In a 101-100 loss to the Rockets, Jazz find a level of intensity that they’ll hope to replicate in the future

In the quiet of the Utah Jazz locker room on Friday night, Collin Sexton looked at Brice Sensabaugh and told him that the game they had just played in is what the rookie needs to be thinking about when considering the future. When the Jazz turn the corner, the young players need to be prepared for close games.

“That’s what you want,” Sexton said. “We’re not always gonna be in blowouts. That’s what you have to be ready for, that’s where we’re going.”

The shots weren’t falling for the Jazz, the Houston Rockets were getting their hands on too many offensive rebounds, the Jazz had way too many turnovers, and yet the Jazz were still in this game down to the very end.

The Rockets ended up narrowly edging out the Jazz, 101-100, but the Jazz were physical despite their mistakes, they fought back, and even when the Rockets had opened up a seven-point lead with less than four minutes on the game clock there weren’t any hanging heads or slumped shoulders.

“Tough environment,” Houston guard Fred VanVleet said. “A team that we just beat by a lot that probably remembered. They really came after us. They were into us. I have a ton of respect for that group, that coaching staff, and it was a battle.”

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That’s the kind of effort that Jazz head coach Will Hardy expects from his players, even when they are not on top, even if they aren’t going to win a game, even when they aren’t playing for postseason contention.

“I’m very, very proud of the team’s effort tonight,” Hardy said. “That’s the intensity, physicality that we have to play with every single game. I think if our team can continue to channel that energy level, that level of physicality, we’re gonna be just fine ... I was very, very pleased with the effort tonight. I think that’s a representation from a intensity standpoint of who we want to be.”

The Jazz started out the night going 0-of-10 from 3-point range before John Collins finally got a shot to fall from deep. Even so, the Jazz were leading the game at that point, due in large part to their physical defense and commitment to not allowing the game to get away from them the way it did last week in Houston when the Rockets put up an 85-point first half en route to an easy win over the Jazz.

The turnovers mounted as the night wore on and the Rockets were able to capitalize on a number of offensive rebounds. All told, Houston scored a combined 52 points off turnovers and on second chances. And even still, the Jazz were in this game.

“We really wanted to come out and compete tonight,” Collins said. “I feel like we did that. A little rough around the edges with some attention to details, but I feel like we competed for 48 minutes.”

It might sound a little cliché and like the Jazz are just looking for moral victories, but at this point, that’s fine.

The Jazz were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Wednesday night. So, it really wouldn’t surprise anyone if the team came out with a bit of a lackluster attitude, with Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson sidelined with various minor injuries. That they didn’t and they were battling down to the wire against a team that is still fighting for a play-In spot, is a victory.

Right now, every thing the Jazz do has to be with the future in mind, so when Hardy praises the team’s effort, when Sexton tries to impart some wisdom to the young players, when Collins makes sure to tell Keyonte George to keep his head up after a tough game, those are all pieces that will hopefully matter when the Jazz are actually playing for something more than a regular season result.