SALT LAKE CITY - Tyreke Evans said he doesn't want to be seen as selfish.
So rather than tell his coach he wanted to go back into a game that was slipping away, he just waited and the Kings eventually lost 104-102 to the Utah Jazz.
Kings coach Keith Smart said he sat Evans so long because the Kings had a good flow and a comfortable lead. But as Evans sat, that flow left the floor.
When Evans checked in the Kings led 99-94. But by then the Jazz had all the momentum and Evans could do nothing to stop it after three solid quarters of play.
"Yeah, it was," Evans said when asked if it was tough to watch nearly nine minutes of the fourth quarter. "Just knowing that (the Jazz) was fighting every time down the court."
Of course, the other argument is Evans shouldn't have to ask back into a game that he's playing so well. He was the last starter to return to the game as the Kings imploded.
Evans said he didn't ask Smart to put him back in the game because he doesn't want to appear to be selfish or a stat chaser.
He unfairly had that tag placed on him as a rookie during the Kings' 20-5-5 campaign that he was always uncomfortable with.
If Evans keeps up his play of late, there's no reason not to play him more.
Evans is playing his best ball of the season lately and his statistics would indicate he should be playing more. He's averaging 19.3 points, five rebounds and 4.3 assists in his last three games.
Evans is doing so even though he averages 29:44 of playing time, trailing Jason Thompson and DeMarcus Cousins for average playing time on the team.
Evans couldn't get going again after sitting most of the fourth quarter Friday night.
"They had momentum going," Evans said. "It's just tough coming in and trying to get it going gain. It's tough."
*The Kings came out of a timeout with 32.4 seconds to play and apparently couldn't get the play right, forcing Aaron Brooks to try and make something happen on his own.
"No, it wasn't an isolation," Smart said. "We wanted the big to come up and get a pick-and-roll and force two guys to come into the pick and roll. Obviously no one came up there and then he took it upon himself to make a play."
The only big on the floor was DeMarcus Cousins and he appears to be setting a screen on Jimmer Fredette's man.
Check out the highlight video here and decide for yourself.
But coming out of a timeout and not running the correct play and looking clueless on the inbounds play after Gordon Hayward's game-winner are examples of the lack of discipline that will keep the Kings piling up losses.
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