Jazz coach Will Hardy defended the team's $500,000 fine, explaining he sat Lauri Markkanen in key moments to follow a medical minutes restriction and keep the player healthy.
Just half an hour before tipoff in Salt Lake City on Thursday, the NBA dropped a bombshell: the Utah Jazz were being hit with a $500,000 fine for what the league labeled "conduct detrimental to the NBA."
The announcement came moments before Utah's home matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers.
According to the league's statement, the punishment stemmed from games against the Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat, during which the Jazz pulled Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. at the start of the fourth quarter and did not put them back in.
The Jazz lost to Orlando, but beat Miami.
"During those games, the Jazz removed two of the team's top players, Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson, Jr., before the beginning of the fourth quarter and did not return them to the game, even though these players were otherwise able to continue to play and the outcomes of the games were thereafter in doubt," the NBA statement reads.
After the Jazz fell 135-119 to Portland later that night, head coach Will Hardy addressed the fine. He explained that Markkanen's early exit was due to medical guidance.
"I sat Lauri because he was on a minutes restriction," Hardy said. "If our medical team puts a minutes restriction on Lauri, I'll try to keep Lauri healthy."
The league also disciplined the Indiana Pacers, issuing a $100,000 fine for violating the NBA's Player Participation Policy in relation to their February 3 game against Utah.
"Overt behavior like this that prioritizes draft position over winning undermines the foundation of NBA competition, and we will respond accordingly to any further actions that compromise the integrity of our games," said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
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