Jazz 128, Spurs 117: What We Learned
Talen Horton-Tucker scored a career-high 41 points, while Kris Dunn chipped in seventeen as the Utah Jazz defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 128-117. Malaki Branham led the Spurs with 21 points in a losing cause.
Both franchises entered the contest with more to gain by losing than they did by winning. Despite four starters not suiting up, it was the Jazz that proved to be the deeper team at the end of the night.
Credit to head coach Will Hardy for being dealt a tough hand by Utah’s front office post-All-Star break and keeping his team competitive this late in the season. Heading into the game with the Spurs, the Jazz were without nine rotational pieces that started the season.
What did we learn as Utah snapped its four-game losing streak?
Utah Goes All in on Losing
The Jazz didn’t hold back in trying to lose this one. Lauri Markkanen and Kelly Olynyk were ruled out on the day of the game, while Kessler and Ochai Agbaji played reduced minutes.
If not for Horton-Tucker’s career night, the Jazz most likely don’t leave San Antonio with the win. It was a bad night for Team Tank, with the Jazz winning and the Indiana Pacers losing to the Milwaukee Bucks. The combination should put the chance of landing at the No. 7 spot in terms of lottery odds out of reach for Utah.
Ex-Spurs First-Rounder Makes Jazz Debut
Power forward Luka Samanic was able to showcase his talents in his first game with the Jazz. Samanic logged 25 minutes on his way to nine points while hauling in nine rebounds.
Hardy is familiar with Samanic from his days as an assistant in San Antonio. Power forward is a position the Jazz are thin at, and it will be interesting to see what happens after his 10-day contract expires. If anything, Samanic should get a decent amount of minutes moving forward.
The Last of Markkanen This Year?
From this point of view, it doesn’t make much sense for Utah’s All-Star forward to see any more action this year. I’m not a big fan of cashing in your chips when a playoff berth is still within reach, but with what the Jazz are dealing with on the injury front, it’s time to play for draft position.
Expect the Jazz to finish out the year at either the No. 8 or No. 9 slot, which would give them a 26.2% or 18.3% of landing a top-four pick, respectively.
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