Kelly Olynyk has never recorded a triple-double in the NBA. On Thursday night, he nearly reached that statistical heaven but fell short of that when Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy decided to take him out of the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder despite the big man being just two assists short away from a trip-dub.
After the game, Hardy hilariously explained that keeping Kelly Olynyk in the game could have ended in a stat line the former Gonzaga Bulldogs star might regret. But also, Hardy just wanted to see Olynyk end the night healthy.
“If I’d have left him in, he could have got it two ways — assists OR turnovers, Hardy said, per Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. “Really, though, the only thing that could have made this night worse is if Kelly got hurt late.”
Olynyk finished with 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field, 14 rebounds, and eight assists in 32 minutes of action, albeit in a 114-98 loss at home. He also turned the ball over seven times. As a team, the Jazz had 19 turnovers which were converted into 26 points by the Thunder. Conversely, the Jazz forced just 14 turnovers and scored only 12 off of those Oklahoma City blunders.
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Now out of playoff and Play-in Tournament contention, Kelly Olynyk and the Jazz will look to end a four-game losing streak when they play their home finale this Saturday versus the visiting Denver Nuggets. The Jazz face the Los Angeles Lakers in Hollywood on Sunday to cap their 2022-23 NBA campaign.