Jazz HC Will Hardy Had No Answers to Damian Lillard's Onslaught
The Utah Jazz were defeated by the Portland Trail Blazers, 134-124, on Wednesday night, mainly at the hands of a man nicknamed 'Dame Dolla.'
The Jazz simply had no answers for Damian Lillard as he recorded a historic performance in front of his home crowd, scoring 60 points, and shooting 72.4% from the field. He drained nine three-point shots and was 9-of-10 from the free-throw line.
Despite this rare crate-worthy effort, that Jazz somehow managed to keep a glimmer of hope alive throughout the game. The Jazz secured seven players in double figures, led by Lauri Markkanen's 24 points, Collin Sexton's 19, along with added support from Jordan Clarkson's 18 points.
Both teams began the game with a feisty, spirited, and competitive attitude, but Lillard and Blazers garnered more success in imposing their will on the Jazz. The Blazers raised their record to 23-25, are ranked No. 12 in the Western Conference, and aren't currently in the NBA playoff picture.
The loss dropped the Jazz to 25-26, good for the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference and currently in the playoff picture. Now let's discuss the biggest winners and losers following Wednesday night's contest.
It's not often a 60-point effort is recorded in an NBA game. But for those who witnessed the game, you were fortunate to witness a historic performance that may never happen in NBA history again.
Along with his stat line, Lillard made the performance look, shall we say, easy, and seemed not to detract from his teammates' performance. This is what Hall-of-Famers can do: take you to places where you haven't been previously.
However, the Jazz were complicit in Lillard's big night and the onus falls at the feet of head coach Will Hardy. Allow me to elucidate.
Jazz Coaching Staff Failure
When an upper-tier player heats up in an NBA game, and proper adjustments are not implemented, you may witness a career-high or a historic performance.
Last Friday night at Vivint Smart arena, Utah witnessed a similar performance from Kyrie Irving, who torched the Jazz for 48 points. As I watched Lillard get rolling in the second quarter, I anticipated an adjustment surely being discussed between the Jazz coaching staff. Yet, nothing was corrected to slow Lillard.
How about giving your best wing defender an opportunity to assist? A guy by the name of the Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Players in today's NBA are so skilled that it's difficult for one player to contain. However, you should, at the very least, try something that may yield a different outcome.
Coach Hardy decides to enter Walker-Alexander into the game with 54 seconds remaining, which was complete disrespect. I'm not sure why any coach would enter any player into a game with 54 seconds remaining when he has not played that particular night.
And when the final buzzer sounded, several Jazz assistant coaches acted as if they wanted Lillard's autograph, which should frustrate Jazz Nation. Simply congratulate the player, act like a coach, and carry yourself with gratitude. There is no need to be in all the videos with a player who basically embarrassed your game plan.
Bottom Line
Historic nights arrive every so often and can be difficult to counteract. Utah's effort was great all night, but Lillard was on another planet. As you feel the tsunami making its way to the court, at least try to devise a plan to react before it lays to waste everything in its path.
Utah's effort was monumental, or this game may have resulted in a blowout. One positive note is the Jazz currently remain a playoff team, but now have a five-game homestand and will not play until Saturday night at Vivint Smart Arena.
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