Will Hardy Reacts to Utah Jazz's Narrow OT Loss vs. OKC Thunder

The Utah Jazz, despite a resilient effort in the final moments to try and upset the reigning champion OKC Thunder on the road, came up just short in a 125-129 overtime loss for their fifth-straight game dropped on the road, and now head back home with a 12-24 record on the year––good for the 13th-ranked team in the West.

However, even in a losing result, it wasn't without one of the more memorable performances from the Jazz, who went toe to toe against the current number-one team in the NBA, and a squad that's no easy task to overcome on any given night.

Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen had 25-plus a piece. Jusuf Nurkic had a double-double worth 15 points and 15 rebounds, and even came up with a surprise standout performance from rookie guard Walter Clayton, who had 15 himself with four threes made.

After the game, the Jazz wound up gaining some notable praise from their head coach, Will Hardy, who was extremely proud of his guys' effort even in a loss.

"I told the team: that is competing at the highest level," Hardy said after the Jazz's loss to OKC. "And if we can consistently compete like that as a group, the physicality, the communication, the effort, the toughness, we're gonna get where we want to go."

"The thing that you can only get going through games like that and learning from those experiences is learning how to win. If we compete like that, and we put ourselves in those situations over and over and over again, we're gonna learn how to win. And I'm really proud of the effort of our team."

“I’m really proud of our team." 💜

Coach Hardy on tonight's effort 🎙️#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/u5fGlFJiWQ
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 8, 2026

Will Hardy Proud of Jazz Despite Loss to Thunder

With extra time added on, combined with the poise that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has in those late-game moments the Thunder were faced with while down against the Jazz in the fourth, the Jazz turned out to be just a little too outmatched against one of the most consistently challenging teams to take down this season, outside of the San Antonio Spurs, who have gotten the best of them three times.

But, for the Jazz's three attempts to upset the Thunder, it's been no dice, now falling to 0-3 on their season series with one game to go on their regular season slate––a game they'll inevitably be underdogs for once again.

However, despite those shortcomings in wins and losses, a game like the Jazz just took on to bring it down to the wire in a road environment like OKC shouldn't be overlooked. Utah matched the energy, capitalized on a bumpy offensive night from the Thunder, and for Hardy, it's a representation of the progress this young core has made and continues to make throughout this season.

Dec 30, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy during the second half against the Boston Celtics at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Jazz's offense can be potent when firing on all cylinders. Keyonte George has become more and more consistent as Utah's leader in the backcourt and an effective co-star for Markkanen, and on the right night, could be able to go down to the wire against the reigning MVP and Finals champions.

Now, the Jazz will get a brief moment to catch their breath at home before taking on a back-to-back against the Dallas Mavericks, hoping to end a five-game losing streak they've just endured while they've been away.

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