It was just days ago when Will Hardy and the Jazz entered the locker room in Charlotte after a record-setting first half for the franchise.
In the opening 12 minutes, Utah set a franchise record with 47 points. The good vibes didn't stop there as Utah led 82-47 at the break, setting a franchise record for points in the half. The Jazz also dished out a franchise-record 25 assists in the first half, with six players notching at least two.
"The first half, the ball was moving around great," Hardy said that night following the victory. "I thought the quality of shots was great. … That's what we are chasing, can we generate that good of looks for our team? There were a lot of people that were making plays."
Utah left Charlotte riding high, appearing to have gotten back on the right track after dropping a pair of games earlier in the week. All the Jazz had to do was split a couple of back-to-back games against the Nets and Knicks to enter February above .500.
Instead of capitalizing, the Jazz reverted to some old habits — the ones that saw them start the year 7-16. Back-to-back blowout losses have the Jazz one game below .500. The team that thoroughly decimated Charlotte in every aspect struggled to show up in the final two games of their six-game road trip.
So what went wrong?
"We just got outworked," Hardy said. "We need to just get back to the approach that got us a string of very good results over the last month. .. We're going to play 10 people, our energy is not going to wane throughout the game because of that."
More than being outworked, the Jazz struggled to stay connected as a team. They struggled primarily in two respects. Ironically, those were two aspects of the game Utah thrived in when they went 12-2 before embarking on this long trip east.
"We've got some trends lately that aren't very good," Hardy said. "One of them being the defensive glass, the other one being transition defense. We're just not doing a good enough job of being physical. … This is two nights in a row where a team has made us pay for it."
One of the other aspects that changed over the past two games was Utah's inability to recognize the importance of certain moments.
"We need to do a better job as a team, as a staff, as a group, as a whole, of recognizing the situations," Hardy said. "Like recognizing the situations that are happening in the game and understanding that we're not just hooping, we're trying to win. We've got to value the ball, and I feel like at times we just get close, and we think we're just kind of playing an up-and-down game with another team. That's not how we've changed our season. … That's not how we've changed the identity of our team."
"There are moments of the game where we have to understand time and score. … This is two games in a row where we are right there in the third quarter, and we lose the plot, and then we spiral."
So, now begs the question, how do the Jazz get back on track?
One thing that will help is returning to the comfortable confines of the Delta Center, where the team is 15-6 on the season. Utah will play eight of their next nine games at home and finish the season with 20 of their final 33 games in Salt Lake City.
"It's a good opportunity for us to go home and get back to work," Hardy said. "I've talked a lot this year about we're a program that is building towards hunting a championship. We are trying to learn how to win as a group. The first part of that is understanding what's happening around you and what situation you're in. … Being able to see something and all be seeing the same thing is when you're at your best, it's what all the best teams have."
Despite the struggles, Hardy is a proven realist. He never gets too high or too low. He never overreacts to any situation, instead choosing to have a broader view of things because it lets him see what's real and what isn't.
"I think that the last month is more of an indication of the type of basketball we can play," Hardy said. "Are we going to shoot the ball great every game? I don't know. Are we going to take care of the ball every game? I don't know."
"Win or lose, I expect to see a style of play that's far more reflective of our group."