The Kings started their four-game road trip with their easiest matchup that they will see in weeks. The Utah Jazz entered in full tank mode: last in the Western Conference, just 14 wins on their card, and sitting three of their best players in tonight’s game. After a slow start that resulted in a tie of 22 points after the first quarter, the Kings ultimately took care of business down the stretch. It took them about 40 minutes to do it, which left a lot of room for some bizarre and bad basketball, but the Kings lit the beam for their 30th win of the season.
Quick Stats
Sacramento Kings: 52.9% fg, 41.7% 3pt 91.7% ft, 29 ast, 47 reb, 16 to
Utah Jazz: 45.2% fg, 36.4% 3 pt, 52.9% ft, 32 ast, 34 reb, 10 to
The Good, The Bittersweet, The Bad, & The Ugly
The Good:
- Shooting: The Kings had an efficient shooting night, converting well from both the 3-point line (15-36) and the free throw line (11-12). Keegan Murray led with five made 3s, with Zach LaVine close behind with four of his own. Both shot 50% from deep, often hitting one to stop a Jazz run.
- Jonas Valanciunas: Off the bench, Jonas Valanciunas thoroughly enjoyed his matchup against a young Kyle Filipowski. It almost felt wrong to enjoy watching Valanciunas bully Filipowski as much as I did. It was like rooting for the big bully to keep shoving that little freshmen back into his locker again and again. With Domantas Sabonis having a rare off night, Valanciunas made sure to use every ounce of his 20 pound advantage during his minutes on the floor. On the boards, in the paint, and on both sides of the ball, he was dominant. Valanciunas finished with 15 points and seven rebounds in an efficient 6-7 from the field.
The Bittersweet:
- Individual Scoring: This special added section felt fitting for this one. I want to preface by saying that I never want to take for granted the scoring abilities of anyone on this team. Tonight, Zach LaVine (22 points) and DeMar DeRozan (19 points) showed why they are masters of their craft and are able to do what few people walking this planet can – get a bucket whenever they feel like it. As a fan, it is easy to love having one, let alone two, guys who can put your team on their back and score when it’s needed most. And I do love having that luxury. I just can’t help but recognize the subtle bitterness in the aftertaste of this style of basketball. With memories of ball movement, few dribbles, and multiple hands on the ball in a possession, this new style of basketball in Sacramento is going to take some getting used to for me.
The Bad:
- Blue Moon for Domas: What is rarer than a blue moon? That’s what tonight was for Domantas Sabonis. Finishing one rebound shy of his signature double double, Sabonis found himself in a bizarre rut for most of the game. While Sabonis ended with 12 points and nine rebounds, Walker Kessler outperformed him tonight, finishing with 25 points and 14 rebounds. In a word, it was… weird. Sabonis’ night started off with a turnover on the very first possession, missed layup in transition, and a careless turnover after a defensive rebound on the other end. It was all very anti-Domas and hopefully a blue moon we won’t see again anytime soon.
The Ugly:
- Forgetting the Fundamentals: The Jazz converted on just 16 of their 44 3-point attempts tonight and thank the basketball gods that’s all they were able to connect on. Of those 44 attempts, it felt like 45 of them were wide open. Yes, it defies all logic and mathematics how open they were. In too many instances to count, the Kings lost track of their man while helping in the paint. On the recovery, instead of a fundamental close out and box out, the Kings did a running fly by that allowed the shooter a runway to any missed shots. It was frustrating to watch, relieving to see so many missed open shots by Utah, and frightening to think what better teams are going to do against this kind of defense in the weeks to come.
The King of Kings
Keegan Murray has some feelings about Utah. With memories of his 47-point career-high against the Jazz, Murray was the most consistent player in a Sacramento jersey tonight, scoring a season-high of 26 points on 9-16 from the field. When things were getting sloppy out there, Keegan brought things back under control by playing within himself and finding efficient ways to contribute.
Up Next
Saturday, March 1st @ Houston Rockets – 5:00 P.M. (PT)
