Murray records season-high, Kings secure 118-101 win in Utah

Keegan Murray recorded a season-high 26 points as the Sacramento Kings hyper efficient offense jolted them to a 118-101 win over the Utah Jazz.

BY BRENDEN NUNES

Feb 26, 2025, 8:26 PM Updated: 8:35 pm

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It was a sloppy first half, but the Sacramento Kings slowed down the Utah Jazz enough to start their road trip with a 118-101 win in the Delta Center.

Murray ended the night with a season-high 26 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two blocks on 9/16 from the field and 5/10 from three.

LaVine added 22 points, while DeRozan had 19 points and eight assists. Sacramento’s 26 bench points came solely from Valanciunas (15) and Ellis (11), who made their presence felt Wednesday night.

The Kings had a hyper-efficient night, shooting 52.9 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from three, and 91.7 percent from the free-throw line.

The first showing of their four-game road trip adds another tally to the win collum, improving their 2024-25 season record to 30-28.

Kings at Jazz Game Notes

Looking to maintain their positive momentum from Monday night’s 130-88 win over the Charlotte Hornets, the Sacramento Kings got another favorable matchup against the heavily injured Utah Jazz on Wednesday.

Interim head coach Doug Christie and his players had been emphasizing the importance of improving their spacing, three-point shooting, and turnovers.

The latter showed its face early, with the Kings racking up four turnovers in the game’s first six minutes. LaVine and Sabonis each had two. Yet, Utah struggled to take advantage.

All it took was a few triples from Murray for the Kings to regain the lead. Christie is still testing different rotational combinations with all the roster turnover at the deadline.

Usually, Keon Ellis could come in early for Monk, but the defensive guard replaced LaVine in Utah. Sabonis, who usually plays most of the opening frame, got an early rest than usual as Jonas Valanciunas entered.

With one quarter in the books, the scoreboard was tied at 22-22, and Sacramento managed to stop turning the ball over after the poor start. It was not exactly an offensive showdown in the Delta Center.

Murray and Sabonis each had six points, while LaVine was scoreless on two attempts, but he was the story of the second quarter.

The newly acquired guard scored eight straight for his side, helping them reach their first double-digit lead of the night.

Don’t let LaVine get hot 😈

pic.twitter.com/9KD59WcJ9L

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) February 27, 2025

Fellow new Kings Valanciunas, Jake LaRavia, and Markelle Fultz provided size, physicality, and versatility as they’ve often done throughout their short tenures with Sacramento.

Usual microwave scorer Jordan Clarkson couldn’t find a rhythm, missing all eight of his first-half attempts, representing his entire team’s offensive production.

After not scoring in the first, LaVine went into halftime with 13 points on 5/7 shooting in the second quarter as Sacramento held a 55-46 lead.

Ten assists, nine turnovers, and 7/16 from three couldn’t have been viewed as an ideal showing to start their four-game road trip. But it’s just about outpacing the opposition night-to-night, and they were successful in doing so.

The Jazz weren’t going out easy at home, though. They put together an 11-3 run to cut Sacramento’s lead to one, 60-59. Walker Kessler started to find ways to convert around the basket.

As they say, basketball is a game of runs, and the Kings responded with seven straight. Murray was rolling, surpassing the 20-point mark for the fourth time this season.

Air Keegan 🛫

pic.twitter.com/5pOl5NUbOd

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) February 27, 2025

Efforts from the Kings’ starting five, along with Ellis and Valanciunas off the bench, left them with an 83-69 as 12 minutes of action remained.

Their end-of-quarter run carried over into the final frame, extending it to 14-3 and resulting in a 91-72 lead. While Sacramento was holding their end of the bargain, the number of open looks Utah missed was jarring.

Clarkson’s scoreless run had extended to 0/12 from the field and 0/8 from three.

The Kings’ offensive firepower was on full display early in the fourth, scoring on seven straight possessions. Next thing you know, they had a 21-point lead and never looked back.

Murray ended the night with a season-high 26 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two blocks on 9/16 from the field and 5/10 from three.

LaVine added 22 points, while DeRozan had 19 points and eight assists. Sacramento’s 26 bench points came solely from Valanciunas (15) and Ellis (11), who made their presence felt Wednesday night.

Utah’s backcourt of Clarkson and Isaiah Collier combined for 11 points on 4/20 shooting, with Clarkson going 1/14 as he finally converted with roughly 70 seconds remaining.

Starting a road trip with a win is always great, and now the Kings are off to Houston to face off against the fifth-seeded Rockets on Saturday.