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SALT LAKE CITY — Lauri Markkanen walked to the center of the court and took the mic. The Utah Jazz All-Star forward was dressed in street clothes as he addressed the crowd ahead of the final home game of the season.
He offered his thanks to a fan base who had regularly filled the building even as Utah's rebuild became more and more intentional over the final weeks of the season, and then finished his message with: "Let's do it one more time," Markkanen said.
In some ways, the Jazz's 118-114 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday at Vivint Arena was a microcosm to the season. Utah tried to tank — the team rested seven rotation players, including five starters — but it won anyway.
Ochai Agbaji had a career-high 28 points and Luka Samanic had his own career night, as well, with 23 points and eight rebounds to lead the Jazz over a Nuggets team that, until the fourth quarter at least, was at full strength.
Utah jumped out to a 19-point lead in the second quarter in shocking fashion. The Nuggets came back and took the lead entering the fourth quarter, but didn't put their starters back in late. That helped the Jazz finish off the home slate with a victory.
Was it meaningless? In some ways, yes. Utah would have been better off, lottery wise, if it had dropped the game (the Jazz would have clinched the ninth-best lottery odds with a loss, and still would have had a chance to tie for the eighth-best on the final day of the regular season on Sunday).
But that's been the case all season; it hasn't stopped this team from pulling off stunning wins. Utah set that precedent early when it routed the same Nuggets team in the season-opener. They finished off the same way — just with a much different team. Mike Conley led the charge on that opening-night victory; on Saturday, it was Kris Dunn, who had 19 points, 14 assist and eight rebounds.
"It feels a little more full circle," Jazz coach Will Hardy said. "You kind of get the improbable win at the end of the year, as well. I'm just really proud of the guys and I can't stress enough how hard it is to maintain the focus when everybody's telling you that these games don't matter."
Because standings and lottery odds be damned, the Jazz still cared.
"I think the game speaks for itself," Hardy said. "So proud of our guys; down a lot of people, their approach doesn't change. We get asked questions about these games that don't mean anything, but they mean something to them. They all want opportunity. They all want to be in the NBA. They're all trying to make a name for themselves. We're trying to make a name for our program in Utah, and these guys have embodied it every single day."
Hardy went down the box score highlighting the heroes of the Saturday matinee victory. From Agabji and Samanic's career-highs to seldom-used Micah Potter's 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.
"It means a lot," Agbaji said of getting the victory. "I think you know, every night we get the chance to go out and compete and get the chance to win, and we're gonna go out and do it to the best of our ability."
And it meant a lot, the fans were still behind the team. Vivint Arena was sold out on Saturday to watch a team that didn't play most of its rotation and won't be going to the playoffs.
"Even Denver was shocked how loud it was," Agbaji said. "This being the last game, this being a Saturday game at 1:30 p.m., it shows a lot about the fans. It really does."
The team and the fans did it one more time.
