Utah Jazz Bench Surrenders Game In Epic Fashion

Oct 18, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Utah Jazz guard Bryce Cotton (center) tries to pass the ball while being defended by Portland Trail Blazers forward Noah Vonleh (21) during the second half of the NBA preseason game at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. The Blazers won 116-111. Mandatory Credit: Godofredo Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Don’t sleep on the Utah Jazz–it’s a mantra currently echoing throughout the Wasatch Front as the team looks to return to the NBA Playoffs. Then again, maybe Jazz fans shouldn’t sleep on the Portland Trail Blazers.

With the Jazz up 21 late in the game, I hit the DVR on the old ball game myself in favor of The Walking Dead–that Carol is cold-blooded, man. In the meantime, Jazz coach Quin Snyder saw fit to empty his bench in order to get a better look at the players fighting for the team’s final three roster spots.

What transpired thereafter probably has them wishing Snyder had left them to ride the pine.

Chris Johnson, Bryce Cotton and Treveon Graham all received extended playing time to close out the game and the results weren’t pretty. Pressing hard to lock down their spots, the trio combined to miss 21 of their 26 field goal attempts. Meanwhile, the Blazers outscored the Jazz 50-27 during the fourth quarter and overtime.

Jazz were up real big
Then fall flat in 4th quarter
Not quite in the cards pic.twitter.com/h739Qen8ol
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 19, 2015

So, despite a CP3-like effort of 22 points and three steals from Trey Burke and an excellent, if not abbreviated, night from the wing combo of Rodney Hood and Alec Burks, the Jazz dropped a second consecutive game to the Blazers in OT, 116-111.

Blazers star Damian Lillard, who sat out the game in Salt Lake City with an ankle injury, returned in a big way in Portland with 32 points and six assists. C.J. McCollum, the bane (or Bane?) of Gordon Hayward‘s lower back, also had a monster night with 26 points and nine assists.

As a team, the Blazers scorched the nets, hitting 14 bombs from three-point range.

With all of that being said, this game serves as a prime example of how little preseason wins and losses matter as relates to the regular season success. The Jazz rested Hayward, Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert for the night–undeniably their three best players. Moreover, in a game that mattered, Snyder would have course corrected once the lead began to evaporate.

Preseason games are more about the process and player development than the actual result. So Snyder left Johnson, Cotton and Graham (attorneys at law) to toil on the floor as the bench surrendered the game in epic fashion–undoubtedly looking for a positive response to a difficult situation.

Instead, what he got was a big minus. Despite an energetic effort from the trio, they looked completely out of sync and the Jazz were outscored in a big way while they were on the floor together. I would cite their plus-minus numbers, but that would probably be rubbing salt in the wound.

Bottom line–the three have a big hole to climb out of if they hope to be with the team on opening night.

The Jazz resume their preseason schedule on Tuesday with a home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Tip off is at 7 PM MDT.

Next: Jazz Exercise Options on Gobert, Burke, Exum & Hood

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