Game 78 of 82: Utah Jazz vs. Sacramento Kings (36-42)

Sadly, the Sim Bhullar – Rudy Gobert matchup was not to be.

History made (first NBA bucket by a player of Indian descent):

Jazz subplot:

Pre-Game Quotage
** Quin Snyder on whether he intends to rest his starters more in the remainder of the season
I think it’s, you know, it makes sense at this point in the year to try to take a look at certain guys. It makes sense to be conscious of your guys’ health. The last thing you want to do is, you know, have an injury the last week, where someone goes into the off-season having to, you know, rehabilitate something as opposed to being able to make progress. So, it’s something we’re gonna continue, you know, keep, you know, keep in mind.
** Snyder, asked which parts of his message have changed over the course of the season and how much has stayed consistence since Day 1
I think the whole season, and every season and every year is gonna be about adjustments…We went in the year, in part me thinking that I wanted to really push the ball. That clearly for me was an adjustment to our group. It became more effective offensively when we made teams guard us, and we were able to pass the ball more. We haven’t been a great-shooting team, so for us to quick-shoot just didn’t make a lot of sense.

Defensively, I think we got more aggressive. You know, it felt like we weren’t — some of it was doing the same stuff and just doing it better, but I think the intensity level defensively, particularly on the ball and our wings helped us. So I think as a coach, you just, you have to — that’s why we watch all the film.

And sometimes players show you. You know, you begin to see, hey, you know, I felt like in the beginning of the year that [Derrick] Fav[ors] was a better shooter maybe than people thought, and encouraged him to not only practice that shot, but take it. You know, and I think he responded.

And I feel that way about Rudy. You know, I think Rudy’s offensive skills and his offensive game, it’s gonna be, you know, there’s gonna be progress there, and I have some ideas where it’ll be. He’s, Rudy’s free throws, I mean, people, his free throws last year versus his free throws this year, what an improvement. And he expects to make everything.

So, there’s constant adjustments that your players help you make as they get better…Trey [Burke] right now finishing, you know, his floater and his game, in, at the rim and the restricted area’s much, much better. And that’s changed some of the things he can do in pick and roll. So, we like to put him in different spots on the floor to, you know, to help facilitate that.

So, to be more specific and answer your question, both. You know, we’ve adapted all the way around, and by the lengthy, long-winded answer, clearly it’s something I think a lot about.

** Gordon Hayward, asked if he’d like to see the bench playing the entire fourth quarter again
You know, for us, it’s about getting better each game, and if [Snyder] feels like, you know, us getting better is by letting the young guys, you know, run, and play, then that’s what it is. So you know, I’m always ready to play, always willing to play, and it is what it is.

Post-Game Quotage
** Quin Snyder on the game
I think in the second half, we really got offense off our defense. You know, I don’t think the, to a man, the first half, that we were as active. [The Kings] played really hard. I thought they played harder than us. There wasn’t a lot for us to feel good about at halftime. And our guys that started the second half…I thought they really raised their level. And then the guys that came in off the bench did the same thing.

Quin Snyder come-ons

** Derrick Favors, asked if he’s happy with where he’s getting the ball
Yeah, definitely. You know, coach talk to me all the time about expanding my game outside the paint, around the free-throw-line area. You know, whether it’s making a play, shooting the ball, making a pass, just, you know, just being aggressive offensively. And he’s just always talking to me about expanding my game, and you know, I’m just trying to work on it.
** Favors on Rodney Hood’s progression
Rod’s good, man. You know, he’s —
Trevor Booker: He’s aight.
Favors: He aight…Rod aight. You know, he making a lot of open shots, being a go-to guy for us when me and Gordon [Hayward] sit down. Shooting the ball extremely well. Making big plays down the stretch…You know, he’s playing at a high level right now.
** Favors on Dante Exum’s off-balance buzzer beater
I thought he was gon miss. I was like, “Man, what Dante doing?” But you know, he made the shot, so I was like, “Man, good shot, man.”
** Favors, asked whether he’s ever seen anyone as big as Sim Bhullar
Nah…I played against Yao Ming my rookie year, but you know, he’s bigger than Yao. So yeah, that was a big guy.

** Trey Burke on why this team can win on the road, compared to last year’s team
I think just getting out to a great start. Coming out with the edge, playing, coming out, playing with an edge and not digging yourself in a hole. That was one of our biggest problems last season, was coming out and teams would get up 10 to 20 points on us…I think that’s something we’re better at this year.
** Rodney Hood on Quin Snyder
I mean, coach just has the same demeanor every single day. You know, he demands precision. He demands, you know, guys to, you know, be focused every single day, and you know, it’s carried over to the game. You know, tonight it carried over to the second half. And you know, it, we know it’s tough. You know, we’re probably not gonna make the playoffs this year, and you know, it’s easy to let down. But he’s the same way every single day in practice and it rubs off on us.

Random Stuff, etc.
** People calling Rudy Gobert “the Eiffel Tower”: Craig Bolerjack
** People calling Mike Wells “Wellsy”: Steve Brown
** People calling Joe Ingles “Big Joe,” “Jingling Joe” and “Down Under Ingles” in a 5-second span: Craig Bolerjack
** H/T @5kl:

Unintentional Dirty Quote Machines of the Night (UDQM)
** Dante Exum on how adding a mid-range step-back has given him confidence to go into the paint: When you go in there, just knowing you have a, you know, a set of moves that you can do if something happens, you know, it obviously gives you confidence just to go in there, and I’m gonna keep working on it so I get, go in there even more.
** Gordon Hayward on his expanded role on the team: I think it’s been a little bit bigger load. You know, it’s been a little more intense this year.
** Craig Bolerjack: We saw the Kings Sunday night in Sacramento, and yes, Quin did ride the rookies.
** Boler to Ron Boone: I know that you’re still quick-handed, and I have a lotta trust in you up front…but…I’m always on guard. ‏(H/T @its_computers)
** Exum on his 3-point shooting tonight: You know, they just opened up for me.

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Red denotes most recent game.

Thanks to @Mark_R_Pereira and @dianaallen for the assist on the W-L record tonight.