Sacramento Kings Lose To Utah Despite Flashes From Their Rookies
By Rafe Wong
The Sacramento Kings were able to get good help from their rookies tonight, but it was not enough as they lost to the Utah Jazz by a score of 133-112.
The Sacramento Kings were unable to beat the Utah Jazz tonight as they lost by a score of 133-112. With this loss, the Kings now drop to a record of 10-10 while the Jazz improve to a record of 9-11.
Game Summary
The Kings hit the ground running as they went on a 7-0 run to begin the game. Unfortunately, however, the Jazz endured the run and found their way back in the game due to the play of Ricky Rubio. Once the first 12 minutes concluded, the Jazz found themselves with a 30-26 lead.
The second period of the game remained the same. The Kings were getting good play from guys like Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nemanja Bjelica, and Buddy Hield, but the Jazz continued to be the better team lead by Rubio. With the Jazz winning the quarter 29-24, Sacramento found themselves down by a score of 59-50 going into halftime.
Once the second half came along, it was Utah who continued to control the game. The Kings were able to get some encouraging play from their rookies Marvin Bagley III and Harry Giles, but the Jazz again won the quarter which put them up 91-80 going into the final period.
During the fourth quarter, you guessed it, the Jazz dominated the period as they continued to play well on both sides of the ball. With the Jazz outscoring the Kings for all four quarters, it resulted in a comfortable 133-112 win for the road team.
Final Thoughts / Players of the Game
This has to be a frustrating loss for the Kings, even more, agitating than their thriller against the Golden State Warriors the other night. With Donovan Mitchell out for Utah, it gave Sacramento a huge advantage. And with the purple and white hosting the game as well, they should have executed better on both ends of the floor and make this game more competitive.
Although tonight’s game was discouraging to see, there was a positive note to take away from the game. The future for Sacramento looks bright as both their rookies were able to shine. Let us start with Marvin Bagley III. For the game, the recent second overall pick was able to showcase flashes of his offensive potential as he recorded 18 points and six rebounds for the game. He also was able to get two blocks as well.
Now, let us turn our direction towards Harry Giles. For the season, Giles has been a disappointment considering his preseason expectations. But recently, the former Blue Devil has strung together some nice games. For tonight’s contest, Harry was doing a little bit of everything as he recorded 10 points, eight rebounds, six assists, four steals, and two blocks. Prior to this season, Giles was expected to be a versatile player for the Kings, and he was exactly that and more in tonight’s contest.
Other players that shined for the Kings tonight were Bogdan Bogdanovic who recorded 20 points, three rebounds, and three assists, Nemanja Bjelica who scored 12 points while shooting 100% from the floor, and De’Aaron Fox who scored 13 points and dished out three assists.
Hopefully, the Kings are able to gather themselves and execute better in their next match. They will have plenty of time to rest up as their next game will be next Thursday when they face off against the Los Angeles Clippers.