After starting out 2-0 during this tough stretch of games, the Kings are working their way through the home part of the journey hoping to rack up some good wins against good teams before going on the road again.

The Utah Jazz were in town with their 3-9 record in their last 12 games and appeared to be ripe for the picking. Unfortunately, it was the Jazz that did the harvesting, as they held on to upend the Kings 107-104 on the strength of Deron Williams’ court magic and Al Jefferson’s play around the rim.

Utah came out firing with Jefferson (23 points, 3 steals), the offensive powerhouse acquired in the offseason, was having his way with DeMarcus Cousins on the block. Jefferson’s great footwork and post moves to the basket were too much for the younger, less-experienced Cousins, who had picked up two early ticky-tack fouls in less than five minutes. The Jazz center seemed to score his 12 points in the opening quarter with ease.

Luckily, Samuel Dalembert (9 points, 11 boards) was up to the task of bodying up against Jefferson. Dalembert came in for an effective stretch as he started to make things more difficult for the Jazz center.

Tyreke Evans picked up his second personal foul at the end of the first to put the two most dynamic Kings players in early foul trouble. The uncommon pairing of reserve guards Pooh Jeter and Luther Head played well and helped the Kings stay close while the starters were out.

By the end of the first half, the Kings had 10 players who had scored.

The Udrih/Evans guard combo was working well, as they were constantly driving to the basket and kicking to open players on the wing or top of the key.

Watching Williams (21 points, 6 boards, 9 assists) play guard for the Jazz was a treat. His lay-ups off the glass were a thing of beauty. So high up on the Plexiglas – no one could even get a fingertip on them.

Which is why when Williams went to the bench with what looked like a wrist injury, it appeared the Kings would be poised for a run. The two young superstars for the Kings – Evans and Cousins – took full advantage of Williams’ wrist issue and dominated the floor. Evans led the way with 13 points and three blocks while Cousins had 11 points and eight boards in the period to help Sacramento get a 10-point lead at one juncture in the third.

So there we were again.

The Kings had a small lead, 87-80, after three quarters. Nobody was in foul trouble. Even Deron Williams was constantly grabbing at his wrist in pain.

The table was set. It looked like the Kings would be able to hold on.

In short, they didn’t. It only took four minutes for the Kings to give up the lead and let Utah back in the game.

With the game tied, the Kings pulled ahead 97-91 with just over half the quarter left. During that stretch, Cousins picked up his fourth and fifth fouls.

Yes, Dalembert played well, but Cousins (25 points, 14 boards) was the difference-maker. Cousins was the leading scorer in the final period with seven points as the rest of the boys in purple stalled out. Even Evans (21 points) had only two points in the quarter.

Turnovers doomed the Kings. Sacramento, which finished with 20 giveaways, was led by Evans’ six, while Thompson and Cousins had four each.

Almost as soon as Cousins was sent to the pine to await the call, Dalembert picked up his fifth foul and had to take a seat, bringing Cousins back in – and maybe a little too soon. With the Kings down 101-99, Cousins readied himself to re-enter the game.

The Kings were still down by one after Cousins made a basket and the foul shot before fouling out and Dalembert had to return.

The usually reliable Andre Kirilenko got to the line twice in the waning seconds, but only made one of two on two separate trips to the line, leaving the door open for the Kings to tie on a long-range bomb.

Coach Paul Westphal had all of his reliable three-point shooters on the floor for the final eight seconds of the game. The Kings’ last shot came from Casspi, whose apparently clear look at the rim wasn’t good enough, and his shot fell short.

Westphal talked about the final play.

“We wanted to get a three up,” said a clearly disappointed Westphal. “You can’t tell who is going to get it for sure – you space the floor, you try and make them make some decisions, and you attack and take whatever three you think you can get.”

After the game, the Kings’ locker room was semi-cleared out. Evans and Cousins, who are usually very open to interviews after a win or a loss, were nowhere to be found, as they had left before the media was allowed in.

Among Casspi’s supporters were Thompson, Landry, Jeter, Dalembert and Donte Greene, who stuck around as if to not let Casspi fall on the sword alone. Casspi, who sat in front of his locker space with his head in his hands for several minutes after his shower, stood tall to answer for the missed shot.

“All the pressure is on me now to make them (three-point shots),” said a frustrated Casspi. “I’m missing a lot of shots that, I don’t know, I don’t remember myself missing those kinds of shots. I’ve been working a lot in practice. I feel like I don’t have my legs under me for some reason.” 

PHOTOS COURTESY OF:

RON NABITY

http://nabityphotos.com/