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Onward and Upward For Utah Jazz After NorCal Nightmare

Ryan Aston|
Dec 21, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Sacramento Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins (15) draws a foul from Utah Jazz guard Raul Neto (25) in the fourth quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Utah Jazz 94-93. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 21, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Sacramento Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins (15) draws a foul from Utah Jazz guard Raul Neto (25) in the fourth quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Utah Jazz 94-93. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Following consecutive bad losses to the Golden State Warriors and Sacramaneto Kings, the Utah Jazz look to turn the page on their NorCal nightmare.

Since the late 19th century, tales of Bigfoot roaming the great woods of Northern California and the Pacific Northwest have made the rounds. Even before the Bigfoot name entered the lexicon, tales of a mythical half-man, half-beast were commonplace among the area’s original inhabitants.

During their recent back-to-back set against the teams that hail from the same region, the Utah Jazz encountered their own nightmarish beast. A two-headed monster known as the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings.

On Tuesday night, the Warriors left the Jazz licking their wounds after a 104-74 shellacking in Oakland. However, the two-headed beast was unsatisfied. The Jazz retreated home in search of solace, but this NorCal nightmare’s other head was hungry for a win of its own.

The Kings caught their prey’s scent and followed the broken and battered team back to its domain. With tired legs and George Hill, Dante Exum, Rodney Hood and Alec Burks all out of commission, the Jazz band ultimately couldn’t cope with the beast on Thursday.

A late-game onslaught from DeMarcus Cousins, Ty Lawson and Co. simply proved too much to overcome. Despite Utah leading by as many as 20 and controlling most of the contest, the Kings used a 32-20 fourth quarter to move in for the kill. There were only two lead changes in the game; the second was the blow that did the Jazz band in.

In the end, they were on the wrong end of a 94-93 result.

Gordon Hayward and Rudy Gobert fought valiantly, combining for 45 points and 24 rebounds. Joe Ingles also managed this incredible feat —

Nevertheless, Lawson’s quickness and the beast’s long-range barbs — Sacramento hit 10-of-21 shots from three-point range in the game — pelted the Jazz into submission. If some of the fan reaction is to be believed, it was a scene as grisly as any ever attributed to that nasty Bigfoot.

However, Utah’s encounter with the two-headed, NorCal nightmare is over and the team perseveres. The Toronto Raptors will be in town on Friday, after which the Jazz get a much-needed four-day respite. This is followed in short order by a very winnable game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

With a little luck, the Jazz could even enter the contest a little more healthy than they’ve been in recent games. At that point, it’s onward and upward for the team.

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There are definitely things that need to be fixed and some mending that needs to happen, but Utah is still 18-12. And while losses to the Kings and Warriors sting, occasionally the wrong end of a back-to-back set or the best team in the NBA is going to bite you.

In other words, Bigfoot gave the Jazz its best shot, but the team lives to fight another day.

The Western Conference is filled with a myriad of other monsters, from Grizzlies to Timberwolves and beyond; the NorCal nightmare is far from the final beast the Jazz will face as the season wears on. Still, broken though they seem, the Jazz are a wounded dog that’s bound to bite back.

And when it does, look out — the predators will become the prey.

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