CK Press Box Report: Kings 101, Jazz 92

By James Ham and Rui Thomas

In a tale of two halves, the royal crown prevailed. The Sacramento Kings survived a tense duel with the visiting Utah Jazz to win their second contest without DeMarcus Cousins this season, 101-92.

In the first two quarters, offense was the name of the game. The Kings shot 57.6 percent from the floor while doing damage from the line (16-of-17 free throws) as the Jazz made 51.3 percent of their field goals and notched 16 fast break points.

“We can talk about guarding Gordon Hayward, Enes Kanter, Alec Burks or Derrick Favors in the half court, but when the shot is up then you need to get back,” Michael Malone emphasized after the win. “You all heard me all night long imploring, begging, pleading with the team to get back and we didn’t do it.”

The last half saw a stranglehold. The Kings were held to 13 points in the third quarter and the Jazz managed 19, before Sacramento tightened their grip. Utah made 12-of-40 field goals over the third and fourth, and Gordan Hayward, who began the night 5-for-7 for 12 points, limped to a 19-point, 6-for-16 finish.

“We let them let shoot shoot 59 percent in the first quarter, but after that, they were never higher than 41 percent,” Malone stated. “Even in that third quarter, when we struggled to score, we held them to 23 percent. That’s how I view the NBA. There are going to be nights when you struggle to make shots, but if you can get stops on a consistent basis then you’ll be able to hang around.”

Rudy Gay shouldered the Kings offense with 29 points and six rebounds (three offensive). Darren Collison added 16 points and six assists, and Jason Thompson earned 10 points and nine rebounds.

But Nik Stauskas was the story of the night as he enjoyed his best game as a pro. The rookie eighth overall pick dropped a career-high 15 points and eight rebounds and held his own on defense in 30 minutes.

“Throughout my career I’ve obviously had some games where I haven’t shot the ball well, but I’ve never experienced something for this long where I’m really struggling,” Stauskas noted. “So it just felt good to be out there and playing aggressive and playing free.”

Stauskas outplayed fellow draftee Dante Exum, who was the fifth overall pick this summer. The Jazz point guard played 16 minutes and recorded two points on 1-for-3 shooting.

For the match, Sacramento shot 47.3 percent and out-rebounded Utah 45 to 35. The Kings lost 17 turnovers but limited points off  those miscues to 18.

With the much-needed win, the Kings improve to 11-10. They face a quick turnaround traveling to play the Los Angeles Lakers for the second half of a back-to-back.

Notes and Analysis

• Before tonight, Nik Stauskas had gone scoreless in four of his last five games.  The rookie set a new career-high with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting and rebounds with eight.  The 21-year-old looked confident for the first time in a long while.

• Rudy Gay stepped up big time tonight in Sacramento’s win.  The veteran wing finished with 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting and added six rebounds in the victory.  With Cousins ailing, the Kings are going to need a high-scoring, efficient Rudy Gay for the next week or two.

• Darren Collison has now scored double-figures in 17 of his last 18 games.  Tonight he dropped in 16 points and handed out six assists in 32 minutes of action.

• After four lackluster starts for Ryan Hollins at the center position, Michael Malone made a change in the lineup tonight.  Veteran Reggie Evans got the start at the power forward spot, while Jason Thompson slid to the five.  Evans responded with six points and a game-high 13 rebounds in 33 minutes.  Thompson added 10 points and nine rebounds and held Derrick Favors in check.

• With Stauskas excelling, Ben McLemore played just 18 minutes and came away with six points on 2-for-5 shooting.  If the Kings can get these two going on the same night, things might get interesting in Sacramento.

• Ramon Sessions is slowly waking up from his early-season slumber.  The veteran scored six points and handed out four assists in 16 minutes of relief.

• Stat of the Night:  The Kings’ stout defense from earlier this season reemerged as they held the Jazz to 40.5 percent shooting from the floor and 17.6 percent from behind the arc.

Quote of the Game

Michael Malone on Nik Stauskas’ maturation

“I was really happy to see Nik Stauskas kind of become a man in the NBA tonight. He grew up tonight. 15 points and eight rebounds. You saw him becoming more and more aggressive as he saw the  ball go in. I think that’s all he needs, a little bit of confidence to get him going.”