Kings can’t overcome poor shooting in 117-114 preseason loss to Utah

The Sacramento Kings fell to 0-4 in the preseason after shooting 10/38 from three against the Jazz in Utah.

Oct 15, 2024, 8:38 PM

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The NBA’s Western Conference projects to be extremely competitive in 2024-25, with only two teams expected to not compete for at least a play-in position: the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz.

One preseason game removed from losing to Portland, the Kings got a chance to redeem themselves in Utah. It is always worth noting that it’s just preseason, but these are essential minutes for teams like the Kings, who are working on new significant pieces into their schemes.

Injuries remain across the roster, leaving head coach Mike Brown without Kevin Huerter (shoulder), Devin Carter (shoulder), Trey Lyles (groin), and Orlando Robinson (knee).

The opening quarter ended with the Jazz owning a 31-30 lead, but the Kings’ ability to score—after only tallying 85 points against the Trail Blazers—was an encouraging sight. Domantas Sabonis, who played a majority of the opening quarter just as he did last season, recorded 16 points on 6/7 shooting during that time.

He also made his first three-pointer of the preseason, something the coaching staff has been pushing him to do more often. Only two of their triples were converted in the first 12 minutes.

Sacramento had heavily struggled to knock down looks from a distance in the game. Early in Utah, that trend continued, starting 2/10 from three. Tallying 17 points off 11 Jazz turnovers kept the scoreboard close.

So did Sabonis, who didn’t slow down after his short rest. In his 18 first-half minutes, the big man recorded 23 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and two steals on 9/13 from the field.

Still, the Kings faced a narrow 58-56 deficit at the break. Keegan Murray contributed 11 points, three rebounds, one assist, and one steal on 4/9 from the field, including 3/6 from three.

Unfortunately, the rest of his team still couldn’t get long-range looks to go down.

Kings 3P shooting at halftime:

Keegan Murray: 3/6
Domantas Sabonis: 1/2
Everyone else: 0/9 https://t.co/Ju8zFuW5C9

— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) October 16, 2024

Jordan McLaughlin, Malik Monk, Alex Len, Mason Jones, and Isaac Jones were the only bench players to see the floor in the first 24 minutes of action. Utah shot upwards of 60 percent, while Sacramento floated around 40.

It was typical preseason action, with the Kings’ only notable advantage in the possession game. Their 12 offensive rebounds and 15 Utah turnovers allowed them to take significantly more shots, nullifying the drastic difference in conversion rate.

When they could get out in transition, their versatile playmakers often found and converted easy looks. But they frequently struggled to get reliable paint touches and sprays in the halfcourt, while the Jazz seemed able to do so with minimal resistance. Sound similar to their last game against Portland?

Malik Monk’s first make of the night (1/5) takes Sacramento to 5/20 from three.

He threw his hands up afterward, almost as if saying, “Finally.” pic.twitter.com/B70GcVuFYD

— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) October 16, 2024

The Kings’ ugly offense carried into the third frame. Little of their traditional flow was apparent, as they seemed to be lackadaisically jogging through their actions. At the end of three, a nearly three-quarter heave from De’Aaron Fox limited Utah’s lead to 87-83.

Everything seemed to be setting up for the first look at Sacramento’s expectedly elite closing lineup in a tight game down the stretch. Having the two highest scoring fourth quarter contributors last season in Fox and DeMar DeRozan, showed itself early in the final 12 minutes.

That duo combined for seven of their first nine points in the frame. When the clutch officially arrived (a five-point game with less than five minutes remaining), the Jazz led 103-102.

Brown closed the game with a predictable lineup of Fox, Monk, DeRozan, Murray, and Sabonis. Utah’s Will Hardy rolled out Collin Sexton, Keyonte George, Cody Williams, Lauri Markannen, and Walker Kessler.

Their intensity increased, with inaugural Clutch Player of the Year Fox, in particular, taking his game to another level.

Consecutive turnovers forced by Fox and DeRozan left Sacramento facing a three-point deficit with the shot clock turned off.

Down three points with the shot clock turned off, Murray passed up what seemed to be an open look from three before returning the ball to Fox. Their star guard then drew a could on a three-point attempt, or so it seemed.

Utah (4-1) beats Sacramento (0-4) 117-114.

The Kings shot 42.9% from the field and 26.3% (10/38) from three.

Winning the possession game — 20 offensive rebounds and 24 Jazz turnovers — kept them alive, but they couldn’t pull it off late. pic.twitter.com/0QoOJC4Cln

— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) October 16, 2024

The Jazz promptly reviewed the call, which changed the ruling to a foul on the floor with just over three seconds remaining. Fox attempted yet another triple from the logo but to no avail.

Twenty offensive rebounds and scoring 32 points off Utah’s 25 turnovers weren’t enough to overcome their abysmal 10/38 shooting from three. It’s just preseason, but their now 0-4 start is an unideal way to kick off the DeRozan-era in California’s capital.