Two unexpected players rose up to break the Great Losing Streak of 2024

The Utah Jazz have finally broken the Great Losing Streak of 2024. The team had lost 13-straight games and were 3-23 since the NBA Trade Deadline in February. Now, they are 4-23 since the Trade Deadline, shocking everyone, ourselves included. Breaking the losing streak was not expected to happen, and we're happy it happened, as it gave the Jazz some much-needed positive news.

The Jazz have now achieved 40 seasons of winning basketball at home in Salt Lake City, while also hitting the 30-win mark for the season. Both things we didn't think would happen, and honestly, it shouldn't have happened. While we're glad it did, the Jazz were missing their heaviest hitters in the win.

Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Kris Dunn, Walker Kessler, John Collins, and Jordan Clarkson were all out for the win against the Houston Rockets. A win many didn't think would happen without at least a few of those names. Instead, unlikely heroes stepped up.

Keyonte George went 7-14 from the floor, with 20 points, five assists, and four rebounds. His defense was lacking but his offense was on point. Talen Horton-Tucker had one of his better games of the season, going 5-13 for 16 points on the night while providing five assists and five rebounds on the game as well.

Even Brice Sensabaugh had a solid outing, going 5-12 from the floor with 17 points.

Yet, they weren't the biggest surprises. Luka Samanic, who we've all but written off, had 22 points, six rebounds, two assists, and a steal, all while shooting 7-17 from the floor. Another surprise name was Kenneth Lofton, who showed his G-League dominance by dropping 14 points, nine rebounds, and five assists while shooting 5-7 from the floor.

The emergence of both Samanic and Lofton in a game where most other players would likely slack off was an unexpected treat. Does this mean that either should be back next season? No, but the team has a couple more games and maybe, just maybe, they can put together a few strong outings to warrant being kept around.