Kings Out-Hustle the Jazz For Their First Win, 102-101

Barnes and the Kings sneak past the Jazz for their first win of the season (via espn.com)

In what ultimately became a close and down the wire nail-biter, the Jazz gave the previously winless Sacramento Kings their first victory of the young season, dropping Friday’s game 101-102. It’s a game that the Jazz wish they could have back. Not because Donovan Mitchell, who hit a go-ahead lay-up with 8 seconds on the clock later missed a potential game winning three at the buzzer. Not because they missed an easy box-out on Sacramento’s apparent final shot and let Harrison Barnes grab the offensive board and lay-in the eventual game-winner. They wish they could have it back because they didn’t approach the game with an urgent or disciplined mentality and it cost them. 

Mike Conley said as much after the Jazz fell to 4-2. “We knew it wasn’t the last minute that lost us the game. It was things we did in between the quarters,” Conley said. ”Defensively we weren’t ourselves in different areas. They attacked us in pick and rolls, they were aggressive, and you can tell they were trying to get a win. They did everything necessary to do that. We didn’t come with the same energy.”

It was almost poetic that the Jazz lost from giving up an offensive rebound that they easily could have secured with a proper box-out. On numerous occasions a lack of effort and focus on defensive boards, 50/50 loose balls, defensive rotations, and simple passes on offense led to a bad result for the Jazz with turnovers leading to transition baskets or offensive boards for the Kings leading to lay-ups or Richaun Holmes finishing with an energetic dunk. On one missed Sacramento attempt from the field, three Jazz players stood as the ball came down. Not one of the three made an effort or jumped to secure the ball, passively waiting or assuming someone else would grab it. Instead, Nemanja Bjelica hustled in with high energy and snagged it in the midst of the three players in yellow (why are they yellow, though? It looks like they want to be the Lakers) uniforms, leading to two of Sacramento’s 13 second-chance points.

Perhaps it is encouraging that despite the lack of energy and focus — which frankly just happens on some nights for NBA players individually and even teams collectively — the Jazz were able to trim the lead and even jump in front at 101-100 prior to Barnes’ putback. They did make some plays when it really mattered. They would just prefer to have been dialed-in earlier in the game, because this is a game and a team that the Jazz should have handled easily. 

The Jazz have another chance to bring more energy Sunday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. And they will need the energy because, unless in their Wednesday win over the same team back in Salt Lake City, Kawhi Leonard will be playing this time.