Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen returned to the United Center on Saturday on the heels of a career performance.
Markkanen scored 49 points Thursday to fuel the Jazz past the Rockets, but he didn’t even leave with the game ball.
‘‘I got a little bit of grief for giving the game ball to [rookie guard] Ochai Agbaji, but I meant it,’’ Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “In a game we needed to win, he’s playing early in the fourth quarter and scores 11 big points. I thought that showed he was as big a part of our win as Lauri’s 49.