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FOURTH QUARTER (Utah 101, Kings 94)
SALT LAKE CITY - After beating Golden State Tuesday in a game that longtime NBA observers deemed the ugliest they'd ever seen, the Kings relished the win anyway.
A win is a win, they said.
It looked like that might be the case again tonight, as the Kings stayed with a Jazz team that was playing without Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer.
Paul Millsap, however, simply wouldn't let that happen.
Utah's "other" power forward destroyed the Kings' Jason Thompson en route to a career-high 32-point, 14-rebound, seven-assist outing that spoiled some good news for the Kings.
After weeks of debate and much skepticism about whether the Kings' backcourt was big enough for Tyreke Evans and Kevin Martin, the guard duo was sensational from beginning to end. Martin - who scored just 15 points combined in his three previous games and had hit just 3 of 23 shots in that span - had 33 points on 10 of 18 shooting. Evans had 25 points on 6 of 14 shooting and six assists.
Thompson, however, had what was likely the worst game of his career. Not only was he unable to stop Millsap as he scored with far more flair than he is typically known for, but Thompson tallied just seven points and four rebounds in 26 minutes before fouling out late.
The Kings' offensive woes continued, as they shot just 43.4 percent from the field and were held under 100 points for the eighth time in the last nine games. Millsap had the sort of help that Martin and Evans didn't as well, with Andrei Kirilenko having 18 points and seven rebounds
Utah's backcourt certainly wasn't pitching in, as Ronnie Price and Ronnie Brewer were outscored 58-nine by Martin and Evans.
THIRD QUARTER (Utah 73, Kings 63)
Just as players like Kevin Martin can struggle to find rhythm on the floor, coaches deal with that too.
That appeared to be the case in the third, as coach Paul Wespthal inexplicably sat Martin for the final 7:32 of play (CORRECTION: Martin sat for the last 4:29 of play, but the subsequent run mentioned is accurate in that span) and the Jazz finished the quarter on a 14-4 run.
The Kings went cold without Martin's hot hand (6 of 22 shooting in the quarter), and Paul Millsap scored 13 of his 23 points and also has nine rebounds and five assists.
SECOND QUARTER (Utah 49, Kings 46)
There's been a Kevin Martin sighting at EnergySolutions Arena, as the Kings shooting guard has 16 points and spent 24 minutes looking like the perfect complement to Tyreke Evans.
It's a short window of time, to be sure, but there was clearly relief on the floor as Martin finally found the rhythm that has been missing since his Jan. 15 return. With the Kings trailing 44-35 midway through the second quarter, Martin hit a layup on the break. Kudos to Tyreke Evans for helping get him going, as he penetrated on the next possession and whipped around to find Martin alone for a three that made it 44-41 Utah. As Martin surpassed his combined total of the last three games (15 points) later in the quarter, Evans almost looked more excited than his teammate.
Evans has 12 points, three assists and four turnovers, but the Kings - once again - need more from Jason Thompson (no points, one rebound in 14 minutes).
Andrei Kirilenko has 15 points and three blocks for the Jazz, having hit six of eight shots. Paul Millsap - Thompson's counterpart - has 10 points and six rebounds. This one remains a turnover-fest, as the Jazz have 12 and the Kings have 10.
FIRST QUARTER (Utah 22, Kings 20)
Just about the time the Kings looked primed to get blown out once again on the road, the Jazz let them back in.
Playing without All-Star point guard Deron Williams (personal reasons) and forward Carlos Boozer (calf strain), Utah gave up eight turnovers in the first quarter that certainly aided the Kings' cause. The Kings didn't even score until there was 7:28 left in the first quarter (on two Kevin Martin free throws), but they put together an 18-8 run that was highlighted by an Omri Casspi posterizing dunk over former King Ronnie Price.
The Kings hit eight of their last 13 shots after starting 0 of 6. Martin and Tyreke Evans had six points apiece, with one of Martin's two baskets coming on a lightning-quick drive to the hole the likes of which I hadn't seen in months. - Sam Amick
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