The Sacramento Kings’ nine-game winning streak against the Utah Jazz came to an end Friday night as they suffered a 128-119 loss in Salt Lake City.
Both sides lived at the free-throw line, but it was the difference in pace and efficiency that led to the Kings falling to 5-15 on Friday night.
LaVine broke out of his scoring slump, leading the Kings with 34 points and six assists. Westbrook did what only he can do, casually contributing a triple-double with 16 points, 14 assists, and 12 rebounds.
Murray played all but four minutes of the loss, recording 23 points, nine rebounds, and two assists.
The harm came from that trio combining to go 27/56 (48%). They were 7/20 from three, while the rest of their group went 2/8.
If you’re looking for a positive, Raynaud had a career-best 19 points and four rebounds on 7/11 shooting.
Meanwhile, George (31) and Markkanen (28) combined for 59 points on 19/42 from the field. Utah’s bench added 46 points compared to Sacramento’s 28 as the Kings fell to 5-15 on the season.
Sacramento will once again attempt to get its season back on track Sunday night in Golden 1 Center as they hosts the hobbled Memphis Grizzlies.
Kings @ Jazz Game Notes
Coming into the night 2-1 against teams with records of .500 or worse, Sacramento looked to take advantage of an “easier” opponent, but didn’t want to overlook their competition either.
Having faced each other in Sacramento’s home opener, Domantas Sabonis secured a Kings win with a shot in the final moments.
Coming into Friday night, Sabonis (knee) and Dennis Schroder (hip) were sidelined while the Jazz were without Taylor Hendricks (G-League), Walker Kessler (shoulder), Niang (foot), and Cody Williams (G-League).
Kings head coach Doug Christie always wants his team to generate paint touches consistently, but there may have been an added emphasis on that on Friday.
It felt like Murray and LaVine specifically made an impact there. While Utah has notable size, its perimeter and interior defense have been unimpressive, ranking 27th in defensive rating.
Keegan gets the scoring started 🙌 pic.twitter.com/dEMXeujA5e
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 29, 2025
Scoring around the basket and reaching the free-throw line, an early 9-0 run led to a 16-10 advantage for Sacramento.
Their first team turnovers, something that had plagued them in recent losses, didn’t come until about halfway through the opening frame.
Rookie big man Maxime Raynaud continues to get the opportunity to play through mistakes, which have included some expected pickups. Christie had Raynaud switch one through five defensively, perhaps speaking to how they feel about their opponents’ perimeter creators.
Jazz head coach Will Hardy had his group attack that en route to an 8-0 run and two fouls on the second-round big. It’s valuable minutes for Raynaud for him to review on film with bright moments on the offensive end as well. For instance, he appeared not to have switched on a pick-and-roll that involved Westbrook.
The 18-year veteran (who is highly regarded league-wide as a mentor) clearly was unhappy with the rookie, letting him hear it during a timeout. But as long as it’s well-received and communicated, those are important moments.
A few minutes later, you could see Westbrook coaching up the rookie further. Well, in the meantime, Utah and other teams will try to go at him.
Precious Achiuwa came back into the action to replace him, but the Jazz didn’t slow down. The first quarter ended 30-24 in favor of the home squad, but their 23-7 run didn’t end until 8:50 in the second as they held a 42-29 advantage.
That was their largest lead of the half, as Sacramento began to create transition opportunities by forcing turnovers. It allowed them to slowly slip away as LaVine started to find his offensive rhythm.
Unfortunately for them, they were struggling from beyond the arc. LaVine hit his first triple (in four attempts), the Kings’ fourth on 12 attempts, with under two minutes remaining in the half.
They brought it back within two possessions (55-51), but Markannen’s off-ball movement and screens created looks for him and his teammates to close the half on a 7-0 run.
𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘩 bucket to take you into the half 🇫🇮#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/L1GPWyfuqy
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 29, 2025
Trailing 62-51, Murray led the Kings with 14 points and six rebounds on 5/11 shooting (0/4 3P) while Markannen contributed 12 points on 4/9 from the field.
As a group, Sacramento was just 4/12 from beyond the arc while their opponents went 8/21. That made up most of the difference as there was no notable difference in turnovers, points in the paint, or points in the paint.
In fact, the Kings also had an advantage from the free-throw line with 16 attempts, but just nine makes in the half.
Their three-point luck seemed like it was starting to change at the beginning of the third as Westbrook and Murray each converted from range early.
But they went cold from there. Neither side was particularly warm on a chilly Friday night in Salt Lake City, but the Jazz found an advantage on the offensive glass and within the paint.
The Kings’ starting unit struggled to find an offensive rhythm when they didn’t get stops, as has often been the case this season.
Utah played at a notably higher pace than the Kings, running even after making buckets. Ending the third on a 20-6 run left Sacramento facing their most significant deficit of the night (90-73) headed into the final frame.
Continuing to fight, there was a moment when it seemed like LaVine might catch fire. Looked comfortable searching for his own off the bounce, and he converted two triples. One Monk layup and DeRozan and-one later, and it was a 10-point game once again.
Brice Sensabaugh had quietly added to their tally all night, but his impact elevated early in the fourth. It felt like Sacramento’s defense wouldn’t be able to help them survive.
Meanwhile, Westbrook attacked young guards on the other end, but it wasn’t enough. Once again, Utah’s pace and three-point shooting just outmatched Sacramento’s.
The Kings never fully got back over the hump as their window for recovery continued to shorten until Markkanen drove past Westbrook for a slam that all but ended it with roughly four minutes remaining.
🚨 LAURI’S DUNKING 🚨 pic.twitter.com/CFSmZ913sI
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 29, 2025
Sacramento would leave the Delta Center with a 128-119 loss, primarily due to their defensive inefficiency.
LaVine broke out of his scoring slump, leading the Kings with 34 points and six assists. Westbrook did what only he can do, casually contributing a triple-double with 16 points, 14 assists, and 12 rebounds.
Murray played all but four minutes of the loss, recording 23 points, nine rebounds, and two assists.
The harm came from that trio combining to go 27/56 (48%). They were 7/20 from three, while the rest of their group went 2/8.
If you’re looking for a positive, Raynaud had a career-best 19 points and four rebounds on 7/11 shooting.
Meanwhile, George (31) and Markkanen (28) combined for 59 points on 19/42 from the field. Utah’s bench added 46 points compared to Sacramento’s 28 as the Kings fell to 5-15 on the season.
More Sacramento Kings coverage on Sactown Sports
Amid a tumultuous start to the 2025-26 regular season, the Sacramento Kings are expected to be active in trade talks leading into February’s trade deadline.
The Athletic‘s Sam Amick joined The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross on Thursday to share his main takeaways from his conversation with Kings general manager Scott Perry, lay out what Perry may have to do in order to move the sizable veteran contracts on the roster, and much more.
Read More:
Sam Amick on Kings GM Scott Perry’s thought process moving forward
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Sunday, November 30th – vs. Memphis Grizzlies – 6:00 PM PT
Wednesday, December 3rd – @ Houston Rockets – 5:00 PM PT
Saturday, December 6th – @ Miami Heat – 5:00 PM PT
Monday, December 8th – @ Indiana Pacers – 4:00 PM PT
TBD – NBA Play-In Tournament Games – TBD
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