MUST SEE: Wild Ending To Kings-Jazz Game On Tuesday Night
The Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz battled back-and-forth late in the fourth quarter on Tuesday night in a game that both teams really needed a win in to maintain their position in the Western Conference standings.
In Salt Lake City, the Jazz held the advantage with their rowdy fans making noise and while the Kings led by as many as seven points with about three minutes to go in the game, Utah did not give up and Jordan Clarkson kept his team alive.
Down three with 16 seconds left, Lauri Markkanen pulled up from deep to try and tie the game for the Jazz only to have his shot miss the rim completely and crash off the left side of the backboard. However, a foul was called and Markkanen went to the free-throw line for three free-throws, all of which he made.
Electing not to take their final timeout, the Kings inbounded the ball to their star guard De’Aaron Fox, who slowly worked the ball up the floor as the clock began to tick down.
Getting the switch he wanted onto Markkanen with about eight seconds left and counting, Fox swiftly hesitated and attacked the basket with his left hand, blowing right past Markkanen and laying the ball in to put the Kings up two points with 0.4 seconds left.
It seemed like Sacramento had pulled off yet another late victory, but then the Jazz inbounded the ball deep down the floor to Lauri Markkanen who caught, turned, threw up a prayer and hit nothing but nylon!
The Jazz had won the basketball game somehow… or did they?
Upon further review, it was deemed that Markkanen still had the ball in his hands and therefore, the insane, improbable shot he made to potentially win the game for Utah did not count.
“Well, it was 0.4 seconds,” Kings’ big man Domantas Sabonis said after the game. “Once I saw him catch it with his back to the basket, I didn’t even worry because I was like, ‘He has to catch it and turn around,’ you know what I mean? And I was like ‘Whatever.’
“But then, you know, we’re the Kings, and I was like, ‘Well, we might have lost,’ but thankfully it was ruled off.”
There really is no other way to sum up what happened other than how Sabonis described it.
One moment you are thinking the game is over and that the Kings won, but then in the back of your mind, you are thinking that this is still the Kings we are talking about and if any team was to lose with 0.4 seconds left, it would probably be them!
With this victory, the Kings are now sitting at 20-16 on the season and are currently the 5-seed in the Western Conference. This is a great spot for Sacramento to be in, especially with them looking to end their massive playoff drought, but just one game in the win column separates them from the 10-seeded Utah Jazz right now.
One to two losses could really wind up costing a Western Conference team this season, which is why every one of these games matters a little more to teams like the Kings and Jazz.
This was an absolutely insane ending in Salt Lake City on Tuesday night and it is only fitting that this game came down to the final possession, much like the first time these two met this season back on December 30, a game that ended 126-125 in favor of Sacramento.
The Kings and Jazz will meet again on March 20 in Salt Lake City and once again, we should expect fireworks in this next meeting!
Be sure to catch up on the newest episode of The Fast Break Podcast hosted by Fastbreak's own Brett Siegel!
Streaming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, The Fast Break Podcast takes you inside the league with the latest news, intel, rumors and interviews from those close to the action for all 30 teams. Be on the lookout for a new episodes every Friday.
