Sacramento Kings

Jeremy Rincon

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Highlights: Taylor Hendricks – 18 points, 3 rebounds, 4 3PM

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Highlights: Jazz 106 | Kings 127

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Ryan Kostecka

Despite being down by 30 entering the final 12 minutes, the Jazz staged a frantic fourth quarter comeback to cut the deficit to 14 with just over six minutes to play. But Utah eventually ran out of steam before falling to the Kings 125-104 on Saturday night. 

“Tonight was one of those nights where I actually felt like the team was trying hard,” head coach Will Hardy said postgame. “We were just a step slow on every aspect on both ends of the floor. … We were physically behind by a step and it led us to make a bunch of mental errors.”

As mentioned multiple times over the past few games, Hardy had been searching for consistency in his starting lineup and rotation. Dealing with numerous injuries and an illness that has rocked the team, Saturday night in Sacramento left the head coach searching for answers an hour until tipoff.&nbsp;

Talen Horton-Tucker was listed as out while dealing with an illness. But he started to feel better and was upgraded to questionable, probable, and available after going through his typical pregame warmup. Omer Yurtseven went from out to questionable and back to out again, all in the few hours leading up to tipoff.&nbsp;

Although Horton-Tucker started two nights ago in Portland, Hardy elected to go with Kris Dunn in the starting lineup — alongside Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Simone Fontecchio, and Kelly Olynyk. It was the sixth consecutive game Hardy has gone with a different starting five. Dunn’s involvement also marked the 13th different Jazz player to start this year, tying for the league high with Miami and Memphis.

“They stuck together,” Hardy said, praising Utah’s resilience despite uncertainty. “They continued to communicate during the game. … There wasn’t finger pointing, there wasn’t blaming. It was a night where we were all together but just couldn’t get it going.”

One of the bright spots on the night was the continued play of Markkanen.&nbsp;

After returning from a three-week absence against New York on Wednesday night, Markkanen finished with 23 points and eight rebounds. He missed Utah’s victory over Portland on Thursday night as the Jazz didn’t want to push him too hard too quickly, but he was back in the starting lineup against Sacramento.&nbsp;

While still on a minutes restriction and out of his regular substitution schedule, Markkanen rebounded from a slow start to finish with 18 points, six rebounds, and three assists. He was his typical efficient self, shooting 7-of-13 from the floor and 2-for-5 from three.

The good news is that he appeared to be in better condition against Sacramento, as his minutes jumped from 25 against the Knicks to 28 against the Kings. While Utah will continue to take it slow with its star, Markkanen appears to have fully recovered.&nbsp;

“We need to make sure that he’s fully healthy before we just unleash him,” Hardy said. “He felt good after the last game, which is the biggest thing for us that he felt good about his body. He’s an unbelievable shooter who can score in a variety of ways, but I think it was nice to see him play downhill a little bit. … To see him turn the corner a few times, that makes me feel good.”

Since the calendar flipped to December, Sexton has found another gear on the court. He began the month with a 25-point showing in Utah’s win over the Blazers and hasn’t cooled off. If Saturday night was any indication of what’s coming, Sexton has no plans of cooling off anytime soon.&nbsp;

He was another of the bright spots on the night, finishing with 28 points — his fourth straight game with 20+ points. He shot 10-of-18 from the field, 2-of-6 from deep, and 6-of-7 from the line, adding three rebounds.&nbsp;

Hardy complimented Sexton on his ability to be flexible all season. With an ever-changing role this year, Sexton has come started, come off the bench, played 30 minutes, or played sparingly some nights. With Utah dealing with injury and illness concerns, Sexton’s consistency has been a bright spot.&nbsp;

“Collin has been putting a lot of work in. … It’s a credit to him,” Hardy said. “Collin is somebody who is always pushing the envelope with his speed. … I think he’s made a noticeable adjustment recently of almost slowing down a bit. I know Collin feels good about it.”

Olynyk continued to shine in the starting lineup, finishing a career-high 13 assists, adding nine points and five rebounds. Taylor Hendricks and Horton-Tucker (five assists and three steals) each added 12 points off the bench, with Hendricks knocking down a pair of threes and shooting 4-of-5 from the line.&nbsp;

Utah will return home for a showdown against Brooklyn on Monday night, with tipoff set for 7 p.m.

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"Couldn't get it Going" — Olynyk Sets Career-High, but Utah Falls Short in Sacramento

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Highlights: Lauri Markkanen – 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists

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Highlights: Jazz 104 | Kings 125

Despite double-doubles from Lauri Markkanen and John Collins, the Jazz fell to the Kings 130-114 on Wednesday night. Jordan Clarkson led Utah with 24 points, six assists, and four rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Sacramento’s hot shooting from beyond the arc.

“Overall, the team’s effort was good,” Hardy said. “It was good to play the first game and feel real emotions in the game. It’s a learning process for any team where we are. … Coming together as a group and learning how to win together as a group.”

Here are five things to know following the loss to the Kings.&nbsp;

1.) Starting Lineup/RotationAfter months of speculation, Hardy unveiled his starting lineup with a frontcourt of Markkanen, Collins, and Walker Kessler and a starting backcourt of Clarkson and Talen Horton-Tucker. This unit had no surprises, as they played a lot together during the preseason.&nbsp;

Hardy also went with a 10-man rotation in the first 12 minutes, with Kelly Olynyk and Collin Sexton the first two players off the bench. They were followed by Kris Dunn and Ochai Agbaji. Lastly, rookie Keyonte George made his NBA debut late in the first quarter.&nbsp;

Just like the starting lineup, the 10-man rotation was expected. Although he prefers to play just nine, Hardy said 10 guys had earned the minutes and needed time on the court. Starting five and rotation should allow this team to grow.

"Nine is ideal. … I think 10 players is hard, 11 is almost impossible," he said.&nbsp;

2.) Markkanen-Collins Duo Shows PromiseWhen the Jazz acquired Collins over the summer, pairing the athletic and high-flying forward with Markkanen was enticing. They have similar skill sets that are complementary to one another – it was just a matter of how they would mesh together.&nbsp;

While it’s still early in the season, the results are promising.&nbsp;

Markkanen, after a slow start, finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Collins also found a rhythm as the game went on, finishing with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

There are bound to be growing pains as this duo learns to play together, but the early returns suggest that the Jazz should have one of the more athletic frontcourts on a nightly basis.&nbsp;

“I thought John was good,” Hardy said of Collins. “He picked his spots, got some good buckets in transition, showed off his athleticism, and rebounded well, which will be important. … He took 11 shots, and it never felt like he forced anything.”

3.) Sacramento is Very GoodMake no mistake, opening up against the Kings was always going to be a tall order. They finished last season as the No. 3 seed in the West and then added key complementary pieces in the offseason. This team is capable of making another run in the postseason.&nbsp;

They were the top-scoring offense and No. 1 in pace last season, and according to head coach Mike Brown, they would like to play even faster this year. Hardy made note of that in the pregame interview, referencing how good they are at running the court on makes and misses and why that makes them so dangerous.&nbsp;

The Jazz will have multiple more cracks at the Kings throughout the season, but a loss on opening night against one of the top teams in the league is nothing to hang their head about.

“Credit to the Kings, they shot the ball fantastic early in the game,” Hardy said. “I think in general, we really struggled in transition to get matched up and contain the ball. … Our communication wasn’t sharp in that area of the game.”

4.) George Shines in DebutBeing a rookie in the NBA is challenging, especially as a point guard. The nuance of the position makes it one of the more difficult in the league to learn – yet George is getting a crash course.

He passed his first test, finishing with eight points, two rebounds, and two assists in 19 minutes. He got his most run in the second half when he helped the Jazz cut the deficit to single digits, and George was a primary reason why.

“Keyonte stayed on the floor because I thought he was playing well,” Hardy said. “I think that Keyonte is a good player, and we have high expectations for him and his future. … But in no way are we going into these games saying we are going to play Key just to play Key. He made some great decisions, made some great passes where the shot didn’t go in.”

Although there is plenty of room to grow, as far as debuts go, it’s a great launching point for George.&nbsp;

5.) It's Just Game OneUtah is still a team in transition, where the players are adjusting to new roles and learning to play with one another. Markkanen, Clarkson, Olynyk, and Kessler are the only returners who were in the rotation for all of last season. Agbaji, Horton-Tucker, and Sexton all joined the rotation at later points in the year. Add in newcomers Dunn (essentially), Collins, and George, and it’s easy to see why this team may still be getting a feel for each other.

Realistically, they’ve played a handful of games and only had a handful of weeks of practice to vibe with one another. That’s a difficult recipe for immediate success. However, the positive signs were there in how they continued fighting and playing for one another. They’re a group that plays together as a team.

“We have to stay levelheaded in moments where things aren’t going our way,” Hardy said. “We’ve got some guys in some new roles. … I think that’s where I felt our communication had some breakdowns at times, but that’s to be expected. It’s a team sport. ...We have to do a better job as staff and as a team.”

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"Guys In New Roles" — 5 Things To Know Following Utah's Loss To Sacramento

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Highlights: Jordan Clarkson – 24 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds

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Highlights: Kings 130 | Jazz 114

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