Jazz’s bench flips script
In a 147‑101 blowout of Memphis, two Utah bench players posted historic triple‑doubles — Bez Mbeng with 27/11/11 and John Konchar with 11/11/10 — marking the first time teammates each recorded triple‑doubles off the bench in the same game. (x.com) That kind of depth performance suggests the Jazz aren’t just getting garbage‑time stats; their reserves can change game plans and offer real matchup flexibility. (x.com)
Utah beat Memphis by 46 points on Friday night, and the strangest part of the box score sat on the bench: Bez Mbeng finished with 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists, while John Konchar added 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. It was the first time in National Basketball Association history that two teammates each posted a triple-double off the bench in the same game. (nba.com) (ksl.com) A triple-double means a player reaches double digits in three box-score categories, usually points, rebounds, and assists. Getting one usually means one player controlled huge chunks of a game; Utah got two from reserves who were not in the opening lineup. (nba.com) (sports.yahoo.com) The game itself was lopsided from the start. Utah scored 33 points in the first quarter, 41 in the second, and finished with 147 points on 62 made field goals and 43 assists. (nba.com) (basketball.realgm.com) That matters because bench numbers often come in messy late-game minutes when the result is already settled. Mbeng and Konchar were not just mopping up; they played 38:10 and 35:28, and both were central to Utah’s offense all night. (nba.com) (basketball.realgm.com) Mbeng’s line was the louder one. He shot 12 for 19 from the field, hit 1 of 3 from three-point range, handed out 11 assists, and committed just one turnover in his first career triple-double. (nba.com) (ksl.com) Konchar’s version looked different and showed why the pairing worked. He took only six shots, but he grabbed 11 rebounds, handed out 10 assists, and added five steals and two blocks, which is the stat line of a player filling every gap on the floor. (nba.com) (ksl.com) Utah’s starters were productive too, which is why the bench numbers landed inside a real team performance instead of a novelty act. Blake Hinson scored a career-high 30 points, Kennedy Chandler added 26 points and 10 assists, and Oscar Tshiebwe pulled down 22 rebounds. (sports.yahoo.com) (nba.com) Memphis helped create the opening by arriving short-handed and overwhelmed. The Grizzlies finished 25-56, shot 37.6 percent from the field, and gave up 56.4 percent shooting to Utah. (espn.com) (basketball.realgm.com) Even in that context, two bench triple-doubles point to something coaches actually care about: lineup flexibility. If a reserve guard like Mbeng can score 27 while creating 11 baskets for teammates, and a reserve wing like Konchar can rebound like a big man while defending passing lanes, a second unit stops being a holding pattern and starts becoming a matchup tool. (nba.com) (ksl.com) Utah is still 22-59 after snapping a 10-game losing streak, so one April blowout does not erase the season. But on April 10, 2026, the Jazz showed a version of depth that can bend a game instead of just surviving it, and the record book now has two bench names on the same line to prove it. (espn.com) (sports.yahoo.com)
