MIKE Conley and Rudy Gay contributed 3-pointers to a 12-0 spurt early in the fourth quarter Saturday night as the visiting Utah Jazz broke open a tight game en route to a 123-105 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Donovan Mitchell went for a game-high 26 points, Rudy Gobert 21 and 14 rebounds, Conley 17 points and Jordan Clarkson 16 in a balanced Utah attack that produced the Jazz’s third straight win, their third against the Kings this season and the second at Sacramento.
Richaun Holmes had a team-high 22 points, Harrison Barnes 18, Tyrese Haliburton 17 and Buddy Hield 16 for the Kings, who dropped their third in a row, including their second in two nights. Sacramento was beaten 108-89 at home by the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.
The Kings hung within 86-82 in the first minute of the final period before Conley ignited the game-breaking run with a layup.
He added a 3-pointer, as did Gay, while Gobert and Clarkson chipped in with hoops as the visitors exploded into a commanding position at 98-82 with 9:09 to go.
The Kings got no closer than 13 after that.
The Jazz led by as many as 12 points in the second quarter, but the Kings rallied into a 66-all tie midway through the third period on a Barnes layup.
A driving layup by Haliburton had the Kings within four in the first minute of the fourth quarter before the Jazz ran off.
Hassan Whiteside also notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Bojan Bogdanovic added 10 points for Utah, which had lost its previous two road games at Miami and Orlando.
The Jazz outshot Sacramento 50.5% to 45.1% overall and outscored the hosts 51-30 on 3-pointers. Conley, Mitchell, Clarkson and Joe Ingles drilled three 3-pointers apiece.
Conley’s 3-pointers came on just four attempts. He shot 7-for-10 overall.
Barnes added team-highs with eight rebounds and five assists for Sacramento, which lost its fourth straight at home. The Kings were outrebounded 52-35.
De’Aaron Fox finished with 13 points for Sacramento, while Haliburton had a game-high four steals to complement his 17 points. — Reuters
