, who lost their fourth straight.''They took us out of everything we wanted to do,'' Sacramento coach Luke Walton said. ''We talk about wanting to get up a certain amount of 3s. We couldn't get 3s because we couldn't penetrate and make two players guard us.'' Trevor Ariza, Wenyen Gabriel and Caleb Swanigan were not with the Kings, and Walton declined to comment before the game amid reports that the players were to be traded to Portland in exchange for Kent Bazemore, Anthony Tolliver and two future second-round draft picks.The Jazz have won 16 of 18 and had their 10-game winning streak snapped in overtime against New Orleans on Thursday. It didn't take long to shake off the disappointment.Utah started the game by converting on nine straight possessions and jumping to a 24-10 lead. The one time the Jazz missed a shot, Gobert gobbled up the rebound and dunked it. Nearly six minutes elapsed before Utah had a scoreless trip down the floor.''I was trying to be aggressive and all the guys did a great job finding me . all I had to do is finish,'' Gobert said.Utah's swift ball movement had the Sacramento defense spinning. In one 10-second sequence, Utah fired six quick passes that covered both sides of the court and broke the lane three times, ending with a wide-open corner 3-pointer from Mitchell.''They have to chase people around for almost 24 seconds and it's just demoralizing for them. It's a huge play,'' Gobert said.Utah coach Quin Snyder beamed when recalling the possession.''We have a group that plays for each other. When you do that, the basket gets bigger and everyone shoots with confidence because they feel they are supposed to. There is never a `my turn.' It's always `our turn,''' Snyder said.The Kings shot 48.8%, but never got with single digits after Utah's opening run.Mike Conley, who missed 19 of the Utah's last 20 games due to a left hamstring strain that was first suffered in the Jazz's road loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Dec. 12, returned to a standing ovation and finished with three points and three assists in 15 minutes.''Mike is a key piece of what we want to do. I know we didn't want to rush him but it's great to have him back,'' Gobert said, noting one of his assists led to an easy dunk for him.Bogdanovic was also back after nursing an ankle injury for the last six games, finishing with 11 points.The Jazz beat the Kings by 32 early in the season and Sacramento hasn't suffered a loss as large as this 22-point defeat since.''Sometimes, it happens so fast that we just don't communicate and I think we keep allowing that to happen we're just going to get beat all game like we did tonight,'' Bagley said.NO TV FOR JAZZ FANSIf Jazz fans in the Intermountain area weren't at the game in person, they couldn't see it. Utah's official television partner ATT SportsNet Rocky Mountain released a statement that said, ''An equipment failure with our ATT contractor has prevented broadcast signals to reach our regional fans. We apologize to our fans missing the game and are working with our partners to find a solution.'' TIP-INSKings: Two games after scoring 34 against Orlando, Nemanja Bjelica had no field goal attempts in the first half, but finished with 10 points. . All 11 Kings who dressed got into the game. . Deterred by Gobert, the Kings shot 12 free throws and made just seven.Jazz: Gobert emphatically rejected a shot by Joseph in the third quarter and then picked up a technical. . Joe Ingles had two points (0 for 5 on 3s), nine rebounds and a season-high 12 assists. . Gobert made 10 of his 11 free-throw attempts.UP NEXTThe Kings: At Miami on Monday afternoon.The Jazz: Host the Indiana Pacers on Monday night.---More NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Jan 17, 2020The red-hot Utah Jazz haven't had to bounce back from a loss in 3 1/2 weeks.But that is the position the Jazz are in as they host the Sacramento Kings in Salt Lake City on Saturday.Utah's 10-game winning streak ended Thursday when the Jazz suffered a 138-132 overtime loss to the host New Orleans Pelicans. It represents only the second setback in 17 games for the Jazz, who are 28-13 at the midway point of their schedule."These games come down to a few plays," Utah coach Quin Snyder said afterward. "We made a few, but there were a few we didn't make. We tip our hats to New Orleans. They did an excellent job and made a few more plays than we did."But I think we competed. We've just got to keep playing well." Star guard Donovan Mitchell certainly played well as he matched his career highs of 46 points and seven 3-pointers.Mitchell scored 36 of his points after halftime as he and New Orleans' Brandon Ingram (career-best 49 points) engaged in a shootout.But being on the losing side of the ledger erased away some of the joy over an impressive individual effort."That was a winnable game," Mitchell said. "It's tough to lose that one." The Jazz escaped defeat in regulation when they trailed by one with 0.2 seconds left as center Rudy Gobert was fouled on a desperation in-bounds pass toward the basket. Gobert missed the first free throw and made the second to force overtime.Then Utah was in solid position with a five-point lead in overtime before missing its final nine shots. The Pelicans scored the final 11 points to hand the Jazz their first loss since Dec. 23.Now Utah looks to win the season series from Sacramento. The teams split the first two meetings this season but the Jazz have won 11 of the past 14 meetings.The Kings are struggling at 15-26 at the midway point as they begin a five-game road trip. Sacramento has lost three consecutive games and 12 of its last 15.The Kings dropped their past two games by a total of six points -- 114-112 to the Orlando Magic on Monday and 127-123 to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.Point guard De'Aaron Fox recorded 27 points and 12 assists against Dallas while small forward Harrison Barnes and shooting guard Buddy Hield each scored 25 points.While the offense was good, the defense struggled as the Kings allowed 35 or more points in three different quarters."It should be pretty clear until we can get out there and play that hard, at that pace and still keep a defensive mindset, there's going to be a lot of ups and downs," Sacramento coach Luke Walton said afterward.The team's shoddy results have reduced the tolerance of their fans. The boo-birds have been out lately and made multiple appearances during the loss to Dallas."Everybody is frustrated, it's not even them, we're trying to figure it out too," Hield said afterward. "But it's the home team and we get booed. ... We don't agree with it, but they're going to voice their opinion."I understand their frustration, but like I said, I'm going to keep shooting the ball. When I make a 3, they like me. When I don't, they hate you. That's how Sacramento fans are so you've got to embrace it." The Kings may start second-year pro Marvin Bagley III at center for the second straight game as Richaun Holmes (shoulder) remains sidelined. Backup shooting Bogdan Bogdanovic (ankle) will likely miss his seventh consecutive contest.--Field Level Media
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