The Utah Jazz dug themselves an early hole and couldn’t quite pull themselves out, eventually falling to the Sacramento Kings 114-106 on the road Tuesday night.
The Jazz (9-10) trailed 30-14 in the first quarter and fought back to cut the lead to one point in the second half.
Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks scored 18 points each to lead the Jazz, while Derrick Favors double-doubled with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Rodney Hood scored all 17 of his points in the second half.
Three Sacramento players registered double-doubles—DeMarcus Cousins (23 points, 12 rebounds), Rajon Rondo (17 points, 13 assists) and Omri Casspi (19 points, 10 rebounds).
Rudy Gay also scored 23 points for the Kings (8-15).
Tuesday’s Best
Utah’s bench provided some punch and helped make up the early deficit. Burks (18 points), Trey Burke (12 points) and Trevor Booker (12 points, 10 rebounds) combined for 42 points. In all, Utah’s reserves outscored their Sacramento counterparts 45 to 22, turning what could have been a blowout into a close game.
Key Stretch
Midway through the third quarter, the Jazz pulled within one at 57-56 before Sacramento answered with a 12-2 run to increase the lead back to 11. And then, early in the fourth quarter, Utah cut the lead to two at 86-84 before a quick 7-0 run by the Kings pushed the lead to nine. The Jazz outscored the Kings 84-81 over the final three quarters and pulled nearly even twice, but they never took the lead or tied the game and fell short in the end.
Significant Stat
Utah got back in the game by hitting the glass. As a team, the Jazz grabbed 19 offensive rebounds, which led to 29 second-chance points. Seven of Booker’s 10 rebounds came on the offensive end, and Favors finished with six offensive rebounds. Sacramento scored 13 second-chance points.
Coach’s Quote of the Night
Notable
Besides his 18 points, Hayward filled the stat sheet with eight rebounds, six assists and three steals. He also went 3-for-6 from long distance. ... Trey Lyles scored a career-high seven points—all in the first half. ... The Jazz went 15-for-36 (41.7 percent) from 3-point range. ... Sacramento scored 58 points in the paint. Utah finished with 30. ... The Jazz failed to register a block. ... The Kings shot 55.8 percent from the field (43-for-77).
Up Next
The Jazz will return home to take on the New York Knicks on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT.