Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder said he had some goals for the final seeding games. First, he wanted to ensure that his players were healthy heading into the playoffs that begin next week. Second, he wanted to use the games to continue to develop the bench that has been, at times, pretty atrocious in the bubble.
Not necessarily on the list of priorities: winning the games. In fact, if the Jazz just so happened to lose, well, that might not be the worst thing either.
Consider all things accomplished on Monday in a 122-114 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Utah’s penultimate game of the regular (or at least kind of regular) season in the NBA bubble in Florida.
“I think that we're looking to play well,” Snyder said. “And sometimes playing well allows you to win the game. Sometimes you play well and the other team plays better.”
And sometimes you play well and then pull all your guys. That was the case on Monday.
The Jazz, against a Mavericks team without Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, came out looking like world-beaters. Even without Donovan Mitchell, who sat out with a left lower leg peroneal strain, the Jazz scored 38 points in the first quarter, were 13 of 24 from 3-point range, and led 70-54 at halftime.
Jordan Clarkson had 18 points, starting in place of Mitchell, in just 14 minutes; Mike Conley had 9 points and two assists in 16 minutes; Joe Ingles had 7 points and seven assists in 13 minutes: Georges Niang had 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting from deep in 15 minutes.
“What I saw was a team that came out really ready to play,” Snyder said. “We had some guys — Georges and JC in particular — that got on track and we made shots. … We put JC in the starting lineup, which is a new spot. He's been a spark coming off the bench. I thought he responded really well. So a lot of good things from that group, obviously, in limited minutes.”
Limited minutes for rest. Limited minutes to help a bench unit that has struggled since the restart (to their credit, that bench started the second half on an 8-0 run before the wheels came off). Limited minutes to maybe, just maybe, lead to a more preferred result.
Because it’s hard to look at the second half on Monday and see anything but tank job. The Mavericks outscored the Jazz 34-14 in the fourth quarter as Emmanuel Mudiay, Rayjon Tucker, Miye Oni, Jarrell Brantley, Justin Wright-Foreman and Ed Davis got the majority of the minutes. No Jazz starter played in the second half Monday.
And what was once a 22-point lead turned into an 8-point loss.
So why would the Jazz want to lose? Playoff positioning.
Dallas' big run — maybe coincidentally, maybe not — began right as it became apparent the Oklahoma City Thunder were going to lose to the Phoenix Suns, dropping the Thunder, for a moment in a tie for fifth with the Jazz. Utah’s loss left the Jazz in sixth looking at a potential matchup with Denver. Fans don’t want to see the Houston Rockets, who are currently sitting in fourth, again; it appears the Jazz, themselves don’t either.
“I’m not in on making the decisions whether guys are resting or I'm not in on, guys that need rest or injured or anything like that,” Niang said. "I just go out there and do my job and if my number's called I go out there and play the game.”
Tucker had 17 points to lead the Jazz in the second half. He was 4 of 7 from the field and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line.
“Gotta stay ready, do whatever you can to help the team out whenever you need it,” Tucker said. “That's what happened tonight. Just you gotta step up, when your name is called.”
Utah will play its final game before the playoffs on Thursday against the Spurs. In a game they may or may not want to win.
