“I thought he kicked it, also,” Corbin said. “The foul was a little premature. We’d have liked to come down at that point and maybe just make him make a play.”

Gordon Hayward carried the Jazz for much of the second half, scoring 11 of his game-high 21 points in the third quarter. The Jazz opened the period on a 13-4 run to tie the game at 62. They scored 37 points in the quarter and took an 86-85 lead into the final 12 minutes.

But once again, as he has been so many times over the past 18 games, Corbin said was left to talk about the lessons learned.

“We have to be able to finish games off,” he said. “I think this experience will prove valuable if we learn our lessons from it.”

In five of the nine losses, the Jazz have either been tied or led in the fourth quarter. At some point, a treacherous piece of scheduling becomes as much about surviving as it does excelling. Five of the Jazz’s next seven games are at home.

If they win all of them, their record will not reflect that of a struggling team, as the mood around the Jazz Saturday night might suggest.

“I felt as though we gave a couple away,” guard Randy Foye said. “At 9-9 I wouldn’t say that I’m satisfied, but I’m pretty happy.”

boram@sltrib.com