Trey Burke drained a game-winning 3-pointer Saturday night to give the Utah Jazz an exhilarating win, but some fans met the idea of victory with mixed reactions.
The 89-88 win over visiting Orlando gave Utah their 23rd victory of the season and kept them tied for the league's fourth-worst record. Some fans, though, would rather see the team tank its remaining games in hopes of bettering its draft position.
Burke, a rookie point guard, called tanking games "absurd."
"I think that's just selfish for a fan," Burke said, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. "We play hard, practice hard every single day. Why would we go out there and try to lose? I just think wherever we do land in the lottery, that will be great for us. But to try to tank games and lose games is just absurd."
The Jazz (23-48) lost their next game, at home on Monday against the Pistons, and have 11 left to play.
"As a player, that kind of sucks that they're rooting for us to lose, but you see where they're coming from," guard Gordon Hayward said, according to the paper.
"I think we're mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Fans just want [us] to be better for coming years. But as players, we just want to win every game."