer and when Jalen Brunson made one midway through the period, the Knicks had scored the first 23 points.
That was the most one team had before the other scored since the NBA began keeping detailed play-by-play for the entire game in 1997.
The Jazz missed their first 12 shots before Keyonte George finally got them on the scoreboard when he converted a three-point play with 5:27 remaining in the quarter.
It was 41-13 after one quarter, with the 28-point lead after one quarter also the Knicks' biggest in the play-by-play era. Utah shot 4 for 23 (17.4%).
The Jazz were also on the wrong end of the other 28-point deficit after one quarter in the NBA this season. Minnesota led 43-15 in its eventual 137-97 victory over Utah on Nov. 7.
The Jazz were playing on the second night of a strange cross-country road trip, consisting solely of a back-to-back set in New York. They rallied to beat Brooklyn on Thursday with a 42-point fourth quarter.
Coach Will Hardy acknowledged that “10 hours on a plane to play two games seems like a lot,” but said that all teams face difficult portions of their schedule.
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