If there’s just one thing that can be said about this Jazz team, it’s that they’ll never quit. Regardless of the circumstances, whether the ball is going in the hoop or not, they will play for a full 48 minutes.
Friday night was just that.
Despite a night when they couldn’t get a three-pointer to fall when they needed it most, Utah nearly pulled off the upset before falling in heartbreaking fashion, 126-125, to Sacramento.
“Obviously just a tough, tough finish,” head coach Will Hardy said postgame. “I thought our guys hung in all game, battled. … Credit to Sacramento, they played well. Our guys stuck with it and continued to compete the entire night. … To take the lead late showed a lot of resolve for our group.”
One of the better three-point shooting teams in the league, the Jazz executed the offense brilliantly for most of the game. They got many open looks but couldn’t find a way to string a few together and break the game open. Overall, they shot 8-for-32 from deep — with Mike Conley being the only player to knock down more than one.
“Another rough night for us behind the three-point line on some good looks,” Hardy said. “As far as the three-point shooting, I think that’ll turn around. … I like the threes that we took. A lot of positives for us tonight in our play.”
Before tipoff, Lauri Markkanen let it be known that being named to the NBA All-Star game was a personal goal of his — behind Utah’s goals as a team. Although the Jazz may have come out on the losing end on Friday, Markkanen continued to make his case to be playing in the February showcase.
Despite a rough shooting night from three, he proved unguardable inside the arc with 36 points and five rebounds. He shot 16-for-24 from the field, with all but one of his field goals coming under the three-point line.
After a slow-ish start in the first half by his standards, he exploded in the third quarter with 12 points — including dunks on three consecutive possessions to begin the second half. He had arguably the play of the season thus far when he threw down a monstrous dunk over Kings star Domantas Sabonis, one that had even the Sacramento fans shaken.
“Lauri is a beast,” Hardy said. “Once he got into a rhythm, he hit a couple of those two-point shots over the top that he does. It was a sign of great growth that when he didn’t have his three-point shot falling, he still finished with 36 points.”
Just as he’s done all season, Jordan Clarkson continued to be everything the Jazz needed and more. In the minutes that Markkanen would sit, Clarkson would take over for the Jazz on offense and did a great job of making a living in the paint and at the free throw line.
His ability to break down the defense at any point was clinical against the Kings, always keeping his dribble alive and knocking down the contested shot with his ability to stop on a dime.
He finished with 25 points, nine assists, four rebounds, and two assists, shooting 8-of-12 from the field and 9-for-10 from the charity stripe. It was also his sixth straight game with 20+ points.
Still going without sleeves, Conley was sensational for Utah throughout the night.
He was essential in Utah responding to Sacramento’s big buckets by controlling the pace and ensuring the Jazz got good looks almost every time down the court. He also continued to break out of a shooting slump by knocking down ___ from beyond the arc.
Conley finished with 17 points, eight assists, and two rebounds, shooting 4-of-8 from deep.
The Jazz looked like a team playing their third consecutive game on the road at the start of this one as Sacramento jumped out to an early 6-0 lead. After a pair of quick buckets by Utah, the Kings went on a 7-2 run.
Again, the Jazz stayed the course and chipped away as Markkanen and Clarkson found early success getting to the rim. Trailing by seven late in the first, Utah scored the final four points, including three by Walker Kessler.
Utah trailed 30-27 after one.
A lot of credit went to the Jazz in the second as they always stayed close to Sacramento, never letting the Kings blow it open. Whether it was Clarkson, Markkanen, or whoever, Utah always had an answer to stay within striking distance.
After Sacramento took a nine-point lead midway through the quarter, Kelly Olynyk drilled a big three to silence the crowd. The Kings led again by eight late in the second, but Utah answered as Kessler — who was sensational — had a bucket, and Markkanen added three free throws.
The Jazz trailed 60-57 at the break.
The third quarter started with a bang as Markkanen declared war on his fellow international star Sabonis with an unbelievable poster dunk. It was the second of three consecutive dunks for Markkanen as he was single-handedly keeping Utah alive.
After Sacramento extended its lead to 10 and the crowd got riled up again, the Jazz continued to fight as a quick 8-0 run — including six points by Clarkson — made it a two-point game late in the quarter.
Once again, the Kings looked as if they were going to run away with the game, but Rudy Gay knocked down a three, and Fox’s shot on the other end was after the buzzer.
Utah trailed 91-87 heading into the fourth.
After buckets by Markkanen and Vanderbilt gave Utah a two-point lead with five to go, the Kings responded with a 10-0 run of their own to lead 119-111 with just under three minutes to play.
The Jazz weren’t out of it yet, going on a 14-4 run to lead by two with 26 seconds left. After getting stops on the first two shots, the Kings got another offensive rebound and found Kevin Huerter for the three and the lead with nine seconds left.
Utah would have one last chance, but Markkanen’s shot came up short.
Kessler finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, and a team-high +17 rating. He changed the game when he came in, as his length bothered the Kings at the rim, particularly Sabonis.
Utah has no time to relax as they return home to face Miami in a New Year’s Eve showdown — tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT.
“The message in general is there’s nothing we can do about this game now,” Hardy said. “It’s about regrouping and getting to the game tomorrow in the right headspace, coming in with a good collective mindset.”
