![]() ![]() It’s impossible not to look at how things are playing out in Minnesota and think about how much more joyful things are in Utah with the Jazz. “Ochai is like the nicest kid on the team beside Walker, and he gets thrown out in the last game of the year, so you know, just add it to the list of wacky things that have happened with this team this season.” “He decided to wait until the 82nd game to get a bad-boy image,” Hardy said with a smirk, shrug and a laugh. ![]() Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, Talen Horton-Tucker and Rudy Gay were all in street clothes and cheering for the young squad on the court.Įvery dunk by Udoka Azubuike, every clean pass by Kris Dunn, every impressive move by Luka Samanic and Ochai Agbaji elicited a standing ovation from the Jazz bench, who were the team’s biggest fans on Sunday.Įven when rookie Agbaji was ejected from the game in the fourth quarter for tossing a basketball with some angst toward one of the officials (followed by some choice words), the Jazz’s mood couldn’t be brought down. ![]() The Jazz eventually lost 128-117, but they had a ball doing so. Meanwhile in L.A., a depleted Jazz roster that was already eliminated from postseason contention was giving the Lakers a run for their money. In short, it was a really bad day for the Timberwolves. The heated exchange between Gobert and Anderson reportedly continued in the locker room at halftime before Gobert was sent home by the team and did not finish the final game of the season.ĭefensive Player of the Year candidate and breakout Timberwolves player Jaden McDaniels was walking into the tunnel at halftime and punched the wall, fracturing his hand and ending his season. It concluded with Gobert reaching over teammates to punch Anderson, then Taurean Prince getting up to push Gobert out of the huddle before coaches and staff separated players. In the second quarter during a timeout, Gobert, who was traded from the Jazz to the Timberwolves last offseason, got into a heated exchange with teammate Kyle Anderson. If you aren’t aware of what happened in Minnesota on Sunday afternoon, here’s the short version of events: The New Orleans Pelicans were on the road, playing the Minnesota Timberwolves in a game that had seeding and playoff implications. With a new coach, new roster and absolutely zero expectations, the Jazz embarked on a journey that began with a rebuild. Once a team full of joy and promise and a sky-is-the-limit attitude, the Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert and Quin Snyder era ended unceremoniously for the Jazz. The last few years for the Jazz were marked with disappointment and a failure to meet expectations. Last April, the Jazz were bounced from the playoffs by the Dallas Mavericks following a season that was clouded by tensions and uncertainty. Watching the Jazz players say their goodbyes, it was hard not to think about an incident that happened a couple hours earlier, nearly 2,000 miles away, at the Target Center in Minneapolis - an incident that put into perspective just how different things are for the Jazz after a year of change. 3 keys to the Utah Jazz’s season finale loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.I think our team played with a tenacity and a competitiveness but they also played with a level of joy, and we had a lot of laughs along the way.” “I never want any player to dread coming to the gym, and I think we were able to accomplish that this year. “Our goal from the outset was to try and create an environment that our players wanted to be in every day,” first-year Jazz coach Will Hardy said. Instead, there were bench celebrations for well-executed plays, and in the locker room there were smiles and laughs and jokes and a lot of guys excited about the future. There were no disgruntled players hanging their heads in the final minutes of the game, and there was no air of uncomfortable tension in the locker room, even though the Jazz had just lost. I think our team played with a tenacity and a competitiveness but they also played with a level of joy, and we had a lot of laughs along the way.” - Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy ![]()
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