Sacramento Kings Unable To Close Against Jazz In Salt Lake

A thrilling game it was, but the Sacramento Kings fell short to the Utah Jazz by a score of 103-97. Listed down below is the summary of the game as well as some key notes to take away from tonight’s contest.

Game Summary

The Kings looked good to start the game as they controlled a 15-8 lead. But the Jazz came firing back as they routed the Kings through the play of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, giving Utah the 32-27 advantage after one. In the second quarter, however, the Kings’ bench gave their team some life as they anchored the Kings back in the game. Sacramento was able to take the lead and keep the momentum as they found themselves on top 54-50 going into halftime.

Sacramento did have a hiccup in the third quarter but regained their swagger as the score was tied at 80 after three. The final period was an entertaining one as the game remained close all the way till crunch time. The Kings were able to tie the game at 94 with a minute remaining, but the Jazz found a way to sneak by the powder blue and white to earn the 103-97 win in the end.

Early Thoughts

This game will come out as a loss for Sacramento, but it was still an impressive performance by the Kings and their youth. Overall, the Kings have been playing good basketball as of late as their chemistry on offense has improved and their energy on defense has increased.

Even though their record will not show it, (it definitely will not) the Kings are slowly but surely showing signs of being a competitive squad in the near future. Hopefully, they are able to continue to play great basketball until season’s end and have more to look forward to for their 2018-2019 campaign.

Listed down below are the major keys to take away from tonight’s contest. 

Key Notes

• Buddy Hield again had one of those nights where the bucket was his friend. His scorching shooting from the floor (9-15) was able to give him 22 points as he was a huge contributor to his team’s offense tonight.
• Donovan Mitchell continues his streak of dominating the Kings this season. For the night, the rookie recorded 28 points while shooting 11-21 from the floor. For his campaign, Mitchell is averaging almost 30 points a match when competing against Sacramento.
• The Kings had great success shooting from beyond the arc. For the game, the team rocking powder blue made 14 of their 21 shots from the area as it helped immensely in how their offense produced tonight.
• Although the Kings shot well from three-point land, they finished the game making just 43% of their total shots. This is due to their inability to score in the paint tonight. Rudy Gobert for the Jazz played a huge role in this as he recorded four blocks and was consistently altering the Kings’ shot when they tried to score near him.
• As of late, Sacramento’s defense has been more energetic which has resulted in them giving their opponents fits. Tonight was no different as the Kings were able to force the Jazz to turn the ball over 15 times for the night.
• Rebounding was a killer for the Kings as the Jazz outrebounded them 48-33 for the game. Again, Gobert was a huge reason for the deficit as he recorded 13 boards for the match.