Down two, with just seconds to go, all eyes were on Jimmer Fredette.
The Sacramento Kings appeared to run an in-bounds play for the rookie guard that freed him for a 24-foot three pointer.
He fired and whiffed.
The Kings wound up losing 96-93 to the Utah Jazz in Fredette’s homecoming in Salt Lake City.
Tyreke Evans led the Kings in scoring and assists and chipped in 31 points and nine dimes in the losing effort. Meanwhile, Gordon Hayward posted 21 points for the Jazz, scoring eight points in the first and third quarters of the game.
The Kings fall to 6-14 on the season and get two days off before heading to Oakland for a match-up with the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.
Notes and Analysis
- Evans played perhaps his best game of the season, posting 31 points, nine assists and six rebounds on 12-of-20 shooting from the field.
- Jimmer scored 14 points on five-of-13 from the field (three-of-five of from beyond the arc) in his Utah homecoming. 10 of his points were scored in the first half.
- Isaiah Thomas was the only player to score off the Kings bench. He scored all 13 of his points (five-of-six shooting) in the fourth quarter.
- Chuck Hayes played in his first game since dislocating his left shoulder three weeks ago. He finished with no points but had two steals and eight rebounds in 20 minutes of action. He left the game with four seconds to go, apparently reinjuring his shoulder.
- Outside of Thomas, the rest of the Kings bench (Donte Greene, Francisco Garcia, J.J. Hickson and Hayes) combined for 0-of-12 from the field.
- After scoring 10 points in the first quarter on five-of-six shooting, Jason Thompson scored only four more points the rest of the game. He finished with 14 points and just four rebounds.
- With just two fouls, DeMarcus Cousins stayed out of foul trouble tonight and played 37 minutes. However, he finished one rebound shy of posting his sixth-straight game with a double-double.
- Gordon Hayward led the Jazz in scoring with 21 points. He scored just one point in the fourth quarter. The Jazz are 6-1 when he chips in 10 or more points.
- C.J. Miles added 20 points in 25 minutes off the bench for Utah. Ten of those points came in the third quarter.
- Stat of the Night: The Jazz bench outscored the Kings bench 45-13.
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