With all-star Mike Conley unavailable, the Jazz ended their three-game road trip with a 107-100 loss to the Orlando Magic on Sunday night.

Back home on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/waosbibqyv

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 8, 2021

As per the norm for head coach Quin Snyder, Conley sat out Sunday after playing in Miami against the Heat last night. Snyder has said multiple times that the team’s overall health will be a prominent factor this season, so keeping Conley as fresh and healthy as possible means no back-to-backs for the 34-year-old point guard.

Utah could’ve used Conley as the Jazz blew a 10-point lead entering the fourth quarter, only the third time they’ve lost when leading entering the fourth quarter since the start of the 2020-21 season.

“I think you always want more of your team, that’s what it means to be a coach,” Snyder said postgame. “Tonight I thought the way Orlando came out. … Their aggressiveness, at times we’ve seen when that happens we have to work harder and be more precise. We weren’t ready for that.

While Snyder and the team refuses to say fatigue played a role, the Jazz were playing their third game in four days — and six of their last seven have come away from the comfortable confines of Vivint Arena. Through 10 games this year, the team has yet to play in the same city in consecutive games.

“That’s the NBA, you’re not going to have legs every night, but you got to find ways to win,” Rudy Gobert said. “We have a lot of great shooters on the team, and even with no legs, we know we can make shots. … We know that we can keep getting better every night.”

| Don and Rudy both go for 21#Podiumpostgame | @podiumhq pic.twitter.com/ErV30A98Nw

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 8, 2021

It was another night struggling to shoot the ball for the Jazz. 

Despite finishing as one of the top three-point shootings teams in the league last year, as well as efficiency, Utah shot 8-of-42 (19%) from beyond the arc. It was the first time in 92 games that the Jazz have failed to make at least 10 three-pointers in a game.

After getting into Orlando late last night, the Jazz got off to a sluggish start against the upstart Magic, finding themselves trailing 28-15 at the end of the first. It was the second time in three games that Utah was held to 15 points in the first quarter.

But Utah found its legs in the second and third quarters, outscoring the Magic by 23 to take an 85-75 lead entering the final 12 minutes.

Much like the first quarter, the Jazz couldn’t find the bottom of the net despite getting what Snyder says were good looks. 

A pair of Gobert free throws made it 91-83 with 8:36 to play, but the Magic began their comeback with an 11-3 run to tie the game at 94 with 4:31 to play. After the teams traded buckets, Orlando ended the game on a 9-2 run to secure the win.

“We got to understand that we shouldn’t play to a different level of focus regarding who we play because it’s the NBA,” Gobert said. “Every team is trying to come at us. … It’s the NBA. We have to embrace every night and every opportunity because every team has something that can make us better. … We have to use those games to create good habits.”

Gobert finished with another double-double, his eighth in 10 games this year. He dropped 21 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocks, shooting 7-of-9 from the floor and 7-for-8 from the free throw line.

| Rudy’s 8th double-double of the season.#TakeNote | @zionsbank pic.twitter.com/xJVytFd64Z

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 8, 2021

Donovan Mitchell added 21 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in Conley’s absence. He picked up his fifth foul with 7:32 left in the game, which led to a less-aggressive version of himself late in the fourth quarter.

Royce O’Neale finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, three steals, and two assists, while Bojan Bogdanovic finished with 13 points. Hassan Whiteside came off the bench and asserted his physicality with 12 points and 10 rebounds, his first double-double of the season.

Utah finally returns home to Salt Lake City, beginning a five-game homestand on Tuesday against Atlanta. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MST. To purchase tickets, click HERE.