Will Hardy Reacts as Jazz Tie Franchise Record in Loss to Nuggets

The Utah Jazz fell short to the Denver Nuggets, 129-135, for what's now their fourth loss in a row of the season, as well as their eighth-straight loss against the Nuggets dating back to 2024.

However, it wouldn't be a night without the Jazz managing to tie a franchise record in the process.

In the loss to Denver, Utah's total 84 points in the paint ties the Jazz's franchise record for most in a single game––a factor that Will Hardy attributes to the group on the floor being connected, and cutting at the right times to make those opportunities possible.

"This is a very connected group, and it shows on the court. 34 assists tonight. 84 paint points, I just heard ties the franchise record. And it's, cutting, rolling, hard drives when we create seams for each other. It's really fun to watch," Hardy said postgame.

"This is a very fun group to coach, and I just hope that our fans appreciate and recognize how hard this group's playing, and that they're truly representative of what a team looks like."

Will Hardy Remains Proud of Jazz Despite Loss to Denver

In a night where the Jazz would be without their regular rotation taking the floor, similar to how it's looked all throughout Utah's post-All-Star stretch, it's relied on Hardy taking a different approach to find success on the offensive side of the ball.

Having no Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen on the floor like usual means that, naturally, the Jazz's spacing and overall offensive versatility take a bit of a dip without their presence on the floor, so adapting to taking advantage of matchups and the skillsets of those available becomes even more critical.

Against the Nuggets in particular, it led to seven players entering double figures in scoring, led by an impressive 24-point performance from Cody Williams on 9-14 shooting––who isn't known to be much of a consistent shooting threat at this point in his career, and made that clear with zero shots from beyond the arc.

"It was a combination," Hardy said of the Jazz's 84 points in the paint. "24 points in transition for us is a great number. Another night where we have 10 steals, that's 10 opportunities for live ball turnovers to get out and run, I thought we took advantage of those. We end up with 28 points off their turnovers and then I thought our cutting off the ball was tremendous and then when we played our switch attack stuff."

"The guys did a good job of really driving the force and getting in the scenes. It was great to see they cross-matched and put [Nikola] Jokić on Cody [Williams] and Cody rolled and got in the pocket and made some plays at the rim. So, it was really a variety of things that allowed us to score that many points in the paint. Definitely our best game of the season attacking the rim."

Mar 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Ace Bailey (19) and head coach Will Hardy speak after the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

In all, the Jazz only made nine threes on the night, making for the 13th time this season in which they've made nine three-pointers or less in a game. Unsurprisingly have a 1-12 record in those showings, with their only win coming against the Boston Celtics, 105-103, back in November.

But even with a loss against Denver to extend their losing streak to four, it's yet another positive night for the Jazz's ongoing growth and development, all things considered, and helps add even more anticipation for what next season could look like in Salt Lake City once everyone in the rotation is officially back healthy and on the floor.