What a heartbreaker.
The Utah Jazz erased an 18-point deficit and tied the game with a 3-pointer (by Joe Ingles) with 4.1 seconds left, but Sacramento’s Rudy Gay took the ensuing inbounds pass and drilled a fadeaway jumper with 0.6 seconds remaining to give the Kings a 103-101 victory Thursday night at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
Gordon Hayward scored 17 of his team-high 21 points in the second half (including an acrobatic three-point play to pull the Jazz within three with 29.2 seconds left when he flipped the ball into the hoop on his way to the ground after the foul). He went 0-for-9 from the field in the first half and 4-for-8 in the second half, and also went 13-for-16 from the free-throw line for the game.
Trey Lyles (19 points), Trey Burke (17 points), Rodney Hood (15 points) and Raul Neto (13 points) also scored in double figures for the Jazz (17-22), while Rudy Gobert grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds.
DeMarcus Cousins had a huge game for Sacramento, finishing with 36 points and 17 rebounds. The 6-foot-11, 270-pound center also went 2-for-2 from 3-point range.
Besides the game-winner, Gay had 24 points, nine rebounds and three steals, while Rajon Rondo finished with six points, six rebounds and 13 assists for the Kings (16-23).
Thursday’s Best
Lyles set a new career high in scoring for the second straight night, finishing with 19 points (on 8-for-13 shooting), three rebounds, two assists and two steals in 39 minutes (also a new career high). When the Jazz were struggling to score in the first half, Lyles–and Neto–came up huge. He drove from the 3-point line to the rim for a one-handed slam; cut backdoor for a layup; hit a runner in the lane whilst being fouled; took a pass from Hayward and threw down a two-handed slam; sank a corner three; and drove for a layup whilst being fouled again midway through the fourth quarter to help pull the Jazz within five at 85-80.
Key Stretch
The ending was thrilling, but a cold-shooting first quarter forced the Jazz to play from behind the entire game. Sacramento jumped out to a 24-9 lead in the game’s first 10 minutes as the Jazz shot just 4-for-23 (17.4 percent) from the field during that stretch (and went scoreless from the 8:06 mark until there was 1:21 left in the first quarter).
Hayward (0-for-6) and Hood (0-for-4) did not make a shot as the Jazz scored only 12 points in the opening quarter against the NBA’s most porous defense.
Significant Stat
The Jazz kept shooting–and missing, for the most part–from deep, going only 6-for-34 (17.6 percent) from 3-point range. Sacramento was much more efficient, shooting 5-for-11 (45.5 percent) from beyond the arc.
Coach’s Quote of the Night
“Obviously Joe made a great shot, and then Rudy Gay made a great shot.”
–Jazz head coach Quin Snyder
Notable
The Kings outrebounded the Jazz 54-38. … Trevor Booker (concussion-like symptoms) left the game midway through the third quarter–and did not return–after he was struck in the face by Cousins after Sacramento’s center was called for a traveling violation. … The teams combined for 55 fouls (including 34 in the first half alone) and yet nobody fouled out. … Neto’s 13 points tied his career high.
Up Next
The Jazz will stay home for a game Saturday night against the Los Angeles Lakers. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT and the game will be televised on ROOT SPORTS.
