Kings at Jazz
The Sacramento Kings are trying to snap a six-game losing streak and may have finally found an opponent to pick on. The Kings will attempt to earn a rare win on Saturday when they visit the only team in the Western Conference with a worse record, the Utah Jazz. The Jazz dropped their second straight game on Friday, when they allowed a season high in points and suffered their largest margin of defeat in a 130-98 setback at Portland.
Sacramento is knocking on the door but can’t seem to find the win column. The Kings have a pair of two-point losses, a one-point setback and an overtime loss during their current slide and held a four-point lead with less than three minutes left on Friday before suffering a 106-100 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Utah allowed the Trail Blazers to set a franchise record with 17 3-pointers on Friday.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, CSN California (Sacramento), ROOT (Utah)
ABOUT THE KINGS (4-13): Some of Sacramento’s late-game problems are self-inflicted, and turnovers on three straight possessions down the stretch doomed them on Friday. “It was a bad stretch at the end of the game,” center DeMarcus Cousins said. “We definitely beat ourselves.” Cousins is the most consistent offensive producer on the team but is a big part of the problem when it comes to turnovers with six on Friday and at least three in each of the five games he has played during the losing streak.
ABOUT THE JAZZ (4-17): Utah allowed Portland to go 17-for-23 from 3-point range - an NBA record for a team with at least 20 attempts from beyond the arc. In addition to struggling with perimeter defense, the Jazz are the lowest-scoring team in the Western Conference and slipped back below the century mark in the last two games after going over 100 in three straight. Forward Derrick Favors had shown signs of a true breakout with back-to-back double-doubles but slipped to nine points and three rebounds in 21 minutes on Friday.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Cousins fouled out late on Friday and has committed at least five personal fouls in each of his last six contests.
2. G Gordon Hayward (10) was the only Utah starter to score in double figures on Friday.
3. The teams have alternated wins over the last 10 meetings and Utah took both on its home court last season.