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ORLANDO — Utah Jazz coach WIll Hardy has said many times this season that fun is underrated in today's NBA.
He won't get many arguments from those who tuned in to watch his team take on the Orlando Magic on Thursday. Sure, it was a game that felt relatively low in stakes, but it didn't lack in entertainment.
The point guard duel between Markelle Fultz and Talen Horton-Tucker (with some help from Kris Dunn in the fourth quarter) was as satisfying as it was surprising.
The rookie battle between Paolo Banchero and Walker Kessler — highlighted by making 3-point plays in the final minute — went on through the entire contest.
And two teams supposedly trying to bottom out put on an absolute offensive show.
In the end, it was the Jazz that survived with a 131-124 win over the Magic to snap their four-game losing streak.
But, at this point, there should have been no surprise about the Jazz's effort. A team that was viewed as nothing more than a transitory squad has come together in a remarkable way … again.
While all the external focus on the team, at least at the start of the season, was about the past season and the future, the Jazz found two franchise pillars — Lauri Markkanen and Kessler — and a bunch of other players around them that bought into being a team.
In a back-and-forth frenetic game, that was once again evident.
"We talk a lot about this being about the whole group," Hardy said. "Everybody has something to bring, to contribute to us winning games."
From there, Hardy went down the roster and praised just about everyone who stepped on the court on Thursday.
He singled out Horton-Tucker's eight assists and Dunn's key 10 points that came in the fourth quarter. And, for the umpteenth time this season, he applauded Markkanen's increased improvement.
On Thursday, Markkanen scored 31 points — including a floater with 10 seconds remaining to put the Jazz up by two possessions — as he battled through a physical Magic defense. He was 11-for-22 and had five rebounds.
"He's facing a lot of physicality every single game and, I think, he's finding a way to work through it, and find ways to continue to be efficient," Hardy said.
Next up was Kessler, who started the game with three blocks in the first three minutes and finished it with a put-back 3-point play to give the Jazz a 4-point lead in the final minute.
"He just continues to work, even when the ball doesn't find him for stretches of the game," Hardy said. "And I think that that just speaks to his character, his ability to stay focused on little things to contribute to winning."
Kessler finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. His counterpart for the Magic, Banchero, scored 26 points in a battle of two of the top rookies in the league.
Then, there was Simone Fontecchio, who had 17 points to continue his recent run of solid play.
"Transitioning from Europe to the NBA is never easy. It's not just basketball, you're moving your family across the world and there's a lot that goes with that," Hardy said. "I think he just dug in and continued to work."
And that's what the Jazz have done as a team, too. They came into Thursday's game on a four-game losing streak and were playing without their starting backcourt. And yet, they left Orlando with a win and the feeling that their season's goals are still possible.
"I guess what I'm trying to highlight is that everybody contributed to this one," Hardy said. "That's how we're built. That's how we try to operate every day. It's not about one person."
There was a palpable joy in the locker room after the game; they wanted this win, they needed the win. Now, there's still hope left for the final weeks. The Jazz moved a half-game out of the final play-in spot — so there's meaningful basketball to be played just yet. So much for low stakes.
