Kings 1118, Jazz 101
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 25: Keegan Murray #13 of the Sacramento Kings drives toward the basket as Walker Kessler #24 of the Utah Jazz defends during the second quarter at the Golden 1 Center on March 25, 2023 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Loren Elliott/Getty Images)
Coming off a shellacking of the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night, Zach LaVine and the Sacramento Kings were looking to grab another win in Salt Lake City to start their four-game roadtrip the right way. The Utah Jazz were without some key players in Lauri Markkanen, John Collins and Collin Sexton, so a win was imperative as the Kings continue to push for the Playoffs.
The Kings started the game with a few careless turnovers (a theme that carried on throughout the game) which put them in a hole early. Keegan Murray settled Sacramento down with a combination of his defense, some three balls and even a nice dime to Domantas Sabonis. Murray carried that positive play on for the rest of the game. He went on to finish with 26 points, with 5-10 from beyond the arc, six rebounds, and his defensive presence did not go unnoticed. This was just the fourth 20+ point game for Murray on the season, something that must be improved on if Sacramento want to play past mid-April.
Sabonis, on the other hand, has struggled recently by his standards and tonight was no different. His stat line looks alright at first glance – 12/9/6/1. But some of those contributions came when the game wrapped up in the fourth quarter. Sabonis continued to look like he was not on the same page with his fellow starters, throwing several errant passes and creating awkward spacing at times. Hopefully he can shake his slump soon because I’m not sure how many more games like this the Kings can afford from their star big man.
It was a grimy, slow game early and the two teams were knotted up at 22 apiece after one quarter of play. The bench guys, consisting of Jake Laravia, Markelle Fultz, and Jonas Valanciunas, scrapped together enough defensive effort to give Sacramento a bit of separation early in the second quarter. The Kings continued to build on their lead even as the aforementioned bench players exited the game, as their team defense remained surprisingly solid considering the personnel. The offense was reminiscent of Monday night’s freer flowing, effective off-ball movement which created good looks for several guys. The starters combined for six turnovers but the Kings were able to overlook that deficiency with all the other good things they dad in the half.
The starting five struggled out of the gate to begin the second half, yet again. The nine point lead at half time was quickly cut to three before Doug Christie brought Keon Ellis in. This marks yet another game where the starting five started the first quarter and third quarter negatively. In the first quarter, Ellis swapped out Malik Monk but Ellis took LaVine’s spot in the lineup this time around. Christie continues to play this particular substitution based on each individual situation rather than as a set rotation. The quick swap paid dividends as the Kings halted the run from Utah and regained control of the game with a run of their own. Ellis’ multiple defensive plays turned into easy offense for the visiting team on a few different occasions. Ellis filled the stat sheet up and had 11 points, three blocks, two steals and was a +22 for the game. By the end of three quarters, Sacramento lead Utah 83-69.
Valanciunas started the Kings off on the right foot in the final quarter. He had some nice tip-ins, rebounds, and offered solid screens to his facilitators to free them up for open jumpers. The Kings lead ballooned to 19 at one point, in part thanks to the burly Lithuanian’s efforts. Valanciunas finished the night with 15 points and 8 boards and you could just feel every point and rebound of his. The Kings never really looked back after their great start to the fourth quarter. Christie decided to play the main guys all the way through the end, even though the result was never in doubt. It is likely he wanted the guys to continue to get more reps together and continue to develop some chemistry, a savvy move from a coaching perspective. The guys have two nights off before they take on Houston on Saturday, so it makes sense to value the extra on-court time together over a few extra minutes of rest.
Sacramento took care of business in Utah, winning comfortably by a score of 118-101. Things continue to look better for Sactown as the offense continues to gel more and more. The starting five as a single unit does not perform well together, but Christie masks the flaws of that lineup by limiting their minutes as much as humanly possible. Time for the Kings to buckle up, things are going to get tough with a brutal schedule ahead of them. However, they have made good use of their “easy” games and did what needed to be done here.
Kings Scribe 
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