"Jazz center Al Jefferson knows it's been rough, and he's fully aware it's not going to get any easier.

Utah's two-month road test has just begun, a back-to-back-to-back away series awaits, and the Jazz have lost eight of 12 games after falling 101-87 to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday at EnergySolutions Arena before a sellout crowd of 19,911.

Jefferson scored a team-high 20 points, but he had to sweat for every shot, never looked at ease, and was exhausted by the time Utah (13-12) had dropped its third consecutive contest.

He was also talked out by the time a collection of media members and television cameras had their postgame fill, leaving him alone to sit humped over in his locker-room chair and consider the challenge the unproven and backsliding Jazz face.

Soon, though, Jefferson saw a little light. He longs for the playoffs. Teammates such as Earl Watson, Paul Millsap and Gordon Hayward want the same thing. And the only way Utah is going to make it to the postseason is by rising above adversity, sticking together and proving to anyone who doubts what it's ultimately worth."