Isaiah Crawford forward (11) of the Stockton Kings takes a free throw against the Salt Lake City Stars at the Maverik Center in West Valley City Utah on Tue Jan 14, 2025 (Stockton Kings X photo)

By William Espy

The Stockton Kings were back on the road on Tuesday night, as they visited the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah to take on the Salt Lake City Stars.

Starting the night, the Kings found themselves first in the Western Conference. They were hoping to continue building off of their 6-1 start to the season, while the Stars were looking to move above .500. Ultimately, the Stars would be on the winning end of things as they’d narrowly win, 121-117.

Stockton got off to an early lead, ending the first quarter up 26-22, however Salt Lake City bounced back with a strong second quarter. They dropped 37 points in the second frame, making it a 59-54 lead for the home team at halftime.

The second half would mirror the first. The Kings had a strong third quarter and after scoring 33 points in the third, they held a lead going into the final frame. They’d be unable to contain the Stars’ offense in the fourth quarter though, and Salt Lake City would walk away with a 121-117 win.

Mason Jones had a great individual performance for Stockton, scoring 30 points with 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Terry Taylor also had a strong night, going 22/5/5 for the Kings.

Chasson Randle was +17 on the night, meaning he was having a massively positive impact for the Kings, as they weren’t giving up many baskets with him on the floor.

Salt Lake City had two standouts on the night, with Oscar Tshiebwe scoring 30 and grabbing 22 boards while Elijah Harkless dropped 29 points. The most impressive thing for Tahiebwe was the fact that 10 of his rebounds were offensive, generating more offense for his team which ultimately became the difference between a win and a loss.

Despite Tahiebwe’s spectacular performance on the glass, his teammates didn’t help him out much and the Stars finished with just two more rebounds than the Kings.

Due to the loss, the Kings will now trail the Santa Cruz Warriors at the top of the West. They’ll look to get revenge on Thursday, when they visit the Stars once again. After that, the Kings will have one of their most important games of the season as they’ll visit the team at the top of the conference, Santa Cruz.