SACRAMENTO KINGS

Kings seek bounce-back performance vs. Jazz as preseason continues

Oct 15, 2024, 8:44 AM

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - OCTOBER 25: Malik Monk #0 of the Sacramento Kings dribbles the ball past Och...

(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

It’s been a rough start to the preseason for the Sacramento Kings, but thankfully, these games won’t mean anything come next week’s season opener.

Still, it would be welcome to see the Kings put together a solid performance on Tuesday night in Salt Lake City when they face the Utah Jazz in their penultimate exhibition matchup.

Sacramento has dropped all three preseason games thus far, with Sunday’s ugly 105-85 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers being the most recent showing for a Kings team still gathering its footing amid several injuries to its regular season rotations.

Kevin Huerter (shoulder), Trey Lyles (groin), and Devin Carter (shoulder) will all be sidelined for Tuesday’s game against the Jazz, but expect the rest of the regulars to see plenty of action as head coach Mike Brown looks to ramp things up in preparation for next Thursday.

Sacramento Kings @ Utah Jazz Game Info

When: 6:00 PM PST

Where: Delta Center  – Salt Lake City, UT

TV: Kings.com, NBA League Pass

Radio: Sactown Sports 1140 AM – Coverage starts at 2:00 PM PDT on The Drive Guys

Line: Kings -1.5, O/U 223.5

Be sure to tune in right here on Sactown Sports 1140 for all of your Kings vs. Jazz coverage, beginning at 2:00 PM PST on The Drive Guys before a 6:00 PM PST tip-off from Salt Lake City.

Will The Starters Play?

Brown told the media that he planned on playing his starting group for the entirety of Sunday’s loss to Portland, but the lopsided score caused him to pull his core players near the end of the third quarter.

Sacramento’s starting group of De’Aaron Fox, Keon Ellis, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis, along with Sixth Man guard Malik Monk and backup floor general Jordan McLaughlin, should see a similar plan on Tuesday night in Utah.

Brown may be more protective with the starters come Thursday’s preseason finale in Los Angeles, but we should get a long look at the regulars against the Jazz.

Searching For The 3-Ball

The three-point shot has been kind to the Kings during the past two seasons, not to mention a large part of what has made this offense so successful during that time period. That hasn’t been the case thus far in preseason.

After going 13-of-46 (28%) from three-point range during last Friday’s game in San Francisco and seven-of-27 (26%) in the preseason opener, the Kings turned in another poor performance from deep on Sunday by going 5/28 (18%) from deep against the Blazers.

Through three games, Sacramento is shooting 25/100 (25%) from beyond the arc, which has raised some concerns regarding the spacing issues that were raised by some around the game upon learning of the Kings’ decision to acquire mid-range expert DeMar DeRozan.

While some may continue to point to spacing as the reason why Sacramento has yet to find a rhythm from deep, the Kings are still getting acclimated to a new-look offense that features one of the most prolific scorers in the game. That, paired with the failure to knock down open looks, has plagued the offense with poor perimeter shooting.

Three exhibition games aren’t enough to draw a formidable conclusion on how a team’s offense will work during an 82-game season. The Kings have ample shooters, and it’s fair to expect them to rank among league leaders in three-point shooting again this year.

Take Care Of The Ball

Sacramento turned the ball over 27 times against Portland on Sunday, leading to 33 points off those mishaps as the Blazers continued to take advantage of several errors made by the Kings offense.

Players like Domantas Sabonis (five turnovers) and De’Aaron Fox (four turnovers) turned in poor performances for Sacramento, often looking to make the complicated pass or go across the middle in traffic, resulting in transition opportunities for Portland.

Keep an eye on how the Kings operate against a Jazz team that has been known to pack the paint and apply pressure to opposing team’s interior offense.

Sacramento Kings 2024-25 Schedule

Preseason

  • Tuesday, October 15th – @ Utah Jazz – 6 pm PDT
  • Thursday, October 17th – @ Los Angeles Clippers – 7 pm PDT

Regular Season

  • Thursday, October 24th – vs. Minnesota Timberwolves – 7 pm PDT
  • Saturday, October 26th – @ Los Angeles Lakers – 7:30 pm PDT
  • Monday, October 28th – vs. Portland Trail Blazers – 7 pm PDT
  • Tuesday, October 29th – @ Utah Jazz – 6 pm PDT
  • Friday, November 1st – @ Atlanta Hawks – 4 pm PDT

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