Utah rocks in first quarter as Kings can’t roll with the punches in Jazz win

Six minutes. That was all it took for the Utah Jazz to wipe out the Kings on Saturday night.

The Utah Jazz went nuclear in the first six minutes, scoring 24 points in the first 5:30 to build a double-digit lead they never came close to losing in a 123-101 win. It was the Kings’ fourth-straight loss.

The Jazz’s run started right after the opening tip, when a missed 3-point shot led to a Rudy Gobert jam for Utah. The Jazz went on to hit their next eight shots as the Kings’ defense looked porous and out of sync.

Marvin Bagley III had an interesting night. In addition to guarding the 7-foot-1 Gobert, Bagley showed what he could do from deep, firing four 3-pointers and making one. It was his most attempts this season and he tied his season high with the one made long shot. Bagley finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 21 points.

The Jazz spent the first six minutes of the game almost on pace to score 200 points in the game, with 24 points in the first 5:30 of the game. Utah racked up a 38-22 lead during the first quarter as the Kings defense allowed both inside and outside open looks. The Jazz had no turnovers and hit 15 of 24 shots.

But the Kings hung around in the second quarter, with De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III working a pick and roll a few times. Bagley had 12 at the break and Fox had 11.

Utah put the game away in the fourth quarter. Bojan Bogdanovic led the Jazz with 30 points, Gobert had 28 and Donovan Mitchell had 22 as Utah rocked on offense.

Holmes running hard at a comeback

Richaun Holmes is bouncing off the walls. The Kings’ center can’t play because of a shoulder injury, but he might drive the coaching staff batty in the meantime.

Hours before Saturday’s game against the Jazz, Holmes was running at a dead sprint in the hallways beneath Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City. Five seconds after he screamed past a reporter, a trainer huffed and puffed his way down the hallway.

Buddy Hield yelled after the trainer, urging him to get in front.

Good luck catching Holmes.

Two hours before the game, Holmes was in the weight room, then he ran past a gaggle of reporters.

Walton smiled when asked about his busybody center’s status.

“That’s who he is. You don’t ever want someone to get hurt, being a shoulder injury, he’s allowed to do that,” Walton said.

You can’t blame Holmes for being excited to get back to his breakout season. The 26-year-old is averaging 13.1 points and 8.5 rebounds a game in his first year with the Kings. He hurt his shoulder Jan. 6 in a win over the Warriors. It’s possible he’ll return during this roadtrip, which includes a home against his hometown Chicago Bulls next week.

“He’s very anxious to get back and that’s where the trust with the medical staff comes in, because we as a coaching staff, want him back, Walton said. “He, as a player, wants to be back, but we have to do what’s best for him and what’s going to allow him to stay on the court when he does get back.”

Kings upcoming schedule

Jan. 20 at Miami, 2 p.m.

Jan. 22 at Detroit, 4 p.m.

Jan. 24 at Chicago, 5 p.m.

Jan. 27 at Minnesota, 5 p.m.

Jan. 29 Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.