Utah's Sensabaugh scores 21 points in 1st quarter, highest for a bench player in at least 29 years

CHICAGO (AP) — Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh scored 21 points off the bench in the first quarter Wednesday night against Chicago, the most by an NBA reserve in the opening period in at least 29 years.

It's the highest number since the statistic was first tracked in the 1996-97 season.

Until Sensabaugh's outburst, Indiana's Lance Stephenson had the high for first-quarter scoring with 20 points against Brooklyn on Jan. 5, 2022. He finished that game with 30 points.

Sensabaugh scored 28 points in the first half against the Bulls, just two points shy of the Jazz record for a starter or reserve in the opening 24 minutes. Rodney Hood scored 30 points in the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 28, 2016.

Karl Malone scored 37 points in the second half in a game against Golden State on April 7, 1998, for the team record for any half.

Sensabaugh made 8 of 9 shots in the first quarter, including all three 3-point shots. His scoring came in just 7:14 of playing time.

The third-year player posted his career high for a game on Jan. 4 with 34 points at Miami. His second-best scoring game came the next day with 27 points at Orlando.

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