3 Takeaways From Kings' Bounce-Back Win Over Jazz

While it was a huge win for the Kings, there are a few key takeaways from Friday’s game, both positive and negative.

Rebounding Woes Continue

Sacramento received some great news earlier in the day when it was announced that star center Domantas Sabonis would be available to play. Sabonis had suffered a hamstring injury in the preseason and was originally expected to miss the first couple of games.

Despite the three-time league leader in rebounding being back in the lineup, Sacramento got absolutely dominated on the boards in the first half, as Utah outrebounded them 33-22. Bolstered by their advantage on the boards and in second-chance points, Utah was down just three points at halftime, with the Kings hanging on to a 49-46 lead.

Utah’s dominance on the glass didn’t wane in the second half, as they outrebounded the Kings by a whopping 60-38 for the game. Sabonis grabbed 12 of those rebounds for Sacramento, but no one else on the team had more than three, except for point guard Dennis Schröder, who contributed five rebounds.

The Kings were able to overcome the tremendous disadvantage in team rebounding against the Jazz, but winning in the face of such a glaring disparity is not a sustainable trend.

Hot And Cold

As they did in their previous game against the Phoenix Suns, the Kings alternated between periods of incredibly hot shooting and spans of ice-cold offensive output. On Friday night, the streaks were shorter in duration — a few minutes at a time rather than an entire half — but were still pronounced.

Kings guard Zach LaVine got out to a hot start in this one, pouring in 15 points in the opening frame on 5-of-8 shooting from the field. As a team, the Kings shot 55% from the field in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Kings’ shooting cooled off considerably as the team scored just 18 points total and shot 32% from the field. LaVine went without a point in the second period.

It seemed that each time the Kings caught fire and started to build a lead, their shots stopped falling, and the Jazz were able to get themselves back into the game. This was especially evident late in the fourth quarter, as Utah continued to push back despite Malik Monk’s incredible start to the final quarter.

‘Malik’ means ‘King’ in Arabic

The teams were tied at 75-75 until Malik Monk hit a triple at the buzzer to end the third quarter and give the Kings a three-point lead entering the fourth. Monk continued his long-range sniping as the fourth quarter began, single-handedly providing the scoring and offensive spark for the Kings’ bench. 

Monk finished the game connecting on 6-of-9 from three-point range and 7-of-14 from the field overall. He added two assists, two steals, and two blocks, putting together an all-around performance. Monk’s shooting display will garner most of the attention from this game, but his defensive contributions may have had an even bigger impact. 

After a summer spent hearing his name mentioned in trade rumors and having to listen to arguments over his trade value around the league, it had to feel good for Monk to get on the court and let his game do the talking. Tonight, he showed everyone just how valuable he can be.

For the second time in as many games, LaVine led the Kings in scoring. After dropping 30 on Wednesday, LaVine put up 31 on Friday. Monk contributed 20 off the bench, and Sabonis added a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Lauri Markkanen led the Jazz with 33 points. 

The Kings will return to action on Sunday, when they play host to the Los Angeles Lakers at Golden 1 Center.