The Utah Jazz began the 2022-23 season with low expectations on them — at least externally — only to get off to a surprisingly hot start that, for a time, changed the narrative.
By the time Thursday night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder tipped off, with each of Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton, Talen Horton-Tucker, and Rudy Gay sitting out, the writing was on the wall.
The Jazz’s last-gasp hope of qualifying for the Play-In Tournament ended with their 114-96 loss to OKC.
And the team’s run of six straight seasons qualifying for the playoffs came to an end.
In typical Jazz fashion, they kept things interesting for awhile — whittling away at a 16-point deficit until they were within a single possession.
In the end, though, they could not make enough shots (5 of 31 from deep), could not stop turning the ball over (19 miscues leading to 26 Thunder points), could not control the defensive glass (OKC’s 17 offensive rebounds led to 24 second-chance points), and could not get enough stops late (the Thunder dropped in 30 fourth-quarter points).
“It’s a hard feeling, because you know how much work went into it,” coach Will Hardy said postgame. “… But everyone on this team understands the heart that we have.”
The team now stands at 36-44, and has two regular-season games left — hosting the Nuggets on Saturday afternoon, then visiting the Lakers on Sunday — before heading into what’s sure to be a second consecutive tumultuous offseason.
This past summer, the team unloaded four starters, including superstar tentpoles Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, as part of a massive rebuild following several seasons of early playoff exits and locker room drama.
This year, the vibes have been much better — even immaculate, as several players have said throughout the year — but there is still change coming, with cap space available, a haul of current and future draft assets in hand (three scheduled picks for the 2023 NBA Draft), and myriad roster decisions to be made.
This story will be updated.
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/mbBj85z
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