Donovan Mitchell erupts for 42 to help Utah Jazz hand Kings their sixth consecutive loss
The Kings went from worst to first Saturday night in their apparent quest to play to the level of their competition, waging a spirited battle against the NBA’s best team after suffering back-to-back losses to two of the worst.
The effort was much better but the outcome was the same as the Kings lost their sixth in a row, falling 128-112 to the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City. The Kings still had a chance to win late in the fourth quarter, but they were outscored 24-7 over the final 5:43.
Donovan Mitchell finished with 42 points for the Jazz (40-13) after being held to 12 in the first half. Mitchell went 12 of 31 from the field and 3 of 12 from 3-point range, but he converted 15 of 17 free-throw attempts.
Mike Conley added 26 points for Utah. Joe Ingles came off the bench to score 20. Rudy Gobert had just six points and 11 rebounds.
De’Aaron Fox had 30 points and eight assists for the Kings (22-31), who played much better following consecutive losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons, the teams with the worst records in their respective conferences.
Fox seethed over the officiating after the game, saying it was “god-awful” and “f------ terrible.” Fox was frustrated after he was awarded only six free throws while Mitchell went to the free-throw line 17 times.
“S--- was god awful,” Fox said. “Mine wasn’t even about me getting there and things like that. It was about the calls they were getting on the other end. If you’re going to call something on one end, call it on the other end.
Richaun Holmes had 25 points and 10 rebounds. Buddy Hield added 19 points, five rebounds and seven assists.
“Upset that we lost another game and pleased with the approach we had to come out,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “The way we played for a majority of tonight is what we need to expect and how we need to play every time we’re on the floor, and if we do we’ll be OK.”
Maurice Harkless made a couple of early 3-pointers to help the Kings outscore the Jazz 12-1 over the first four minutes. Utah came back to take a 34-31 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Kings led 65-59 at the half after holding the Jazz to 42.2% shooting. Holmes had 21 points on 8-of-8 shooting in the opening half.
Utah started the second half with an 8-0 run to reclaim the lead. Two baskets by Holmes sparked a 17-5 run for Sacramento, propelling the Kings to an 82-72 lead midway through the third quarter, but the game was far from over. With Ingles jawing at the Sacramento bench and Fox picking up a technical foul, Utah stormed back with an 18-1 run to go up 92-85 after holding the Kings scoreless for 4:24.
Fox threw down an emphatic dunk on Gobert at the end of the third quarter to give the Kings a spark going into the fourth. Sacramento went up 100-98 on a 3-pointer by Barnes with 7:34 remaining, but Utah responded with a 12-0 run to take control.
Up next
The Kings will conclude this brief two-game road trip when they face the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday at Smoothie King Center.
The Pelicans (23-39) beat the Philadelphia 76ers 101-94 on Friday after losing four of their previous five games. They will visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday before going home to face the Kings on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Pelicans are led by Zion Williamson, who is averaging 26.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists in his second NBA season. Brandon Ingram averages 23.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists. Lonzo Ball is having what might be the best year of his career, averaging 14.5 points, 5.7 assists and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 42.4% from the field and 38.4% from 3-point range.
Injury report
Kings: OUT — Marvin Bagley III (hand).
Jazz: OUT — Udoka Azubuike (ankle); Jordan Clarkson (ankle).
Kings upcoming schedule
April 12 at New Orleans Pelicans, 6 p.m.
April 14 vs. Washington Wizards, 7 p.m.
April 15 at Phoenix Suns, 7 p.m.
April 18 at Dallas Mavericks, 5 p.m.
April 20 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published April 10, 2021 at 9:28 PM.
