Isaiah Collier earned Collin Sexton’s wrath during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game between the Utah Jazz and the Brooklyn Nets at Delta Center. With the score tied at 102 with less than 30 seconds left, Collier waved off Sexton who was calling for the ball, and then proceeded to get an eight-second violation. It was a ridiculous sequence and Sexton was understandably upset afterward.
“Give me the f***ing ball,” Sexton appeared to say.
"Give me the f***ing ball!"
In a tie game with 20 seconds left, Collin Sexton calls for the ball but is waved off demonstrably by Isaiah Collier who ends up getting an 8 second violation. This leads to a HEATED exchange on the bench 🔥😲pic.twitter.com/oRheAWDLpf
— Hot Hand Theory (@HotHandTheory) January 13, 2025
Sexton and Collier then got into a heated exchange on the bench. The fact that the latter, a rookie, was talking back to a veteran over something that was clearly his own mistake, wasn’t a good look. Collier should have just quietly taken his medicine there.
Collier’s mistake meant the Nets were presented with a chance to win the game in regulation. They failed to capitalize, however, and the contest went to overtime. As fate would have it, Collier got a shot at redemption in the extra period and made no mistake, hitting the game-winner.
ISAIAH COLLIER WINS IT FOR THE JAZZ 🧊🧊 pic.twitter.com/BhYPvoJ9ZK
— NBA (@NBA) January 13, 2025
Collier, the 29th pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, finished with a career-high 23 points (9-16 FG) to go with seven rebounds, seven assists, and a block to lead the Jazz to a 112-111 win. It was easily the best we had seen of the 20-year-old in the NBA and he stepped up on a night when his team was without many of their experienced players like Walker Kessler.
Collier’s night was nearly cut short before that blunder in regulation and the overtime game-winner, though. He took a nasty fall after a dunk at the start of the fourth quarter and had to leave the game.
SCARY
Isaiah Collier, having the best game of his young career (19/7/6/1 70%), blocks a 3-pointer then takes the ball coast to coast for a monster slam but slips off the rim and falls directly on his face. He got up but headed straight to the locker room.pic.twitter.com/Ko9NLqne25
— Hot Hand Theory (@HotHandTheory) January 13, 2025
Collier revealed he was bleeding from his nose and mouth after that fall. He was also tested for a concussion but was cleared to play and certainly went on to make his mark on the game.
As for Sexton, he had 21 points (8-20 FG), three rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one block against the Nets. While the 26-year-old had a right to be upset with Collier, Jazz head coach Will Hardy revealed in his postgame press conference that he wanted the rookie to have the ball on the play.
“Isaiah had the ball and that’s what we wanted,” Hardy said. “He and Collin were communicating about something and I think Isaiah just kind of lost track of time. It’s a fluke play, a weird play. I don’t think it’s anybody’s fault. If it’s anybody’s fault, you can say it’s my fault.
“But it’s hard,” Hardy continued. “… You’re always waiting for that last little quick dribble to get over half-court and we just didn’t have it. They were communicating about what we were running. I would just chalk that up to a little bit of youth, a little bit of a weird moment.”
Hardy also stated he was not going to talk to Collier about the play. He believes this was just a one-off and isn’t too concerned by it.
The Jazz snapped a three-game losing streak with this win over the Nets. They have now improved to 10-28 on the season but remain 14th in the standings in the Western Conference. The Jazz will be in action next against the lowly Charlotte Hornets at Delta Center on Wednesday at 9 PM ET and another win might be on the cards.
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