Below regular circumstances, the Utah Jazz (4-16 total) shedding a sport wouldn’t be headline information. But it surely was the means they misplaced in opposition to the Lakers on Saturday night time to safe that sixteenth defeat that was notably notable.
Trailing 105-104 with simply seconds remaining after LeBron James clanked his ninth missed three-pointer of the night time, Jazz head coach Will Hardy sprinted to midcourt to name a timeout and arrange a play for a possible game-winner.
The one downside? His timeout really prevented what would have been a go-ahead basket (and attainable game-winner) from Collin Sexton that might have left the Lakers with simply 2 seconds left to attain their very own basket. Whilst somebody who carefully lined the tanking Lakers of the mid-2010s, I’m undecided I’ve ever seen this earlier than:
Can’t recover from this timeout by Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy that took away the sport winner from Collin Sexton…
Completely brutal lmao pic.twitter.com/n3TK9vOUHM
— Josh Reynolds (@JoshReynolds24) December 2, 2024
The Lakers secured the win by stopping Utah from even getting a shot off after no matter play Hardy drew up within the timeout… which absolutely cements this as one of many worst timeouts of the NBA season. Or finest, for those who’re a Jazz fan like our group at SLC Dunk that’s rooting for losses because the workforce appears to be like to safe pole place in the Cooper Flagg derby. The one one which will surpass it on the finish of the 12 months is Warmth coach Erik Spoelstra calling a timeout he didn’t have just a few weeks in the past, however even that one didn’t wipe away a possible game-winner.
That is additionally a humorous about-face for Hardy, who simply flamed his complete workforce two weeks in the past for a scarcity of situational consciousness after Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht lit them up for a career-high 37. Now, it’s Hardy’s personal absence of really feel that value them one other tight sport, and provided that coaches virtually by no means purchase into any intentional tank job, it’s protected to say this a) was in all probability an accident and b) goes to go away Hardy not getting an entire lot of sleep tonight.
To Hardy’s credit score, he took duty and was apologetic when talking with reporters after the sport:
Will Hardy: “Collin began to retreat, dribble backwards, and I began calling day trip. It is clearly loud. The hope could be to have just a few extra seconds than 2.1 however, yeah, it is powerful.”
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) December 2, 2024
Hardy, cont.: “I instructed (Collin) within the locker room, I robbed him of a second on the finish of the sport. However you go into these conditions, we apply these conditions, you have got cues and issues that you simply’re in search of. It did not go our means.”
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) December 2, 2024
Nonetheless, if it finally ends up securing the Jazz a high draft choose within the loaded 2025 class, it’s honest to say followers might find yourself forgiving him, in addition to go down as a legendary area of interest second in franchise lore.