Kevin Huerter scored 15 of his team-high 30 points in the fourth quarter, including a game-winning 3-pointer with 9.2 seconds remaining, to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 126-125 win over the visiting Utah Jazz on Friday night.
Lauri Markkanen topped all scorers with 36 points for the Jazz, but his attempt at the buzzer was off. It was the third straight road loss for Utah, which hosts Miami on Saturday night.
Domantas Sabonis went 12-for-12 from the field to score 28 points for the Kings. He also hauled in 11 rebounds and dished out eight assists as Sacramento earned a second consecutive one-point victory after eking past Denver 127-126 Wednesday night.
De’Aaron Fox added 24 points, including a bucket that cut Utah’s late lead to one after Markkanen scored five quick points.
Both teams had big surges in the back-and-forth fourth quarter.
Mike Conley gave the Jazz their first lead of the game — after trailing by as many as 10 points — with a 3-pointer that capped a 10-0 run early in the fourth.
The teams exchanged turns in the lead until Huerter ignited a 10-point surge for Sacramento, which led 119-111.
Jordan Clarkson, who scored 25 points for the Jazz, and Markkanen chipped away at the Kings’ lead. Utah momentarily went ahead when Markkanen hit his only 3-pointer on seven tries for a 122-121 lead.
Utah then went up 124-121 when Markkanen scored after a rare Huerter miss in the fourth. Fox cut the lead to one and Conley, who had 17 points, put Utah up by two by splitting a pair of free throws.
The Kings got three tries at the game-winning basket thanks to offensive rebounds by Sabonis and Harrison Barnes, leading to Huerter’s heroic shot.
Sacramento scored the first six points of the game and held a 60-57 halftime edge as both teams kept it close for most of the night.
The two teams play again Tuesday in Utah.
–Field Level Media