When the Utah Jazz hosted the Toronto Raptors on March 14, it should have been an opportunity to end a seven-game losing streak at home against a below-.500 team. And after missing six of those seven games, Jazz leading scorer Lauri Markkanen was in the starting lineup.
Instead of a matchup between All-Star forwards Markkanen and Scottie Barnes, fans watched a fourth quarter filled with rookies and reserves from both teams. Markkanen did not return for the second half, while Barnes and Toronto's other veteran starters (RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley) played only the first two minutes of the final period before leaving for good.