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Quin Snyder and Terry Stotts would have made lousy scalpers heading into Wednesday night's preseason finale at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
"I don't know if either team is going to go out there and really compete to try to win a game," Stotts, the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, predicted before tipoff.
Snyder, meanwhile, was looking for a "good balance" between improving his team's timing and connectivity — "getting something out of the game," he said — and making sure his remaining players were healthy and fresh for the start of the season.
Save your money, they seemed to say, we're saving the fireworks for next time.
The Jazz closed out the preseason with a 88-84 loss to the Trail Blazers, and the score won't be the only thing they hope will be different when they open the regular season next week in Portland.
"The takeaway is that we're a ways away," Snyder said reflecting back on his team's 3-3 preseason.
The Jazz are certainly an unfinished product after nearly a month of training camp. Their coach might have wanted to have his team play its final tuneup as if it were a regular season matchup, but a training camp plagued by injuries put that thought to rest before tipoff. Instead, the Jazz won by simply not sustaining any more losses Wednesday night. And they'll hope reinforcements might come after another week of rest and preparation.
"We don't have a full roster right now, everyone healthy, so it's hard to see where we're at," guard George Hill said. "With the guys in there I think we're moving in the right direction."
Blazers point guard Damian Lillard had his standard night in Utah. The former Weber State star was showered with applause during introductions, then went on to rain down buckets on the Jazz. Lillard scored a game-high 27 points.
The Jazz connected on 37 percent of their shots Wednesday. And knowing his team will see Lillard and the Blazers again next Tuesday — and still missing leading-scorer Gordon Hayward — Snyder called on his team to recommit itself defensively as it tried to reshape its offensive identity.
"Our margin for error right now is not real large," he said.
Still, the Jazz should be happy with some of the developments of the preseason. Point guard Danté Exum had an off night, but stayed aggressive and attacked the basket as he's done much of the past month.
The connection between Frenchmen Boris Diaw and Rudy Gobert continued to flourish. Diaw set up his 7-foot countryman on four occasions, working his way into the paint and delivering perfect passes to the center. Gobert finished the night with 15 points and five rebounds.
And after struggling to find his shot early in the preseason, Hill found some rhythm late in the first half and early second half to finish with a team-high 16 points.
"I like an aggressive George Hill," Snyder said of the team's point guard. "… Without Gordon and without Alec [Burks], we need George to be more aggressive and he was that tonight."
Standing in front of his locker, it was easy enough for shooting guard Rodney Hood to shake off a loss that didn't count, especially if the Jazz can get one back when it counts.
"We're up for the challenge," said Hood, one of the many players who have dealt with injury during camp. "They're a really good team, an up-and-coming team, and we've got to meet that challenge come Tuesday."
Twitter: @aaronfalk