facebook-pixel

Finding his old promise, Alec Burks comes through big in Game 2

Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles (2) drives to the basket during the first half in Game 2 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets, Wednesday, May 2, 2018, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

Houston • Only one of the four Jazzmen up on the podium on Wednesday night had never been there before.

Joe Ingles begged the media to ask Alec Burks a question. But when his moment came, Burks didn’t feel much like talking.

What was he able to bring to the table? “I made winning plays, that’s all,” he said.

Did he want to step up more because of injuries to the team? “I just took advantage of the opportunity,” he said.

Burks, 26, had a more memorable night on the court in a 116-108 Game 2 win.

While his career, now in his seventh season, has seen him slip in and out of the Jazz rotation, Burks put on a vintage show against the Rockets — a reminder of the talent that once made him seen as a key piece of the franchise. He attacked the rim as well as he has in any big game, shooting 7 for 11 with 17 points.

It was a needed boost on a night when Donovan Mitchell’s scoring load was lighter than usual. Burks ran like a deer in transition, sometimes making the simple layups he needed to, but also making the logic-defying buckets that have made the moniker “Houdini” stick despite Quin Snyder’s protestations.

In particular, a second-quarter reverse layup over a stunned Gerald Green was signature Burks — sometimes wild, sometimes brilliant, never boring.

“We’ve seen AB do amazing things throughout the year,” Mitchell said. “This is just a little bit of what he can do: the finishes, the attack mode. That’s what he does in front of everybody. He gets buckets.”

But aside from guiding the Jazz to some big runs, Burks also played solid in other areas. After Mitchell’s 11 assists, Utah’s second-leading passer was Burks, who had six. His kickouts to open shooters was a factor in Utah’s 15 3-point makes, and he even tossed a lob to Gobert.

He was also passable defensively, coming away with a steal and block in his 22 minutes. The all-around effort reflected a game awareness that his occasionally unhinged style belies.

But while it seemed that in many ways, the Jazz had turned the page on Burks, there’s still faith in his abilities. His teammates like him, and lately, his coaches have made him a major contributor. After a big performance to help close Game 6 against the Thunder, it’s conceivable that Burks — who was left for lost on the bench — will be a needed cog in Utah’s machine.

“I think the guys who are coming off the bench know that they have the confidence of both the staff and the other guys on the team to attack and, if they make a mistake, get back,” Snyder said. “When guys have confidence in each other, it allows them the confidence individually to step up.”