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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy got to celebrate a first in his head coaching career. At least, he did once he was told what it was.
With the Utah Jazz's 132-125 win over the Los Angeles Lakers Saturday, Hardy completed his first five-game winning streak as a head coach.
"I didn't know that," he said.
So how does it feel?
"It feels better than losing five in a row," Hardy said.
Fair enough.
The win moved the Jazz (21-20) over .500 for the first time and are currently in ninth place in the West.
Saturday was the latest sign there might just be some staying power in Utah's stretch of play, a run that has now lasted over a month.
The Jazz took a punch in the first half — going down by as much as 12 points — and then responded. Utah has won games in different ways over their hot stretch; they've won with defense, they've won with great game plans, they've won with big shooting nights. On Saturday, they won because of in-game adjustments.
The reason for the slow start? Utah's pregame strategy had to be tossed out. LeBron James was a late scratch; and without him, the Lakers turned into a different team.
"They changed their lineup, their style of play is different," Hardy said. "D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reeves are both very potent offensive players — especially in pick-and-roll — and Anthony Davis becomes much more of a focal point in these games."
Utah, eventually, found a counter — a few of them actually.
John Collins played heavy minutes instead over Walker Kessler, who struggled early on. Lauri Markkanen took Davis and held him to just 15 points.
Utah went to a three-guard lineup for portions of the second half. And after shooting just eight free throws in the first half, the Jazz emphasized getting downhill; the result was taking 31 free throws after halftime.
How Utah is winning doesn't feel like the team has caught lightning in a bottle. The Jazz aren't on unsustainable shooting run or playing well above their talent. It's a team that's figured out how to play with each other. And are just finding new ways each game.
"I'm just really happy with how the team is approaching these games," Hardy said. "To see the work they put in but also like just the way that they're interacting with each other. I know it sounds corny, but that's a team in that locker room."
It may sound corny, but it's also true. And that bond has pushed Utah into the postseason race.
"I think everyone likes one another. That plays a big part," Kris Dunn said. "We've got a lot of different personalities in the locker room, and we allow everybody to be themselves."
Markkanen credited some long road trips as the catalyst for that bonding. He feels like those helped build chemistry among the group. Sexton, meanwhile, pointed to team dinners and just hanging out after practices and games.
"If you can't trust somebody off the court, you're not going to trust them on the court when it's time to make the extra pass or when you need your teammates to help you out," Sexton said. "I feel like that's just building the trust off the court has transformed onto it."
And the team has full trust in their coach, too.
Hardy has been masterful in putting players in a position to succeed — not by changing who they are, but by grouping their talents to best help the team.
"I think coach does a good job, too, even on the court, just allowing us to be ourselves as long as we don't do too much and, you know, we stay within the game and play hard," Dunn said.
It's been a joy for Hardy to see the transformation over the last month. Even if he wasn't aware of the significance of the current win streak.
"The way that they've really banded together lately is fun," he said.
For all involved.
