Jazz HC Addresses Bizarre End-of-Game Sequence vs. Suns

The Utah Jazz left fans scratching their heads Saturday night in Phoenix.

The Phoenix Suns defeated the Utah Jazz 113-112 and stayed in sole possession of first place in the Western Conference on Saturday night. The Jazz were able to hang in there until the end, despite the Suns' All-Star center Deandre Ayton’s 29-point and 22-rebound performance.

When it was all said and done, Jazz fans had plenty to talk about, but it was the last possession of the game that had social media buzzing.

The Suns were up one point with 26 seconds left and possession of the ball along with a fresh 24-second shot clock. Coming out of a timeout, the Jazz gifted the Suns a victory by allowing them to run the clock down to three seconds without any attempt to foul. 

Devin Booker then proceeded to launch an unsuccessful three-pointer that bounced off the rim as time expired. Jazz coach Will Hardy was asked about the last 26 seconds in his post-game interview.

“We did not execute defensively at all on the last possession, and I’ll take responsibility for that," Hardy said. “We wanted to get the ball out of Booker’s hands and then foul.”

The problem with Hardy’s strategy is the Suns had a pair of knockdown free throw shooters on the court to close the game paired with a trio of capable ones. 

There was Mikal Bridges (88.4%), Booker (86.7%), Cameron Payne (80.6%), Torrey Craig (72.6%), and Ayton (70.6%).

Certainly, Hardy should’ve known that the Suns were going to get the ball in either Booker's or Bridges' hands. The chances of Utah having the opportunity of fouling Craig or Ayton were slim to none. With the little time that was left, the best strategy was to extend the game into as many possessions as possible by fouling.

The mismanaged 26 seconds starts at the top, but the Jazz players on the court have to be better, too. It’s mind-boggling that not one player had the awareness that Phoenix could run out the clock without relinquishing their possession. 

In the NFL, time management missteps happen on a weekly basis, but in their defense, decisions are often made in real time. This type of mistake is rarely seen in the NBA because of the number of timeouts that are allowed and the ability of coaches and players to sit down and gather their thoughts. It was the strangest ending to a game that I've seen in a long time.

It’s unfortunate in a contest that the Jazz played well enough to defeat a team that now has a league-leading 11 wins at home. 

The Jazz will attempt to put the debacle behind them when they host the Chicago Bulls on Monday night in Salt Lake City.

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