Rubio’s Big First Half Leads Jazz Past Kings
Nov 25, 2018, 8:43 PM | Updated: 8:48 pm
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Utah Jazz snapped a three-game losing streak with a 133-112 victory over the Sacramento Kings
Ricky Rubio was terrific to start the game, scoring 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting in the opening period. By the end that the second quarter ended, Rubio had played the best first half of his career, with 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting. He finished the game with 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
“The ball was going in, but I didn’t force anything, the game came to me,” said Rubio after the game.
.@rickyrubio9 with 16 points. That’s a career high in a quarter 💯 pic.twitter.com/2QfX8zQ6TB
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 26, 2018
No Mitchell, No Problem.
The Jazz were without the services of Donovan Mitchell, who was out with a rib contusion he suffered in Friday’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Rubio also said that without Mitchell, it was important for the Jazz to set the tone early which is exactly what they did, outscoring the Kings in the first quarter and then in each of the following quarters.
By The Numbers
Rudy Gobert picked up his 18th double-double of the season with an 18-point, 15-rebound performance. He also hauled in seven offensive rebounds, which equaled the effort of Sacramento as a whole.
Including Gobert and Rubio, six Jazzmen finished in double-figure scoring. Joe Ingles contributed 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Jae Crowder and Alec Burks each had 14 points while Derrick Favors added 11 in a rare bench role.
The Kings were led in scoring by Bogdan Bogdanovic, who turned in 20 points.
Next Up
The Jazz will return one for a single-game homestand against the Indiana Pacers Monday at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on AT&T SportsNet.