The Utah Jazz were beat by the Phoenix Suns, 111-105, on Friday night in the final home game of the regular season.
But it wasn’t just that the No. 1 seed in the NBA knocked off the Jazz as the better team throughout the game. No.
The Jazz did it again. They had a 17-point fourth-quarter lead, they’d been playing incredible basketball and they fell apart at the end of the game.
High Notes
- Danuel House Jr.’s NBA future was uncertain this season but it won’t be next season. That guy has earned a significant NBA role. I’m sure that Jazz fans will be hoping that he is re-signed with the Jazz but even if he’s not, there will be teams that are going to pay him. He’s just a flat out good basketball player and every team in the league wants a guy that can defend and make plays and is as energetic as House is.
- There were three quarters of really good basketball. Which is a thing I could have said for a lot of games this season.
“There’s nothing magical about that the way that we played against the best team in the league for a significant portion ... tonight. We’ve just got to continue to chip away and look and take ownership of the things that we need to do better.” — Jazz head coach Quin Snyder
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Low Notes
- I feel for Jazz fans, particularly the ones that were in the building on Friday for fan appreciation night at Vivint Arena and who probably felt really great when the Jazz were playing well-oiled basketball and teasing the crowd with what looked to be a win. Not only did the Jazz let those fans down by blowing another fourth-quarter lead but there were also a lot of Suns fans in the building so they certainly had to deal with a lot of heckling in the final minutes and after the final buzzer. Not a great night to be a Jazz fan. Sorry, everyone.
- I also feel bad for Carlos Boozer, who was in the building being honored for his career with the Jazz and then had to watch the team completely implode. Sorry, Boozer.
- The Jazz lost the chance to get home court advantage in the postseason when the Dallas Mavericks beat the Blazers on Friday night. If the Jazz had beat the Suns they would have clinched the 5th seed, but there’s still a chance that they could fall to 6th (it’s a really small chance and the Jazz would have to lose to the Blazers and the Nuggets would have to beat the Lakers on Sunday). I guess a silver lining is that the Jazz might control who they play a little more having lost to the Suns, but I don’t think that they meant to and I don’t think that it made anyone in the Jazz locker room feel particularly good or particularly confident.
Flat Notes
- What do I say that hasn’t been said? This Jazz team literally is out of time so if there’s going to be a mental switch or a change in focus or attitude it’s going to have to happen during the playoffs. There isn’t going to be any sort of huge takeaway from the Jazz’s final game on Sunday against the lowly Trail Blazers who are actively going to try to lose.
- I’m a firm believer that anything is possible in sports. Crazy things happen. But there is a big chance that this Jazz team is exactly what they’ve shown to this point, which is a team that can’t close in high-pressure situations and can’t maintain a lead down the stretch.
“We’ve got no choice. We’ve done it. I’ve done it. We’ve got to go out there and do it.” —Donovan Mitchell