Will Hardy says 'part of my job is to fight for our players' after hard Markkanen fall

SALT LAKE CITY — As Will Hardy broke down the final play of the game in Utah's 115-113 loss to Orlando, he mentioned how the official created a bit of a false start for his team.

"He kind of went to hand it and three guys started moving and then they brought it back," Hardy said.

And then he stopped himself

"I don't want to lose any more money tonight talking about the officials," he said.

Any more?

Near the end of the first half, Lauri Markkanen crashed down to the court. The All-Star forward grabbed at his back and withered in pain.

Markkanen had been fighting for a rebound with Orlando's Wendell Carter when some body contact had knocked him off balance, leading to the scary plummet to the hardwood. No foul was called, and that sent Hardy over the edge.

The Jazz coach sprinted down the court to the nearest official, his face turning a blazing red as he screamed at what he felt was a clear injustice. After play stopped, he was given a well-earned technical foul.

It wasn't a dirty play — and Carter actually did have his hand on the ball — but at that moment, it didn't matter much to Hardy anyway. It was a nasty fall and his player was on the court in pain. He knew he had to stand up for him.

"Part of my job is to fight for our players," Hardy said. "When our best player gets drilled to the floor, I have no problem losing my mind. That's part of my responsibility."

Eventually, Markkanen was able to get up and finish the game, but he had moments of clear discomfort. After the game, he said he was feeling fine, but recognized that could change in the morning.

"We did the necessary checking, but we'll see how it feels tomorrow," Markkanen said.

As for Hardy's reaction, Markkanen didn't see or hear his coach go off on the officials. But as the moment was explained to him, a smile spread on his face.

"Oh, that's awesome," he said. "He has his players back, and you love to see it. We have to do a better job for him."

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