Game Preview: Kings Open 2023-24 NBA Season Against Jazz

The 2023-24 NBA season is underway, as the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns are sitting together at the top of league rankings, both 1-0. Tuesday night gave us a glimpse of how competitive the Western Conference will be this season, with four powerhouses facing off against each other.

The Sacramento Kings open their 2023-24 campaign visiting the Utah Jazz, as both teams are coming off surprising 2022-23 seasons.

The Kings won 48 games and earned the 4th seed in the Western Conference, despite NBA media counting them out before the season even started. The Jazz won 37 games, barely falling short of the play-in tournament, despite losing their All-Star duo of G Donovan Mitchell and C Rudy Gobert in the 2022 off-season.

This is not an easy season opener for either team, as Sacramento and Utah hope to both come out and make a statement to open their 2023-24 campaigns.

Projected Starting Lineups:

Kings:

G De'Aaron Fox

G Kevin Huerter

F Keegan Murray

F Harrison Barnes

C Domantas Sabonis

Jazz:

G Talen Horton-Tucker

G Jordan Clarkson

F Lauri Markkanen

F John Collins

C Walker Kessler

Key Players To Watch For

Kings: G Kevin Huerter

Despite question marks around his starting job, G Kevin Huerter has been named an opening night starter by HC Mike Brown, and Kings fans wait for him to make the most of it.

Huerter has been impressive against the Jazz throughout his career, with two of his last three games against Utah dropping 27 points and 30 points, respectively. If Huerter can catch a hot hand, it automatically helps the Kings' chances at victory.

Jazz: F John Collins

The off-season addition of F John Collins had many Jazz fans questioning the direction of the franchise, but the 26-year-old is looking to leap in Utah. While the Jazz gave up little to nothing for Collins to pry him from the Atlanta Hawks, he still needs to prove he is worth $25 million per year.

The high-flying forward could make a big difference for the already-talented Jazz frontcourt next to C Walker Kessler and F Lauri Markkanen. The Kings struggle with interior defense, so look for C Domantas Sabonis and C JaVale McGee to attempt to hold down the paint.

Player of the Game Predictions

Kings: G De'Aaron Fox

While the Jazz have a talented frontcourt, their backcourt is where their lineup falls apart. Which Jazz guard will be given the task of slowing down All-Star G De'Aaron Fox? In Fox's last three games in Salt Lake City, he has averaged 38.3 points and 8.0 assists.

Jazz: F Lauri Markkanen

Markkanen is a tough matchup for any team, especially a Kings squad that struggles defensively. The Finland forward has a combined 64 points through two games against the Kings as a Jazzman, so expect another 25+ point performance from the All-Star again tonight.

Game Preview

Season openers are always a toss-up, as the only glimpse we have gotten from these improving squads has been preseason action. Despite last season's record, the Jazz are not a team to mess around with. Led by All-Star Markkanen and rising star Kessler, the Kings cannot take this game lightly.

The Kings started the 2022-23 season with four consecutive losses and finished their 2023 preseason with just one win and four losses. Sacramento needs to gain momentum early in the season if they want to contend for the first seed in the Western Conference.

Mike Brown should have his guys ready to play tonight, so expect the Kings to come out on top, but by a single-digit margin.

Score Prediction: Kings 118 - 113 Jazz

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