When was the last time you were pumped for a Jazz game? No, seriously. The Jazz haven’t had a defensive talent of Trip’s caliber since the late Rudy Gobert — not dead, just bald. As soon as you saw his name in the starters, it was a sigh of relief after years of the most unethical tank lineups you’ve ever seen. If you weren’t with us then, don’t try to claim your Jazz allegiance now.

For now, the chaos is finally over — they made it past the trade deadline with a brand-spanking new roster to add to their hand. Today, they would face off against the humble 7th-seeded Orlando Magic, missing Franz Wagner. The Jazz were only missing Walker Kessler, meaning everyone else was good to go for tonight.

A costly turnover by the Jazz, with none of their starters playing the final quarter, results in a 120-117 loss in the Kia Center. Though for a moment, you saw what was in store for this group. Hugely successful game for the perceived fit between Lauri and JJJ, and a successful tank job as the race starts to tighten.

And with that, prepare for a moment in history:

BRRR, did anyone else just have a shiver run down their spine? The newest ‘JJJazzman’ scored the first 4 points to put Utah on the board. Though the closest lead they had was 2 at the 10:53 mark. There was an instant shift on the floor once Jackson Jr. checked out, allowing the Magic to create a 14-6 run and a 6-point lead. Desmond Bane (another former Grizz, funnily enough) scored 7 points for Orlando as the Jazz shot 2-for-9 from the field with 3 turnovers during that stretch. Then we got to see John Konchar check in, along with Kevin Love and JJJ’s second stint, which pushes Kyle Filipowski and the new acquisition, Vince Williams Jr., deep into Will Hardy’s rotation. The Magic led the Jazz 33-30, despite Utah shooting 52.2% from the field and 44.4% from three. Lauri led the new era of Jazz basketball with 13 points in the first quarter on 5-8 shooting, making 3-of-4 three-pointers, tying his highest total for made threes in a first quarter this season. The Jazz outrebounded Orlando 14-11 thanks to their matador frontcourt, but they did commit 6 turnovers compared to the Magic’s 3.

Jazz then went on a 12-4 run across quarters to cut the Magic’s lead to one, with Jackson Jr. scoring 7 points and Isaiah Collier having 3 assists during this stretch. Another two Kevin Love threes, along with two Magic turnovers, erased a 6-point deficit and gained their largest lead thus far. We were all having fun, glimpsing into what the future may hold as the Jazz were nearing full health. Then, my joy was ripped away from me in one moment.

Though he couldn’t put weight on it at first, a quick breather gave him the sheer willpower to walk down the tunnel as if nothing happened. It was announced later that he would not return to tonight’s game. The Jazz still finished the quarter with a 65-54 lead after closing the second quarter with a 14-4 run. Utah shot 51% from the floor, took a 30-19 rebound advantage, and tallied 19 assists — 6 of them coming from Isaiah Collier. Markkanen accounted for 21 of Utah’s points along with three triples, whilst JJJ had 17 points with 2 boards, 3 assists on 7-13 shooting. The Jazz managed to hold Paolo Banchero to 13 points.

Isaiah Collier understandably started the second half in place of Keyonte George. That also opened up some backup point guard minutes for the final member of the Memphis trio — Vince Williams Jr — in the third quarter. A JJJ triple capped off a 10-1 run for the Jazz. Five of their points came from Kevin Love to push their lead to 15 late in the third. But don’t call it a game just yet: The Magic came back dangerously close, finishing the quarter on a 10-0 run in 36 seconds, with threes from Mo Wagner and Tristan da Silva.

It was the final quarter where Kyle Filipowski received his first minutes of the game, with Danny Ainge finally giving Will Hardy the leeway to experiment with different lineups to try and tank this one out. They inevitably lost that 17-point lead they once held, and Lauri, Nurkic, nor JJJ checked in once — chew on that one, Nate Duncan…

They were outscored 51-42 in the second half, committing 11 turnovers, which resulted in 18 points on the Magic’s end. Paolo Banchero was 9-for-12 at the free-throw line for 21 points, and the Magic were 25-for-31 from the charity stripe compared to the 20 total attempts by Utah. It wrapped up with a costly turnover, then Isaiah Collier missed what would’ve been a game-tying triple. There was a glimpse of greatness, but that’s all the Jazz are going to get for now.

The Jazz wrap up their road trip in a short drive through the state of Florida. They play the Miami Heat on February 9th at 5:30 PM MST.