The Utah Jazz took a tough loss on Tuesday evening to the Atlanta Hawks when a 50-foot bomb from Trae Young went through the net as the buzzer sounded to give Atlanta the win. It was a valiant effort from the Jazz, who were led by strong performances from Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, and Walker Kessler.
Kessler has had a noteworthy week so far, as this past weekend, he watched during the Jazz's road trip as his girlfriend Abbie Stockard, an Auburn nursing student, won Miss America in a heartwarming video that went viral on social media.
During Tuesday night's NBA on TNT broadcast, former Auburn star Charles Barkley took a moment to congratulate Stockard on the accomplishment.
“We can say War Eagle. I'm proud. Shoutout to my home girl,” said Barkley. “…I told you, we've got good-looking women and brains down there.”
The exciting news for Kessler and Stockard can perhaps overshadow the sting of what has been a disappointing season thus far for the Jazz, who have won only two games on their home floor so far in 2024-25.
It looked like they were going to have a great chance to pick up their third on Tuesday, as the team overcame multiple double-digit deficits and had a two-point lead with just a couple of minutes remaining.
However, after Collin Sexton tied things up with just under three seconds to play in regulation, Trae Young launched the longest buzzer beater in Hawks franchise history, sinking the hearts of Jazz fans in attendance in the process.
The Jazz will look to put the pain of that brutal loss behind them when they next take the floor on Thursday evening at home vs the Miami Heat, a team they recently demolished during their East Coast trip. That game is slated to tip off at 9:00 PM ET.