For a half, it looked like the Utah Jazz were running away with their game against the Spurs. That's always fun to watch, but it can be a little irritating to watch them blow it in the fashion they did. Since tanking the season is their end game until it's not, that's always a good reason not to take their losses too hard, no matter the circumstances.
There were multiple upsides to this game. Lauri Markkanen is starting to look like he's returning to normal. Keyonte George is playing better, although that's not saying much when you compare him to how the season started. Brice Sensabaugh had his best game of the season, without question.
But the biggest upside to this is that the Jazz are further distancing themselves from other potential tankers in the Western Conference. The Spurs came into the game at 7-8, so while they're not a surefire playoff contender, they have time left to think of whether it's in their best interest to change course.
Having Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul on the same team typically signifies that they want to win, but the regular season comes with all twists and turns. That's why nights like tonight are important in the long term for the Jazz. If the Spurs decide they want to tank, the Jazz already have a massive lead on them, even with surprise wins over the Mavericks.
There's an extension to this upside too.
The Raptors won their game too
The Jazz don't have much competition in the tanking game. That's a surprise because of the prospects that are coming out this year, most notably Cooper Flagg. However, among their competitors are the Raptors.
It took the Raptors long enough to start their own rebuild. Even then, they still have veterans like Jakob Poetl and Bruce Brown still around, so who knows if their losing ways will continue.
Anyway, the Raptors won their game against the Timberwolves - a team trying to win - which puts their record at 4-12. The Jazz's loss puts them at 3-12, which helpes them gain some ground in the tanking sweepstakes for Flagg.
What's also encouraging is that the Raptors have now won two in a row and really gave it to the reigning champion Celtics not too long back. This could all culminate in the Raptors turning their season around.
So when the Jazz lose on nights like this, they can be happy with the fact that one of their tanking opponents (for the time being) notched another victory.
Now if only the Sixers could follow suit...