The Utah Jazz hosted the Los Angeles Lakers in the middle of their 2025 tank season. Utah did what we've come to expect from them. They kept the game close most of the way but let it slip to a loss at the end.
This time, however, the loss came due to a costly coaching error. Utah trailed by one point with only a few seconds in the game. Collin Sexton had the ball and had just begun making his move to get off a final shot. He beat his man and made a tough bank shot, but the shot would not count. Coach Will Hardy had called a timeout with 2.1 seconds left before Sexton had taken his shot. After the timeout, the Jazz' play was broken, and Sexton couldn't get a quality shot. Utah fell to 4-16 on the season.
(As a side note, Anthony Davis was ready to challenge Sexton's shot but stopped due to the whistle, so it's possible the shot would not have been made, regardless.)
The Jazz kept the game close from the jump. They won the first quarter by one point, lost the second and third by three each, and won the fourth by four. LA's largest lead was by nine points in the fourth quarter. From there, Utah charged back to bring it within one. Huge plays from Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, and Walker Kessler all contributed to the run.
Walker Kessler had his third straight double-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks. He shot 6-6 from the field and added two assists. Kessler has shown definitively that his confidence is back after a timid second season. Utah only had a chance to win the game at the buzzer because of Kessler's rebound and putback layup with 31 seconds left.