Preview: Kings hope to secure 4-0 road trip with win over Jazz

Mar 20, 2023, 10:59 AM | Updated: 12:54 pm

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 03: Kelly Olynyk #41 of the Utah Jazz and Domantas Sabonis #10 of th...

(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

Editor & Kings Beat Writer

The best road team in the Western Conference will look to close out a perfect 4-0 road trip on Monday night when the Sacramento Kings face the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City.

Sacramento (43-27) has won six of its past seven games (11-2 since returning from the All-Star break) and seven-straight road contests as they enter play against Utah on the cusp of ending a 16-season playoff drought.

The Kings’ magic number is 4, meaning that this team may clinch a playoff berth in the coming days–possibly as soon as this coming weekend when Sacramento opens up a back-to-back at Golden 1 Center on Friday night.

Before we go too far down the NBA Playoffs rabbit hole, the Kings can’t overlook a matchup against the Jazz (34-36), a team currently playing for its Play-In lives.

Entering play on Monday, Utah sits in a three-way tie for the 10th and final spot in the Western Conference standings with 12 games remaining in the regular season. The bottom of the West is jam-packed, as just two games separate the sixth-through-12th spots.

Sacramento has plenty of breathing room between itself and Play-In territory, holding a whopping eight-game lead over the seventh-seed Golden State Warriors–but that doesn’t mean it’s time to coast to the finish line.

The top-two seeds are in play for the Kings, and a win over Utah will help them keep pace with the Memphis Grizzlies (tied with Sacramento for second place) and the top-seed Denver Nuggets (trail by four games).

Domantas Sabonis is on track to make history.

In his first full season with the Kings, Sabonis is averaging 19.2 points, 12.5 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game while shooting 61% FG.

Only one other player in NBA history has averaged 19+ points, 12+ rebounds and 7+ assists on… https://t.co/oGdV0jKMhh pic.twitter.com/WOoPBf5uCN

— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) March 19, 2023

Sacramento Kings vs. Utah Jazz Game Info

When: 6:00 PM PST

Where: Vivint Arena – Salt Lake City, UT

TV: NBC Sports California

Radio: Sactown Sports 1140 AM – Pregame coverage starts at 4:30 PM PST on Game Night

Line: Kings -6.5, O/U: 238.5

Next Man Up

While the Kings will continue to lean on the stellar play of All-Star duo De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento could be without two of its vital rotation pieces on Monday night in Salt Lake City.

Kevin Huerter (right Popliteus strain) and Trey Lyles (right shoulder strain) are both listed as questionable against Utah after missing Saturday night’s action against the Washington Wizards.

With Huerter and Lyles sidelined, the Kings got a boost from Terence Davis (21 points on five-of-seven shooting from three-point range) and Keegan Murray (19 points on five-of-10 from deep) during a 132-118 win, while Malik Monk continued his push for Sixth Man of the Year with 17 points off the bench.

The rook is cooking early in this one 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9Ibkxoh0hu

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 19, 2023

If one or both of Huerter and Lyles are unable to go on Monday, another supporting member of the Kings’ rotation will have to step up and make an impact against a Jazz team that is playing for its postseason life.

So far, Sacramento has proven that they have the depth to survive instances like these where one or multiple members of the team are out of commission. Tonight’s game in Utah will be another test of that depth, especially on the second night of a back-to-back with a home matchup against the dangerous Boston Celtics just over 24 hours away.

Keep an eye on Keegan Murray, who was aggressive early on Saturday night (10 points on four-of-seven shooting during the first quarter). With Huerter out of the starting lineup and the defense-oriented Kessler Edwards in his place, there is an opportunity for the rookie to have an expanded role on offense.

Murray took advantage of some extra looks against Washington by scoring 19 points on 15 shots, and Sacramento could need a similar scoring output from its fourth-overall pick if they are shorthanded once again.

The Kings are 10-1 this season when Murray scores 20+ points. Let it fly, rookie.

Another Test On The Glass

Sacramento has struggled against teams that pose as a threat on the boards, and they will have another tall task on Monday when they face a Jazz team that pulls down 54.0 rebounds per game (sixth in the NBA).

Gone are the days of battling Rudy Gobert, but Utah has replaced ‘The Stifle Tower’ with 7’1 center Walker Kessler, a rookie big that is currently averaging 8.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks (fifth in the NBA) per game while shooting 72 percent from the field.

Kessler has been a problem in the paint over the past ten games, where he has averaged 12.9 rebounds and a whopping 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 73 percent on the offensive end.

While the rookie has posted impressive numbers over the past couple of weeks, he hasn’t had a similar type of success against Sacramento this season:

December 30th @ SAC: 11 PTS, 8 REB, 0 BLK
January 3rd vs. SAC: 6 PTS, 7 REB, 1 BLK

Edwards didn’t have much success against All-Star big Domantas Sabonis during the two matchups with the Kings this season, as Sabonis averaged 24.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game on 80 percent shooting from the field–with one of those games (December 30th) including a perfect 12-for-12 performance:

Expect Sabonis to go right at Kessler on Monday night as the Kings look to set the tone early and control the paint.

Injury Report

Sacramento

Kevin Huerter – QUESTIONABLE (right Popliteus strain)
Trey Lyles – QUESTIONABLE (right shoulder soreness)
Neemias Queta – OUT (G-League)

Utah

Lauri Markkanen – OUT (back soreness)
Jordan Clarkson – OUT (left hand, fourth finger sprain)
Colin Sexton – OUT (left hamstring strain)
Micah Potter – OUT (G-League)

Be sure to get all of your Kings vs. Jazz coverage right here on Sactown Sports 1140 beginning at 4:30 PM PST on Game Night with Scott Marsh and Henry ‘The High Flyer’ Turner before a 6:00 PM PST tip-off from Vivint Arena.