Will Hardy Speaks After Utah Jazz’s Worst Loss in Franchise History

The Utah Jazz were stumped on their home floor against the Charlotte Hornets for the second time this season in a loss that wound up as their worst defeat in franchise history.

In a 95-150 blowout, that 55-point difference comes together for a worse loss than the Jazz have seen in their past 50-plus years in the league, initially falling into a brutal 14-45 deficit after the first quarter of action, and wound up only piling on for this young Utah roster that was left without three of their starters, including Lauri Markkanen.

After the game, Will Hardy summed up his team's performance pretty simply: when everything goes wrong, that's what the end product looks like.

"If you want a picture of what everything going wrong looks like— that's what it looks like. The game starts off, the three-point line and rebounding hurt us early, and the three-point line and rebounding ended up really being the story of the game. They had 41 second-chance points... I recognize there are times that our lineup was really small tonight, based on availability, and it put us in a tough spot. 21 offensive rebounds, 41 second-chance points."

"I thought offensively for us, we did a decent job driving the ball, didn't help each other create an advantage very well, and until really late in the game, couldn't throw it in the ocean."

Will Hardy Circles Rebounding, Inefficient Shooting in Loss to Hornets

Utah was forced to play without all three of their starters in the frontcourt, with Markkanen (rest) joining both Jusuf Nurkic (toe) and Ace Bailey (hip) off to the side. Clearly, that lack of size, depth, and versatility in Utah's lineup was extremely present, and that hurt their chances early.

The Jazz were outworked on the boards by an absurd 61-35 difference throughout the night, and with 41 second-chance points and 24 three-point makes from Charlotte to go along with that disadvantage on the glass, it's easy to see how this one got out of hand for Utah.

Jan 10, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann (23) makes a quick move on Utah Jazz guard Walter Clayton Jr. (13) during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Creveling-Imagn Images | Peter Creveling-Imagn Images

So, in the mind of Hardy, the message is clear after one of the Jazz's uglier nights in recent memory: flush this one, work to get better, and move ahead for the five-game road trip that looms on the horizon.

"So, that's a hard game. The three-point line in today's game can make games feel really, really nasty. So, that's one that we've got to put away, and get onto the road trip."

The Jazz will have a day of rest before getting their next road trip underway, starting off with a meeting against the familiar face that is Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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