The Jazz lost to the Suns in the NBA Cup game, but here's a proposal to help take care of the outcome

SALT LAKE CITY – The court was different. The name of the competition was also changed. The results, though, were the same for the Utah Jazz.

Devin Booker had 31 points and Bradley Beal added 24 to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 120-112 victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday at the Delta Center. In both teams' first NBA Cup game. Utah is yet to win a game at home this season.

Utah used an 11-2 run in the third quarter — highlighted by two drives by rookie Kyle Filipowski — to cut the Suns' 18-point lead to six. , jazz never got closer than that.

Booker is responsible for that. Every time the Jazz seemed to be pushing, Booker's answer was; He scored 15 points in the final frame and went 4-for-5 from 3-point range.

“I thought Devin Booker really made some tough shots,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “I thought Bradley Beal made some tough ones. They're a good team.”

Despite the late-game heroics, Hardy said the Jazz lost the game in the first quarter when the Suns jumped out to an early 12-point lead. Utah was without Walker Kessler — who missed the game with a sore right hip — and struggled defensively in his absence.

Hardy said the team didn't come out without enough energy or physicality and allowed the Suns to get to their spots without much resistance. And without Kessler helping clean things up, the Suns shot 54% from the field and 50% from 3-point range in the opening quarter to take a big, early lead.

Yes, given what the Jazz said leading up to the game (Jordan Clarkson indicated it was close to a playoff game), it was clear that the NBA Cup didn't come with more emotion than a regular NBA game.

This is the second year of the tournament which will breathe new life into the mundane parts of the early season. But, so far, it hasn't really taken off—for anyone.

The courts are fun for the most part (Utah's gray courts were lacking compared to some others), and the league has marketed the tournament as something different. Players and fans, however, have yet to fully recover.

Although the Jazz made things interesting a little late, the energy was lacking from the mostly full Delta Center. It felt like any other November game.

So what can be done to spice things up?

As of now, the only real prize is money (each player on the winning team earns $514,000). LeBron James makes more money playing any game — and he's not alone.

The NBA's best players won't be motivated by a little extra money. Heck, even winning the NBA Finals carries a bonus; Players don't think about that when they're playing in June — and, of course, neither does any fan.

In the end, the only thing that really matters to the players is winning in the playoffs. In order to get full buy-in from the players (and, frankly, the fans), the league has to give the competition some playoff results.

Our proposal: The NBA Cup champion gets an automatic seventh seed in the play-in tournament; And they get it without sacrificing lottery odds.

So if a tanking team — like the Jazz — wins the Cup, they get the top seed in the play-in game and two chances to make the playoffs. And even if they make the postseason, they'll still be in the lottery. This would give rebuilding teams a chance to have their cake and eat it, as it were.

For teams that see themselves as contenders, a play-in spot would provide a good insurance policy in case of injuries or a rough few weeks of the season. The Western Conference is expected to be an 11-team battle for the playoffs — securing a play-in spot in December is a good reason to worry about a tournament.

Will the prize be more lucrative for teams eyeing the lottery? Perhaps, but given that they are unlikely to win the tournament anyway, this shouldn't be seen as much of a problem.

This seems like the perfect sweet spot. This will add value to the tournament — for the players, the teams and the fans. If the NBA Cup is to become an annual tradition, the NBA should be shooting for it in its next iteration.