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SALT LAKE CITY — Will Hardy didn't need many words.
When asked if he had the same sense of disappointment that Collin Sexton was feeling on Tuesday, the Jazz coach somberly said, "Very. Yeah, very."
Sexton missed his first game of the season in Utah's 111-95 loss to the Denver Nuggets. It was an illness that kept him out and ended his season-long goal of playing all 82 games.
"It'll mean a lot," said Sexton just last week. "It definitely means a lot to me — way more than many people will understand. That's my goal; 82 is my goal."
It was his goal because of what had happened the last two seasons; he was limited to just 11 games due to a season-ending knee injury in 2021-22. And last season, he played only 48 games as he dealt with hamstring issues.
How strong is Sexton's drive to play? He worked tirelessly in the final months of last season just so he could play one game in the final week.
So even as his veteran teammates joined the injury report over the last few weeks, he kept on playing.
He came up just short of his goal.
"Having the season he had last year, for him to come back and play 82 was a goal," guard Talen Horton-Tucker said. "You always want your teammates to reach their goals, but knowing that the way the season is going and knowing injuries at this time are costly. So, you kinda just want to go the smart way about it. Obviously, I wanted him to play 82, but I want him to be healthy, too."
Luka Samanic didn't elaborate much but said he could tell Sexton was upset about missing the game.
Sexton's absence was the latest addition to a seemingly growing Jazz injury report; Utah was also without Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, Kris Dunn, John Collins and Walker Kessler.
Remember the 15-4 run the Jazz had earlier in the season? Keyonte George was the only rotation player from that stretch who suited up on Tuesday against the defending champions.
When Denver coach Michael Malone was asked about the Jazz's lengthy injury report before tipoff, he gave a bit of a warning to his team.
"This is an audition not just for the Jazz but for every other NBA team," he said of the seldom-used players who were in for heavy minutes. "So when you get guys who are auditioning for their livelihood, you get a spirited effort. So it's not really about who's available, who's not available. ... This place, we have one win here since 2015. So I don't care who's playing for them, we've got to find a way to get a win."
The Nuggets did just that — it just ended up being a bit tougher than anticipated, especially considering who the Jazz were running out there.
Utah relied on a handful of players whose NBA futures are uncertain following Sunday. Players like Samanic, Johnny Juzang, Darius Bazley, Omer Yurtseven and even Horton-Tucker.
Yet, it was that group who played the most competitive game the Jazz have had this month.
Horton-Tucker, who had 24 points, hit a 3-pointer late in the third quarter that brought the Jazz within 3 points of the defending champions and was the catalyst to get the Jazz back in the game following yet another slow start (the Nuggets jumped out to a 17-point lead in the opening minutes).
"For a majority of the game, he was our best player," Hardy said.
Samanic had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and was the player Hardy wanted to use to punish mismatches in the post late in the game. He scored twice in a row, but then the Jazz went away from him — something Hardy said was a learning experience for the young team.
Bazley had some strong defense moments, and Yurtseven had 20 points and 11 rebounds in an admirable performance against MVP favorite Nikola Jokic (he had 28 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists).
After getting down big early, Utah slowly cut into the advantage over the second quarter. The Jazz were within 5 just before halftime and kept things within single digits for much of the second half.
But about halfway through the fourth quarter, Jamal Murray had seen enough.
The guard drained three straight 3-pointers en route to a 13-2 Denver run that allowed the Nuggets to pull away for good and handed Utah its 13th straight loss.
The Jazz have three games left in the season.
