Estimated learn time: 4-5 minutes

MILWAUKEE — Will Hardy sat down on the podium, took a take a look at the field rating in entrance of him and began his opening assertion.

“Effectively, it wasn’t superb,” the Jazz coach mentioned.

He went on to reply questions and clarify what occurred for practically 9 extra minutes, however these 5 phrases nearly summed up Saturday’s sport in Milwaukee.

The Bucks, taking part in with out Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, routed the Jazz 123-97 at Fiserv Discussion board in what was by far Utah’s worst lack of the season.

Often, Hardy is tasked with explaining crunch time moments after video games; there have been none of these on Saturday. Utah formally waved the white flag with 5:23 left when it emptied the bench.

So what went improper?

For Hardy, there was three issues that stood out: display setting, driving the ball (or the dearth thereof) and rebounding. All three might be defined away by an absence of physicality.

Utah wasn’t adequate on drives and sometimes surrendered after a mere bump or arm examine; the screens weren’t sturdy sufficient to permit the offense to run freely; and the rebounding? Oof, that was atrocious.

Milwaukee beat Utah on the boards 54-29 and grabbed 15 offensive rebounds. The Jazz gave a crew who shot 47% from 3-point vary that many additional alternatives, and it wasn’t a great time. Utah had simply six free-throw makes an attempt in the whole sport, which is simply extra proof of an absence of power from the Jazz in opposition to the shorthanded Bucks.

“That is as bodily as a crew we have performed this season; it is a good alternative for us to discover ways to regulate to a bodily kind of sport so we will nonetheless play our fashion of basketball,” Hardy mentioned.

Utah seemed prefer it was working in mud all night time — Mike Conley mentioned it felt like everybody was sporting work boots, not sneakers — and, but, in Jazz vogue, they had been nonetheless in placing distance going into the fourth quarter.

The Jazz had been down simply 9 factors coming into the ultimate 12 minutes, however issues quickly bought out of hand. The Bucks began the ultimate quarter on a 13-0 run; and all of the sudden, the rating was extra indicative of how the sport had truly gone.

“Appeared like nothing was bouncing our approach,” Kelly Olynyk mentioned. “Typically you’ve gotten video games like that.”

Besides, the Jazz actually have not. Utah has misplaced solely three video games by double digits this season, and solely a kind of was over earlier than the ultimate minutes — a 16-point loss at Denver. However even that sport was extra of a results of taking pictures variance than the Jazz getting really outplayed.

Possibly it was the cross-country flight; or possibly it was the crew hoping that with Antetokounmpo and Middleton each watching from the bench, it was going be a simple night time; or possibly Utah was simply due for considered one of these video games.

Regardless of the case, the Jazz did not have the identical urgency they’ve had for many of the season.

“Only a step sluggish. You’ll be able to’t at all times put your finger on it,” Conley mentioned. “We aren’t going to win in opposition to anyone if we do not convey it.”

As for Hardy, he noticed a crew that, for probably the most half, seemed prefer it wished to dig in and compete however simply could not do sufficient of the suitable stuff to truly keep within the sport.

When Hardy seemed up on the scoreboard close to the top of the fourth quarter and noticed his crew down by 32 factors, it did not really feel good. Really, he was fast to level out that it in all probability felt worse than it actually was.

“It’s important to attempt to strip away what the scoreboard appears to be like like and attempt to perceive why we’re on this place,” he mentioned.

For him, it merely served as a reminder of how small the margin of error his crew has on the subject of the bodily points of the sport. They do not have a man that may acquire 20 defensive rebounds himself, or a participant who overwhelms different groups bodily; it must be a collective effort — a number of screening actions from various totally different folks and a number of gamers crashing the boards.

Utah did not have that constantly sufficient on Saturday. The excellent news: They’ve had it earlier than. Saturday was a clunker, little doubt, but it surely in all probability felt worse as a result of it hasn’t occurred earlier than.

“It is our job as a employees to assist the blokes recenter ourselves on what’s essential — what’s actual and what’s not and transfer onto the following sport,” Hardy mentioned. “Equally to if we win by 20, we aren’t the best crew within the NBA — you’ll be able to’t trip that curler coaster. It simply turns into too exhausting emotionally to get by way of the season if each sport is the best factor ever or worst factor ever.”

The Jazz aren’t the most effective crew within the NBA, however they’re loads higher than they confirmed on Saturday.

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