Kings gameday live: Game delayed 15 minutes after fan vomits on court in loss to Utah Jazz
Kings fans are sick of losing, but that probably doesn’t explain what happened in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 123-105 loss to the Utah Jazz at Golden 1 Center.
The game was delayed for 15 minutes after a fan threw up in his courtside seat, leaving a large pool of vomit on the sideline near the Jazz’s bench. Players and fans quickly cleared the area as arena workers converged to clean up the mess.
Kings mascot Slamson the Lion helped, too, donning a HAZMAT suit before placing a yellow caution sign at the spot of the foul. The fan who left it all out on the court stumbled toward the exits while the Kings’ gameday operations staff displayed their alcohol policy on the giant videoboard, informing patrons that intoxicated spectators would be ejected.
“Ten years in the league, I’ve never seen anything like that,” Kings forward Harrison Barnes said. “… I don’t know what old boy had, but maybe he’s got to relax on that going forward, especially if you’re sitting courtside.”
Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points for the Jazz (11-5). Richaun Holmes had 22 for the Kings (6-11). A number of fans started “Fire Luke Walton” chants for the second night in a row, but for one night speculation about Walton’s future in Sacramento wasn’t the biggest topic of conversation.
Kings center Richaun Holmes expressed concern for the fan when he was asked about the incident after the game.
“First of all, I hope the fan is OK, first and foremost,” Holmes said. “But, yeah, I haven’t really seen anything like that. I kind of saw the aftermath. I didn’t really see it happen, but, man, there were a lot of people cleaning it up, so I assume it was pretty messy.”
Rudy Gay returns
Former Kings small forward Rudy Gay had some big games during his four seasons in Sacramento. He had another one Thursday in his first game for the Utah Jazz.
Gay, a 35-year-old veteran now in his 16th NBA season, was a key offseason acquisition for Utah, but he missed the first 14 games while recovering from heel surgery. Gay made his Jazz debut in Thursday’s 119-103 victory over the Toronto Raptors, coming off the bench to post 20 points and five rebounds in 18 minutes. Gay made 7 of 8 field-goal attempts, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range.
Gay played 223 games for the Kings from 2013-17, averaging 19.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He spent four seasons with the San Antonio Spurs before signing with the Jazz in August.
Rotation change
Kings coach Luke Walton made a change to his rotation Saturday, calling on Maurice Harkless and Alex Len for the first time in over a week.
Harkless, a 6-foot-7 forward, and Len, a 7-foot-center, both checked in for the first time with 6:13 to play in the opening period. Harkless, who has started 11 games for the Kings this season, had not played since a Nov. 12 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Len hadn’t played since the Nov. 10 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Halftime
The Kings kept the game close in the first half despite the struggles of De’Aaron Fox, who went 2 of 11 from the field. The Jazz led by as many as 12 in the opening half but carried a slim 54-49 lead into the break.
The Kings shot just 42.2%, but they held the Jazz to 43.8% shooting. They lost the rebounding battle 28-23 but outscored the Jazz 30-20 on points in the paint.
Fourth-quarter collapse
The Kings only trailed by four at the end of the third quarter, but they fell apart in the fourth.
Utah outscored Sacramento 39-25 in the final frame to go up by as many as 21 points. The Jazz blew the game open after staging a 12-0 run early in the fourth.
“I thought our guys were ready to play tonight,” Walton said. “They came out and fought, fought, fought in really all those first three quarters. ... The fourth quarter was a disaster for us on both ends of the court.”
Utah Jazz at Sacramento Kings
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Golden 1 Center
TV: NBC Sports California
Radio: Sports 1140 KHTK
Odds: Jazz -8
Over/under: 221.5
Note: Check back for updates with the latest news, notes, quotes and injury updates before, during and after tonight’s game between the Kings and Jazz.
This story was originally published November 20, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
