Jazz Fall To Kings To Open Four-Game Road Trip
Nov 16, 2024, 11:49 PM
Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy looks on. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz opened their four-game road trip with a 121-117 loss to the Sacramento Kings.
The Jazz led 94-90 heading into the fourth quarter but were outscored 31-23 in the final period to drop to 3-9 on the season.
Lauri Markkanen scored 25 points on just eight field goal attempts while De’Aaron Fox scored 49 to lead the Kings.
Game Blog: Jazz Let Game Slip Away Against Kings
Jazz Struggle To Get Markkanen Looks Late Vs. Kings
Now in his third season with the team, the Jazz still struggle to get Markkanen shots late in close games.
Markkanen is the Jazz’s best player, best shooter, and best scorer, but when the game is on the line, he rarely gets the ball.
The All-Star forward led the Jazz with seven fourth quarter points, but attempted only one shot, doing the rest of his damage from the free-throw line, often on fouls drawn away from the hoop.
“At the end of the third quarter, I thought our execution just sort of evaporated and it led to us playing way too much ISO” Jazz coach Will Hardy said.
some 🇫🇮Finnish flair🇫🇮 to start the fourth pic.twitter.com/AfUkSsIawZ
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 17, 2024
The team’s guards dominated the shot distribution in the fourth quarter with Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, and Keyonte George accounting for 14 of the team’s 19 field goal attempts.
George shot 2-4, Sexton shot 1-4, while Clarkson shot 1-6.
That isn’t to say the issues lie solely with the guards, however.
Despite his stellar combination of size and athleticism, Markkanen isn’t a great shot-creator and usually depends on his teammates to help him find looks.
sheesh, key pic.twitter.com/cfTBvqEocz
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 17, 2024
As defenses tighten late in games, and offensives become more isolation-heavy, Markkanen’s efficacy drops.
Until Markkanen learns to create more looks for himself, or the guards make a concerted effort to find him, the offensive may continue to struggle late in games.
Jazz Steals Total Are Soaring
The Jazz recorded 11 steals against the Kings on Saturday night, a recent trend that has helped improve the team’s offensive and defensive rating.
The steals led to nine fast break points and 13 points off turnovers.
The Jazz have now grabbed 42 steals in their last four outings, their best stretch since October of 2022.
aaand we’ll take that one 👀 pic.twitter.com/lGmNGnnRdk
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 17, 2024
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Entering the game the Jazz averaged the sixth-fewest steals in the NBA at 7.4 per contest, and were tied for the lowest average last season at 6.5.
The Jazz don’t have terrific defensive personnel and will struggle even more when they’re missing their best rim protector in Walker Kessler as they were in Sacramento.
One way to make up for a lack of defensive stalwarts is to generate takeaways, and the Jazz have seen improvement in that area of late.
Jazz To Face Clippers On Second Night Of Back-To-Back
After falling to the Kings, the Jazz will travel south to Los Angeles to face the Clippers on Sunday night.
The matchup with the Clippers is only the Jazz’s second back-to-back of the season, and their first since October 28-29 when they fell to the Dallas Mavericks and the Kings on consecutive nights.
The Jazz will face the Clippers who are 6-7 on the season but have lost three straight heading into Sudnay’s matchup.
The Clippers will have a rest advantage having not played Saturday night after falling to the Houston Rockets 125-104 on the road on Friday.
Though Kawhi Leonard has yet to suit up this season, the Clippers own the eighth-best defensive rating in the NBA at 110.7, and the 21st-ranked offensive at 110.2.
Utah Jazz Next Broadcast
The Jazz will face the Clippers on Sunday at 7 p.m. MST. The game will be televised on KJZZ, streamed on Jazz+, and heard on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops or on Instagram @BensHoops.
