Huge first half by Harrison Barnes propels Kings to season-opening win over Utah Jazz
Kings forward Harrison Barnes didn’t shoot the ball particularly well during the preseason, but he could hardly miss in Wednesday’s season opener against the Utah Jazz.
Barnes scored 33 points to lead the Kings to a 130-114 victory over the Jazz before a capacity crowd of 18,206 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Utah tried to slow Sacramento down with a zone defense through the first three quarters, but the Kings made them pay, scoring 32, 40 and 33 points to build a 105-87 lead going into the fourth.
“We were getting a lot of catch-and-shoot 3s, a lot of corner catch-and-shoot 3s,” Barnes said. “So anytime you can manufacture those by just ball movement, I think that was huge for us and kind of allowed us to get into a good rhythm.”
Domantas Sabonis had 22 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and two blocked shots for the Kings (1-0), who shot 46.1% from the field and made 19 of 51 (.373) from 3-point range. De’Aaron Fox had 18 points and six assists.
Jordan Clarkson scored 24 points to lead the Jazz (0-1). Lauri Markkanen had 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Barnes, 31, averaged 8.4 points while shooting 44.1% from the field and 27.8% from 3-point range in five preseason games. The crafty 12-year NBA veteran quickly erased any concerns about his game, scoring 27 points on 10-of-11 shooting with five 3-pointers in the opening half.
“He’s always going to be ready,” said Kings forward Keegan Murray, who had 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. “He’s played in the biggest moments in basketball, so this is no different, and when he gets hot it’s fun to watch.”
Barnes set a career high for points in a first half, eclipsing his previous mark of 22 points, which he had done three times, most recently against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 2, 2021. He finished one point shy of his career high for points in any half (28), set against the Portland Trail Blazers on Oct. 20, 2021.
Barnes outburst was the highest-scoring first half in the opening game of the season by a Kings player since the NBA started tracking play-by-play data in 1996-97, surpassing Kevin Martin’s 24-point first half against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Oct. 28, 2009. Barnes became only the second Kings player with 27 points in a first half over that same span, joining Isaiah Thomas, who had 27 against Oklahoma City on Jan. 19, 2014.
Duarte cleared to play
Kings guard Chris Duarte played in the season opener after missing the last two preseason games with a bone bruise in his left knee. Duarte returned to practice Tuesday and was cleared to play about an hour before tipoff.
“I’m excited to be out there again with my teammates,” Duarte said before the game. “My knee is feeling great. I’m good.”
Duarte finished with nine points. He went 3 of 4 from 3-point range.
Duarte said he injured the knee when he collided with Kevon Looney while chasing a loose ball in a preseason game against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 15.
“Thanks to our training staff, they put a lot of time into that and helped me get back on track,” Duarte said.
Up next
The Kings will return to Sacramento to play their season opener against the Warriors on Friday night at Golden 1 Center. The Kings and Warriors have quickly developed a budding Northern California rivalry since Golden State defeated Sacramento in a memorable seven-game playoff series in April.
This story was originally published October 25, 2023 at 10:07 PM.
