The Sacramento Kings are playing solid basketball, albeit against subpar opponents, as they secured their fourth win in the last five showings with a 116-111 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz.
DeMar DeRozan recorded 41 points and 11 assists on 11/21 shooting, marking his first double-double of 2025-26 along with a season-high. For that to have been reality, his teammates had to capitalize when fed the ball, and they did so.
Precious Achiuwa (20), Killian Hayes (16), Nique Clifford (10), and Daeqwon Plowden (10) all posted double-digits as well.
The Kings went 11/36 from three and 23/28 from the free throw line in their victory. It was an ugly night with a combined 33 turnovers, but Sacramento leaves Golden 1 Center Sunday night with another tally in the win column.
Sacramento Kings vs. Utah Jazz Game Notes
In a battle between two teams expected to be holding their breath on the night of the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, Sacramento and Utah both sat out a slew of their players.
The Kings were without Domantas Sabonis (knee), Zach LaVine (finger), Russell Westbrook (foot), Keegan Murray (ankle), Malik Monk (ankle), De’Andre Hunter (eye), Devin Carter (calf), and Drew Eubanks (thumb). Two-way players Isaiah Stevens and Patrick Baldwin Jr. were also on assignment and therefore unavailable.
Meanwhile, Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee), Lauri Markkanen (hip), Walker Kessler (shoulder), Keyonte George (hamstring), Ace Bailey (concussion protocol), Jusuf Nurkic (nose), Kyle Filipowski (rest), and John Konchar (calf) were sidelined for the Jazz.
That left both sides with extremely undermanned rosters. Sacramento had just eight players available, as head coach Doug Christie elected to start Killian Hayes, DeMar DeRozan, Nique Clifford, Precious Achiuwa, and Maxime Raynaud.
As you’d probably expect when looking at that group, DeRozan carried a large load of their offensive creation responsibility. Continuing to show why he’s top-20 on the all-time scoring leaderboards, the future Hall of Famer recorded 10 of his side’s first 12 in a hurry.
Deebo’s office hours just opened pic.twitter.com/gr3qAx2csB
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) March 16, 2026
It also opened the door for Hayes, recently signed to a two-year deal that includes the remainder of 2025-26, to play a role more similar to his G-League minutes, running the offense at times but also taking more shots.
For Utah, it was the second year forward, Cody Williams, who kept them within reach. Ball movement, ball pressure, and subsequent rotations were essential in Saturday’s road win over the Clippers, and that style of play was maintained Sunday.
But, as has often been the case, it seemed like Christie’s squad was going to be outpaced from beyond the three-point line. Luckily for them, their opponents weren’t converting at a high rate.
Sacramento maintained an extremely narrow lead for most of the opening frame, but as DeRozan and Hayes went to the bench, Achiuwa and Clifford were tasked with more initiating. It came with mixed results, but their second unit got it up from range.
By the end of one, Utah managed a slight 28-26 advantage. Williams was up to 14 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
The second quarter was an ugly one, with taking advantage of turnovers being a key point. Efficiency wasn’t commonplace either. Both are to be expected when most of their starting fives are sitting on the bench.
The rookie trio of Clifford, Raynaud, and Dylan Cardwell (in his second game back from an extended absence) made their usual impacts. They capitalized on facing a team that lacked a traditional center down low. Achiuwa did as well.
count it 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/RgBhnvf6K4
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) March 16, 2026
Clifford was handling the ball and attacking his man aggressively. Raynaud flourished in the pick-and-roll as he’s improved his roll timings and finishing variety. Cardwell added a rim deterrant that they had greatly missed.
But it was a well-rounded scoring quarter overall for the home squad, as no individual reached double digits. The half ended the same way it started, with DeRozan casually getting to hit spots and scoring. He went into the half with 18 points on 6/8 shooting as the Kings led 54-49 despite allowing 11 points off nine turnovers.
Playing on the second night of a back-to-back, the third quarter is often where that shows itself. Yet, Sacramento used the first four minutes of the third to build its largest lead of the night up to that point, 69-57. Utah put together a 9-2 run of their own to stick around, but a few looks capped off by a Doug McDermott triple in transition nearly brought their advantage back to double digits.
The remainder of the frame was what an outside would expect from two bottom-of-the-ranking teams. More ugly misses that led to surprising second-chance points off funky rebounds and head-scratching turnovers.
With 12 minutes remaining, the Kings held a narrow 89-88 advantage. DeRozan continued to add to his tally while finding his teammates who benefited from his gravity. Achiuwa was powering through defenders off cuts and rebounds, and McDermott did what he does best from long range.
DARNELL HAS 35 PTS. THIRTY-FIVE. pic.twitter.com/wtuZw0bEb4
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) March 16, 2026
By midway through the frame, DeRozan had his first double-double of the season and was approaching a season-high in points.
Attempting to slow down Williams in transition, Clifford thought he went vertical from just outside the painted area, but the officials disagreed and called his sixth and final foul of the night with 5:50 to go.
Aside from a few trips to the free-throw line, the Jazz couldn’t buy a bucket in the fourth quarter while the Kings continued at their pace. Yet, they never fully pulled out of reach as Utah put together 8-0 run to bring it back within three (110-107) with just over three minutes to play, thanks to turnovers and corresponding triples.
Who else but DeRozan to close them out? He surpassed the 40-point mark for the first time this season in the final moments.
His efforts were crucial in the Kings securing their fourth win in the last five showings with a 116-111 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz.
DeMar DeRozan recorded 41 points and 11 assists on 11/21 shooting, marking his first double-double of 2025-26 along with a season-high. For that to have been reality, his teammates had to capitalize when fed the ball, and they did so.
Precious Achiuwa (20), Killian Hayes (16), Nique Clifford (10), and Daeqwon Plowden (10) all posted double-digits as well.
The Kings went 11/36 from three and 23/28 from the free throw line in their victory. It was an ugly night with a combined 33 turnovers, but Sacramento leaves Golden 1 Center Sunday night with another tally in the win column.
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Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Tuesday, March 17th vs. San Antonio Spurs – 7:00 PM PT
Thursday, March 19th vs. Philadelphia 76ers – 7:00 PM PT
Sunday, March 22nd vs. Brooklyn Nets – 3:00 PM PT
Tuesday, March 24th – @ Charlotte Hornets – 4:00 PM PT
Thursday, March 26th – @ Orlando Magic – 4:00 PM PT
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