Sacramento Kings beat Jazz, 119-110, for first win against Utah since 2016

After years of trying, the Sacramento Kings finally topped the Utah Jazz. So, what went right for the Kings?

The Sacramento Kings are sitting pretty at 10-8 after knocking off the Jazz in Utah. This win was revenge of sorts for the Kings after they fell by six in the 2018-19 season opener.

If the players didn’t think of it that, the Sacramento Kings social media team certainly did, as they went straight for the Jazz’s throats after the final buzzer. Trolling aside, this was a big win for this young and surprisingly good Kings team.

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As was mention in the game preview, the Utah Jazz have been unbeatable to Sacramento since 2016 so getting a win in Utah is certainly a marquee win for this team. Not only that, but it’s yet another quality win over another quality opponent, providing further evidence that the Kings not start may not be a fluke after all.

Player of the Game

This is a tough one, but it’s got to go to Willie Cauley-Stein. Cauley-Stein put up 23 points, seven rebounds and two steals on 11-15 shooting and was a big reason the Kings won tonight.

Despite off-shooting nights from Bogdan Bogdanovic, De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield, Cauley-Stein provided a safety valve and a steadying hand on offense.

WCS’s 23 points is his most in a game since he posted 25 in a win over the Timberwolves and was just three points off his season-high of 26. Cauley-Stein had struggled offensively lately, having failed to reach 10 points in his last two games and not breaking 15 since the Timberwolves game, but he broke out in a big way tonight.

If the Kings could get 15+ from Cauley-Stein every night, they’d be hard to beat. In fact, the Kings are 5-3 in games where Cauley-Stein scores at least 15 and 1-2 in games he fails to break the 10 point mark. It’ll be an interesting storyline to keep watch of as the season progresses.

Play of the Game

Could it be anything else? This electric dunk from De’Aaron Fox got some instant love from NBA Twitter and for good reason.

Fox has been a revelation for the Kings so far this season and big, highlight plays like this could go a long way in getting him into the All-Star game when that time comes.

Stat of the Game

27 – That’s the number of assists Sacramento had as a team tonight. Of course, De’Aaron Fox had 13 of them, but that number has been pretty significant for Sacramento this season.

The Sacramento Kings are 8-2 when they have at least 25 assists as a team. That record plummets to 2-6 when they fail to reach that mark.

Standout Players

While these guys didn’t get the PotG nod, they all posted strong lines and helped propel the Kings to victory.

De’Aaron Fox – Fox put up yet another points-assists double-double, going for 17 points and 13 assists to go with seven rebounds on 6-14 shooting. Fox started slow, but ended the half with a 7/6/7 stat-line and piled it on after that. Fox is the engine that drives this team and when he’s on, the Kings are too.

Nemanja Bjelica – The Kings always do better when Belly does and he was a big factor in the Kings win tonight. In 25 minutes, Belly put up 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a block on 7-9 shooting. Belly has been one of the more-underrated signings of the offseason, and he continues to prove it with his play night after night.

Bogdan Bogdanovic – Bogi struggled from the field a little, going 7-19, but he more than made up for it with his 18 points, five rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes of play.

Marvin Bagley III – Bagley was pegged as an x-factor in tonight’s game and he came through. While he only put up 11 points and six rebounds, he did so on 5-9 shooting and was a +10 off the bench for Sacramento. Bagley has really started to come into his own over the last few games and he’ll look to keep it going against the Warriors on Saturday.

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Up Next: Sacramento Kings (10-8) vs. Golden State Warriors (12-6)

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