Jerry Sloan gave his players a day off Monday.
They were so grateful, they trotted out Tuesday night and got blistered by the Atlanta Hawks, 115-89. The loss was Utah's worst of the season, ends a seven-game win streak, marks the first time in 11 games the Jazz have given up 100-plus points, and drops Utah into a tie for first place in the Midwest Division with San Antonio.No big deal, in other words.
Karl Malone, one of two Jazzmen to put up decent numbers, was disgusted with the team's effort.
"We didn't even show up," the Mailman said. "That was the worst we've played all year. If we looked like a first-place team, I haven't seen one."
The other Jazzman to have a good night, Jeff Hornacek, concurred.
"If everyone busted his (behind) and you lose, you could live with it," he said. "We thought we were just going to show up and win."
Sloan said he had a bad feeling about this game earlier in the day.
"I told them at this morning's shootaround I thought I saw this coming," the Jazz coach said. "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. Maybe it hurt somebody's feelings. Maybe it's too tough to be on top."
They may not have to worry about that for long, anyway. While the Jazz have four games remaining on this Eastern swing, the Spurs play their next three at home. Needless to say, this is not the time to slump.
There were signs that the Jazz were in trouble early in this game, though they didn't get put away until the fourth quarter. In the opening quarter, Atlanta point guard Mookie Blaylock kept finding himself unguarded and kept launching threes. He scored 11 of the Hawks' first 15 points, 14 in the first period. The Jazz fell behind 12-2 but bounced back to get within three, 24-21, at the buzzer.
The Hawks opened the second quarter with a 9-0 run to go up by 12, and they led by double figures through much of the second and third periods. Their biggest lead was 18 with 5:07 left in the third, but the Jazz closed with a rush and trailed by just eight at the horn.
The Jazz felt pretty good at that point, expecting they'd make a fourth-quarter surge. But it never materialized. The Hawks opened the fourth quarter with five straight layups, answered by a single Jazz bucket.
Stockton had perhaps his worst shooting night of the season, hitting just two of 12 shots. But even if Stockton had posted typical numbers, it wouldn't have been enough, because other guys weren't contributing. David Benoit managed two points in 19 minutes. Felton Spencer had two points through three quarters. Chris Morris made two of eight shots, making him four of 14 on this road trip.
Only Malone, with 29 points (10 of 16 shots), and Hornacek, with 18 (7 of 13), held their own.
"We couldn't seem to get anything out of anybody else," Sloan said.
"Obviously everybody cares, but nobody looked like they did," Stockton noted.
Malone said that days off when the team is at home is a good idea, but on the road it just seems like a way to lose concentration.
"A lot of teams in this league are taking time off, because they're not playing for anything," the Mailman said. "I hope we start practicing on days off, I really do."
Sloan says if that's what it takes, that's what he'll do.
"If I have to practice them the day of the game, I'll practice them the day of the game," he vowed. "I'm anxious to see where we are tomorrow."
Where the Jazz are is in Charlotte, where they will meet the Hornets Tuesday night.
GAME NOTES: Jazz rookie Greg Ostertag went home to Texas early Tuesday after learning that his grandfather had died. He's expected to rejoin the team in Indianapolis.