What the Jazz can learn from Keegan Murray flirting with NBA single-game 3-point record

SACRAMENTO — Keegan Murray had already hit nine 3-pointers, including eight in a row, when he sprinted to the corner during a transition play.

As he caught the ball and pulled up for what would be his 10th triple of the night, Sacramento Kings play-by-play announcer Mark Jones screamed what most Jazz fans were likely thinking, "Oh, how did they leave him that wide open?"

Murray didn't need to take a single dribble to shoot one of his 12 3-pointers Saturday in Sacramento's 125-104 win over the Jazz. It wasn't a case of elite shot creation; it was a case of the Jazz mostly losing Murray — over and over and over again.

When Jazz coach Will Hardy was asked if he had to state the obvious to his team — that, you know, Murray was shooting really, really well — during timeouts, he let out a small chuckle.

"Yeah, it hurts me to say it to you guys now, because I feel like I've been saying it for the last two hours," Hardy said.

So why did it keep happening?

Murray was fantastic at moving to open spots against Utah's zone, and also when his teammates drove to the paint (and the Jazz consistently failed to recognize this). The Jazz also struggled to properly match up when Sacramento got out in transition, which happened a lot.

That created a nearly endless supply of open catch-and-shoot opportunities for Murray, and he just about made all of them. It was the 10th instance that an NBA player made 12 3-pointers in a game; Murray was the first one to do it while shooting at an 80% clip.

"Keegan never let us off the hook," Hardy said. "Every time you made a mistake, he makes the shot. The percentages will tell you that's not necessarily realistic either, but it was one of those nights."

Indeed, it was one of those nights.

Hardy acknowledged his team's part in the historic shooting night, though. He didn't think the mental focus was good enough to recognize where Murray was on the court and who should be guarding him.

"The responsibilities change based on who you're matched up with," Hardy said

That's why Murray's sharpshooting night wasn't one or even a couple of player's fault; it was a failure as a team.

The Jazz have been working on getting better at that aspect of the game, too. At practice, the team has put a different jersey on someone to drill playing against a particularly good shooter (sometimes it can also represent someone the Jazz want to help off of). It's a way of repping out defensive rotations and cross-matchups in transition.

"With the pace of the game now and the sort of positionless basketball that's showing itself, it takes a lot of communication and it takes a lot of work," Hardy said. "I think there's been moments this year where we've shown growth in it, and tonight was, obviously, a very rough night in that aspect."

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