Atlanta Hawks

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Jeremy Rincon

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PHOTOS | Decades Night and Familiar Faces at HOME

Ryan Kostecka

On a night when the Jazz honored the past, it was the future that got the job done.&nbsp;

Led by a sterling performance from Keyonte George and multiple career-highs from Utah's younger players, the Jazz split the season series with Quin Snyder's Hawks by taking down Atlanta 124-122 on Friday night.

"Really happy with the team's effort," head coach Will Hardy said postgame. "Obviously another night where we got a lot of different faces, different lineups, a lot of young players playing together. To come out of the game with six guys in double figures, a lot of guys contributed. … I'm just happy with the way the team is showing some resilience, not complaining and not making excuses."

Here are five things to know following the win.

1.) Defense Gets it DoneAfter taking an eight-point lead following a George bucket with just under two minutes remaining, the Jazz appeared to be in control down the stretch. But Dejounte Murray showed why he's one of the game's clutch guards, answering for Atlanta with back-to-back threes to cut Utah's lead to two with 1:18 to go. 

While Utah's woes continued on the offensive end, as they remained scoreless the rest of the way, their defense stepped up when it mattered most.&nbsp;

The Jazz locked down on that end of the court, forcing the Hawks to go 0-for-3 from the field in the final minute. They forced Murray into two contested threes, both of which missed badly. Then, on the final possession, Utah doubled Murray to get the ball out of his hands, forcing a crosscourt pass to Vit Krejci. The Jazz rotated well, forcing Krejci to launch a contested three at the buzzer that also missed.&nbsp;

"Our communication is being tested very much in those moments in lineups that have never played together. … I'm really happy to come away with this win," Hardy said.

2.) Rookie NightSince many NBA analysts predicted that Utah emerged as big winners following the 2023 NBA Draft, Jazz Nation had been clamoring to see its three rookies—all first-round picks—get time together on the court. 

Those fans got their wish and then some on Friday night as Taylor Hendricks, George, and Brice Sensabaugh all started against Atlanta. It was the first time this season the Jazz started the three rookies, who played alongside John Collins and Collin Sexton.&nbsp;

George, one of this season's breakout rookies, continued to shine with 25 points, five assists, and four rebounds. He was dominant in the third quarter, helping the Jazz take a two-point lead heading into the final 12 minutes. Although he struggled offensively,&nbsp;

Hendricks did everything else well when he finished with 10 rebounds and three blocks in his first game back since injury. Sensabaugh overcame a slow start to find his rhythm on offense and finished with 14 points.

"With Keyonte and Brice, they exude a lot of confidence in themselves," Hardy said. "They have the utmost belief in their ability, and now those two are developing a pretty good chemistry on the court."&nbsp;

3.) Collins Faces HawksAfter struggling in his return to Atlanta two weeks ago, John Collins put together a much better showing against his former squad on Friday night. 

He started the game with a bang, scoring Utah's first five points. He remained steady throughout, finishing with 18 points and 11 rebounds for his team-high 22nd double-double of the season. He shot 7-of-10 from the field and 2-of-2 from three.&nbsp;

Collins has been on a tear since that game in Atlanta on Feb. 27. He's averaging 18 points and 9.4 rebounds on 58.9% shooting from the floor, posting four double-doubles in those seven games.

4.) Snyder's HomecomingAfter spending eight seasons as the Jazz's head coach, Snyder returned to Salt Lake City on Friday night—although this time, he sat on the bench opposite the Jazz. Announced during pregame, the organization welcomed Snyder back with a tribute video, while Jazz Nation gave him a nice round of applause. 

Throughout those eight years at the helm, Snyder transformed a Jazz team that won just 25 games the year before into one that reached the postseason six straight years.&nbsp;

First establishing Utah as a dominant defensive team, Snyder elevated the Jazz to one of the top offenses in the league over his final few seasons — a feat that doesn't deserve enough credit. Snyder went 372-264 with the Jazz, amassing a .585 winning percentage — the second-winningest coach in Utah history behind Hall of Fame Jerry Sloan.

Among the highlights was Snyder finishing as the runner-up in NBA Coach of the Year voting during the 2017-18 season. He was also named the Western Conference Coach of the Month four times throughout his career. His best season was during the Covid-shortened year of 2020-21, leading the Jazz to the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs after a 52-20 record, the best in the NBA. He served as the head coach of Team LeBron during the 2021 NBA All-Star game.

5.) Interesting RotationWith injuries beginning to take their toll as Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, and Kris Dunn all missed Friday's game, Hardy had no choice but to find other options to eat up minutes. Not only did he start the three rookies, but Hardy also found a way to get his three two-way players into the game early on. Big man Micah Potter was the first Jazzman off the bench, while Johnny Juzang and Jason Preston followed shortly afterward as they all got first-quarter minutes. 

Juzang was hot to start the game, scoring nine points in his first stint. He later hit a big three-pointer from the corner as the Jazz opened a 10-point lead midway through the fourth quarter. He finished with 19 points and five made threes, both career highs. 

Potter also dropped a career-high in points, doing so in impressive fashion when his four-point play early in the fourth quarter gave him 11 points. Although Preston didn't score like the other two, he gave Hardy key minutes at point guard, allowing the team to be fresh down the stretch. 

"Johnny and Micah, that's the product of a year and a half of really hard work and staying ready," Hardy said. "Although they haven't got a ton of opportunity, they've gotten a lot of minutes in the G-League, and they've done everything and more in terms of what we've asked them to do."

"They're both really good basketball players. … I'm really happy for those two guys. We see the work they put in every day, so to have them come out in a game and produce and help us win. … That's big for them."

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"Young Players Playing Together" — 5 Things to Know Following Utah's Win Over Atlanta

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Highlights: Keyonte George – 25 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds

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Highlights: Hawks 122 | Jazz 124

When Quin Snyder returns to the Delta Center on Friday night, there are bound to be emotions and memories everywhere he looks.&nbsp;

Despite the familiarities around every corner when Snyder walks through the arena, he will find himself in unfamiliar territory. Snyder will be stationed in the opponent's locker room, do his pregame media session in an unfamiliar room, and then take his spot on the bench on the other side of the court. He will hear his name announced pregame as the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks, to which a rousing ovation should be given by Jazz Nation.

"Quin Snyder has embodied what Jazz basketball is for the last eight years," Jazz Governor Ryan Smith said during Snyder's final press conference on June 5, 2022. "The tireless work ethic and attention to detail Quin displayed each day is a testament to the professional he is. I have nothing but admiration for Quin and respect his decision. On behalf of Ashley and I, along with our ownership group and our entire organization, we thank Quin and Amy from the bottom of our hearts for all of their contributions to the state of Utah and the Jazz and wish them nothing but the best."

Beginning in June 2014 and for the following eight years, Snyder was the leading man of the Utah Jazz. He helped usher in a new era of Jazz basketball, orchestrating some of the best seasons in franchise history.

Throughout those eight years at the helm, Snyder transformed a Jazz team that won just 25 games the year before into one that reached the postseason six straight years. First establishing Utah as a dominant defensive team, Snyder elevated the Jazz to one of the top offenses in the league over his final few seasons—a feat that doesn't deserve enough credit.

"He's a coach that had one of the best defensive teams in the league and then transformed into one of the best offenses in the league. … That's very rare," CEO of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge said. "To be able to coach different styles of teams and have so much success on both sides of the ball, I think that's an impressive footprint."

Snyder went 372-264 with the Jazz, amassing a .585 winning percentage — the second-winningest coach in Utah history behind Hall of Fame Jerry Sloan.

Snyder also reflected on Utah's Game 7 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in the opening round of the 2012 postseason as one of his major highlights — the first time the Jazz had returned to the playoffs since 2012.

After a three-year playing career under the legendary Mike Krzyzewski at Duke, Snyder parlayed that tutelage into an NBA coaching career that's still ongoing.&nbsp;

He graduated from Duke with a double major in philosophy and political science in 1989 and then received a J.D. and M.B.A. degree from Duke in 1995. He also made his coaching debut in 1992 as an assistant coach for the LA Clippers. He joined Coach K's staff at Duke in 1993, serving as an assistant for four years before being promoted to associate head coach in 1997.&nbsp;

Snyder got his break in 1999, getting the call to lead the Missouri Tigers. He did so for seven seasons before resigning in 2006, not knowing if he was leaving coaching for good. After some reflection, he became head coach of the Austin Toros of the NBA Developmental League in 2007. Following a three-year run, he joined the 76ers as a player development coach for the 2010-11 season before heading to the Lakers as an assistant coach the following season.&nbsp;

In 2012, Snyder took a year off from the NBA and went to Russia to serve as an assistant head coach for CSKA Moscow under Ettore Messina. After a successful season, he returned to the States and was named the head assistant coach with the Hawks. One year later, Snyder was hired by the Jazz, kicking off an extremely successful eight-year stint in Utah.

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“Nothing but Admiration” — Quin Snyder Returns to Utah for the First Time

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Highlights: Jazz 97 | Hawks 124

After being down by double digits for most of the game, the Jazz again showed that they won’t go down without a fight.&nbsp;

With a late run in which Jordan Clarkson caught fire and almost singlehandedly brought the Jazz back, Utah couldn’t complete the comeback and eventually fell 115-108 to Atlanta on Friday night.&nbsp;

“Obviously a tough game,” head coach Will Hardy said. “We struggled to make shots for the entire night and it made it hard to gather any sort of momentum for the majority of the game. We generated a lot of good looks, especially from the three point line. … But shots we normally expect to make didn’t go in tonight.”

Although it’d barely been 24 hours, life as an All-Star appeared fine for Lauri Markkanen. After getting a standing ovation from the crowd when he was announced as a starter pregame, Markkanen gave the home crowd something to cheer for after another impressive night.

Even though it wasn’t the ultra-efficient night he’s used to putting up, Markkanen overcame a slow start to finish with 25 points and 10 rebounds, his 21st double-double of the season.

Much like Markkanen, it was a slow start for Clarkson as well. Despite getting open looks, he just couldn’t get a bucket to feel from beyond the arc. Instead of launching still, Clarkson found a rhythm by getting to the rim, and it helped open up the rest of his game.&nbsp;

He finished with 24 points, five rebounds, and three assists, scoring 22 points from the second quarter on.

Like he’s done throughout his career in Salt Lake City, Clarkson caught fire at the perfect time and helped the Jazz nearly pull off the comeback when he scored eight straight late in the fourth.&nbsp;

After setting a season-high in points two nights ago, Mike Conley reset that number on Friday night. He was sensational against the Hawks, finishing with 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field, 2-of-4 from deep, and 4-for-6 from the free throw line. He also added seven assists, two rebounds, and one steal.&nbsp;

Arguably in a celebration mode following Markkanen’s first All-Star selection, the Jazz came out sluggish to start. Despite good looks, they couldn’t get a bucket to drop and then failed to get back on defense as Atlanta jumped out to a 14-3 lead.&nbsp;

Still trailing by double digits midway through, Collin Sexton came off the bench to give the Jazz the spark they needed. Using his elite quickness, he could break down Atlanta’s defense at will and get to the rim. Despite finishing, the Jazz had nobody getting back on defense, and the Hawks were able to respond nearly every time.&nbsp;

Back-to-back buckets by Sexton and Markkanen had the deficit down to six late in the quarter, but Trae Young answered with a pair of pull-up jumpers.&nbsp;

The second didn’t go much better for the Jazz as the Hawks began the quarter with a quick 5-0 run, buckets that came in transition where Utah struggled to match up. Ochai Agbaji ended the run with a corner three, and then a Sexton dunk made it a 10-point game again.&nbsp;

However, Utah failed to make a substantial run over the next eight minutes as Atlanta would run its lead to 22 late in the quarter. But Clarkson got going, attacking the rim with a vengeance and finding the open shooter as Utah closed with a 12-2 run.&nbsp;

Any momentum the Jazz had heading into the locker room was gone when they came back out, as the Hawks started the second half with buckets on their first two possessions to push the lead back to 16.&nbsp;

Once again, Utah made a run as Conley and Markkanen combined for a 7-0 run to get the deficit to nine, the first time it’d been in double digits since late in the first quarter.&nbsp;

The Jazz would continue to fight and, following a Rudy Gay three-point play, had the deficit down to eight late in the quarter. But Atlanta would hit back-to-back threes and regain the momentum heading to the final 12 minutes.&nbsp;

The Jazz had a chance to make an early run after a Conley free throw made it a 10-point game early in the fourth. Despite back-to-back stops on defense, Utah couldn’t cut into the deficit following a turnover and a bad shot from three — and the Hawks responded with a quick 5-0 run.&nbsp;

Like they’d done all season, the Jazz refused to go away as a Conley three and Markkanen and-one helped cut the deficit to single digits again. But that was short-lived as Atlanta quickly answered with a 6-0 run.

This time, Clarkson answered for Utah as he hit back-to-back threes, and the Jazz had the deficit down to five with just over three minutes to go. After exchanging buckets, an Agbaji three cut the deficit to four with 36.1 seconds to go — but De’Andre Hunter drilled a three for Atlanta on the other end, effectively ruining the comeback attempt.

“Tonight was a good example that we cant let a lack of shotmaking let us down on the defensive end,” Hardy said.”Because of that, we didn’t execute on the defensive end as we’d like to. I want to say that we won’t make any excuses for losing the game because we didn’t make shots, it’s just another good learning moment for us. … Our energy and focus level can’t be based on missed shots.”

Sexton finished with 12 points, all in the first half, while Agbaji chipped in 11 on 3-of-5 shooting from deep.&nbsp;

The Jazz will have the weekend off to regroup before facing Dallas on Monday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT.

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"Another Good Learning Moment" | Clarkson Leads Late Rally, But Jazz Fall Short In Loss To Atlanta

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Highlights: Jordan Clarkson – 24 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists

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