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New York • On Thursday afternoon, Rodney Hood did a little shopping.
It was almost as important as the basketball that preceded it and will follow it.
Make no mistake, the second-year Utah Jazz shooting guard knows he's on a business trip — he had lit up the New York Knicks for a career-high 29 points in a thrilling overtime loss the night before. But his fiancée, Richa Jackson, recently celebrated a birthday, and Jackson told Hood she wanted a present from New York.
No pressure. No pressure at all.
"I hate shopping — she knows I hate shopping — but this is the perfect city to shop in," Hood said. "Her birthday was on January 17th, but she understood, because we're in and out. So I'm going to walk around and see what I can get her."
Hood's day served as a small piece of Utah's New York experience.
Usually, the Jazz fly into a city, play a game, then head to the next destination. But this trip to New York is different, because Wednesday's game at Madison Square Garden will be followed by a Friday matchup with the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center. This is the first time the Jazz have played the Knicks and the Nets on the same road trip. This was made possible when the NBA, for the first time in decades, didn't schedule Utah for its annual pre-Christmas trip.
"It's unique in that you don't have to change hotels and you can stay in the same place, but play basketball in two different venues," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "Certainly, New York's a basketball mecca, and that part about it is unique also."
On Thursday morning, the Jazz held light workouts. Other than that, and a team dinner, the team was afforded some rare free time on the road — four days in the same place, which happens to be the place where you can do just about anything.
The free time was unique considering not many on the roster have any real ties to the city. Hood and Snyder have spent some extra time at the Garden, given that Duke plays a near-annual game there. And many of the players were there during their respective NBA Drafts. But not many have had a chance to explore the city on their own.
"When you're in New York with your teams, there's always something scheduled," Hood said. "So you don't get much free time."
So, what did Jazz players do? Point guard Trey Burke planned on going to see the Statue of Liberty. Power forward Trey Lyles said he had a few friends that could show him around the city. Trevor Booker said he mainly wanted to rest his legs a bit. Gordon Hayward had dinner planned with some friends — the lure of the city even convinced the avid video gamer to put his controller down for the week.
"New York isn't somewhere you get a chance to go to all the time," Hayward said. "I can play my video games at home."
The city nightlife is also something that was talked about, especially in the wake of an incident last year that saw the Indiana Pacers' Chris Copeland stabbed and the Atlanta Hawks' Thabo Sefalosha wind up with a broken leg.
Many NBA players enjoy going out, even if it's once in awhile. So the Jazz preach doing so responsibly, and in moderation.
"Pretty much anytime you step out into the public eye, you have to be careful," Burke said. "You have to be watchful of your surroundings and realize you're a public figure. So you just have to be careful."
Mostly, the Jazz wanted to take care of business and be able to see the sights as well. Heading into Friday night's game against Brooklyn, Utah is 0-2 on its road trip, with both losses coming in overtime. Still, the Jazz have played well in large spurts. They just haven't found a way to close games.
"Our goal is to finish the trip 2-2," Burke said. "Hopefully, that's something we can accomplish."
Twitter: @tjonessltrib Jazz hanging out in New York
• For the first time in franchise history, the Jazz play the Knicks and the Nets on the same trip, giving the team four days in NYC.
Playing the role of tourist
• Nobody on the roster has extensive ties to New York, but many were first-round picks, and participated in the NBA Draft in NYC.
Working overtime to get some time off
• The Jazz are 0-2 on the current road trip. Both losses have come in overtime, including Wednesday to the Knicks. —
Jazz at Nets
P At The Barclays Center, Brooklyn
Tipoff • Friday, 5:30 p.m. MDT
TV • ROOT Sports
Radio • 1280 AM
Records • Utah 18-24; Brooklyn 11-32
About the Jazz • Utah will likely be without Derrick Favors once again, due to back spasms. … The Jazz have lost 11 of their last 12 road games, with their one win coming against the Los Angeles Lakers. … Rookie power forward Trey Lyles is averaging 14 points and five rebounds over his last five games. He had 13 on Wednesday against the New York Knicks. … The Jazz swept New York and Brooklyn on the road last season, and swept the Nets in their season series.
About the Nets • Brooklyn is struggling as much as any team in the NBA, having lost nine of its last 10 games. … The Nets are missing a major piece, as point guard Jarrett Jack was recently lost for the season, due to a torn ACL. … Brooklyn recently fired its coach, Lionel Hollins, and named Tony Brown as the interim coach. … The Nets are off to their worst start since moving from New Jersey to Brooklyn.