De’Aaron Fox had a triple-double for the ages — 49 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds — but Lauri Markkanen poured in 54 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a 146-143 overtime victory in Sacramento.
The Kings trailed by 11 with less than five minutes to go in regulation, but rallied and Malik Monk hit a shot at the buzzer to send the game to overtime. Sacramento also had a similar rally in OT, but Fox missed a potential game-tying three-pointer at the end.
Fox made 17 of 29 shots and sank eight three-pointers. Domantas Sabonis also had a huge game with 18 points and 21 rebounds.
Markkanen made 14 of 31 shots, hit seven three-pointers and went 19-for-20 from the foul line. Collin Sexton added 22 points off the bench.
The Kings wrapped up 2022 with a 20-14 record, one game better than their real-life 19-15 mark.
2022-23 Sacramento Kings Replay Home Page
Fox and Markkanen’s scoring duel got off to a big start, as both players scored 19 points in the first quarter. Sacramento ended the quarter on a 9-0 run to take a 39-34 lead at the break.
The Kings increased their lead in the second quarter and took their biggest advantage of the game, 11 points, at 53-42 after a Fox basket. It was 68-61 at halftime.
Utah rallied to take the lead early in the third quarter, but Sacramento regained the advantage, and a 9-0 run featuring three-pointers by Keegan Murray, Fox and Trey Lyles put the Kings back up by nine at 88-79. It was 96-93 going into the final quarter.
The first five minutes of the fourth quarter was all Utah. The Jazz scored 18 of the quarter’s first 22 points to go from six down to up by 11 at 111-100. It was still an 11-point lead at 114-103 with under five minutes to play. But the Kings scored the next eight points, and they would eventually tie the game at five different points down the stretch. Markkanen — who had 17 fourth-quarter points, hit two free throws with a couple of seconds left to make it 124-122. But Fox found Monk for an open jumper, and he hit it to send the game to overtime.
The Kings couldn’t keep pace with the Jazz in a high-scoring OT period, which saw the Jazz outscore them 22-19. Fox and Markkanen continued their scoring duel, with each scoring 11 points. Utah opened up a seven-point lead at 142-135 with under two minutes to play. The Kings got it down to a one-point deficit at 144-143. Markkanen was fouled in the final seconds and made both three throws. Fox’s three-point attempt at the buzzer was off the mark.
This game was played with Highlight Maker Hoops Prime Time.
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