Sacramento Kings guard Zack LaVine (8) scored 22 points against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center on Wed Feb 26, 2025 (Sacramento Kings X photo)
By Barbara Mason
The Sacramento Kings (30-28) won their second game in a row beating the Utah Jazz (14-44) 118-101. After Monday night’s demolition of the Hornets, the Kings Keegan Murray had the hot hand tonight scoring 26 points, the game high.
Zach LaVine who had scored 42 points in their win over the Hornets Monday had another nice game scoring 22 points. DeMar DeRozan finished the game with 19 points. The Kings hit 15 triples and for a second game in a row, Domantas Sabonis did not finish with a double double. He came close with nine rebounds and 12 points. Malik Monk had 11 points and also had nine rebounds.
Game recap: The first quarter came to an end with the game all knotted up at 22. Sacramento had a very slow start in the first 12 minutes of play lacking the energy that we so often see from them.
The Kings had a more productive second quarter outscoring the Jazz 33-24 and taking a 55-46 lead into the half. Despite the lead there was not a lot of high caliber fireworks from Sacramento. They would be looking to pump it up in the second half.
The Jazz continued to hang around in the third quarter and at 7:45 the Kings were clinging to a one-point lead 60-59. Sacramento was having an awful third quarter giving the Jazz a lot of opportunity to do some damage.
Utah was just unable to take the advantage thrown their way. The Kings had an 18-5 run in the quarter to put an end to a Utah comeback. The Kings took a 14 point lead into the fourth quarter 83-69.
For a second night in a row, Sabonis was quiet with eight rebounds and eight points. Murray had the team high through three quarters with 20 points. Sacramento was looking for a strong fourth quarter to put this game away.
The Kings were on their way to another game with significant turnovers going into the final quarter with 14. It had been a very frustrating night for the Utah Jazz as they struggled with missed shots at the line and a string of air balls throughout the first three quarters.
Sacramento cranked it into high gear in the fourth quarter taking a 102-80 lead at 7:37. It took them three quarters to find their stride but they had it all going mid-way through the final quarter. The Kings were getting some solid production off their bench from Jonas Valanciunas and Keon Ellis.
The Jazz refused to throw in the towel however, cutting the Kings 22 point to 13 points 104-91 with 5:34 left in the game. Sacramento pushed right back taking a 112-91 lead as time was running out for Utah.
With under three minutes left in the game, the Kings took a time out when the Jazz again threatened a run. Sacramento extended their lead and with under a minute left in the game it was a done deal with the Kings leading 116-99. The final was 118-101.
Sacramento had their hands full in the first half of this game. At times the Jazz really challenged but they were unable to sustain that in the fourth quarter. Every starter for the Kings had double figures.
Murray had a great game finishing with 26 points, the game high, and six rebounds. Lavine had 22 points, eight rebounds and DeRozan with 19 points and six rebounds. The Kings were really zoned in defensively in the fourth quarter; they just had a very slow first quarter to start the game.
Again Sacramento had high numbers when it came to turnovers with 16 something they have to address as they head into Houston to take on the Rockets.
The high for the Jazz was Walker Kessler, the 23 yr-old who shows a lot of promise. He had 25 points. KJ Martin finished the game with 16 points but not much else was going on for Utah. Their bench finished with 37 points more than double the Kings bench. More Jazz bench players took the court than Sacramento’s.
Game notes: Wednesday night, the Kings began a four-game road trip, their first stop in Salt Lake City taking on the Jazz. The Kings came into this game after demolishing the Hornets Monday night at Golden 1 Center by the score of 130-88.
Zach LaVine was on fire for that game scoring 42 points. The Jazz are another sub-par team that has struggled mightily this season losing to the Trail Blazers Monday night by two points 114-112. They came close to a win but could not pull the game out suffering yet another loss. The Kings got a second win in a row and more high caliber stuff from Zach LaVine and company.
Saturday night the Kings will take on the Houston Rockets in a much tougher contest. They will need all hands on deck for this one if they want to extend their win streak to three. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 5:00PM.
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