Thanks to a heartbreaking Rudy Gay jumper, the struggling Utah Jazz fell to the Sacramento Kings 103-101. It was a game full of runs, highlight plays and heroics, with the Kings coming out on top.
Why the Jazz lost: Once again, a slow start ultimately doomed the Jazz. They appeared a step behind on defense, which adversely affected their offense. “The slow start offensively was directly correlated to not being alert on defense,” head coach Quin Snyder said. The Kings took advantage, with six of their first seven shots being lay-ups or dunks. When the first quarter dust settled, Sacramento held a 26-12 advantage and while Utah battled back, it had to expend a lot of energy to do so.