Utah Jazz vs Sacramento Kings Picks and Predictions February 26th 2025

Zach LaVine, Kings Aim to Retain Urgent Tempo Against Jazz

Two key themes emerged from the Sacramento Kings‘ dominant 130-88 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night. First, the Kings played with a renewed sense of urgency. Second, they marveled at the performance of their recent acquisition, Zach LaVine, who erupted for 42 points.

As Sacramento continues its push for postseason positioning, the team hopes to carry those themes into Wednesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City.

“We came out with a sense of urgency right from the start,” Kings center Jonas Valanciunas said. “We wanted to take care of business, and Zach got hot. It was a good night for us.”

LaVine’s performance was nothing short of spectacular. He hit 16 of 19 shots, including an impressive 8-of-9 from beyond the arc. It marked his second game with 30-plus points in the last three contests, setting season highs in both points and three-pointers made.

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“Zach was incredible (Monday) night,” Kings forward DeMar DeRozan said. “When he’s going like that, it opens everything up for us. We shared the ball well, played with urgency, and that’s the Kings basketball we want to see every night.”

Kings Building Momentum

Sacramento snapped a two-game losing streak with the win over Charlotte and has now won four of its last six. The Kings currently sit one game above .500 and two games ahead of the Phoenix Suns for the Western Conference’s final play-in spot. They are also just two games behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the sixth and final guaranteed playoff position.

“It’s definitely good to have a bounce-back game like that,” LaVine said. “We’ve got to have a sense of urgency every single night. We know where we’re at in the season and what we need to do to get to where we want to go. (Monday) was a good step.”

Jazz Looking to Regroup

Utah battled the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday without key players Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, Walker Kessler, John Collins, and Collin Sexton but still managed to erase a 13-point deficit before ultimately falling 114-112.

Despite shooting just under 39 percent, the Jazz had a chance to steal the win at the buzzer, but Keyonte George’s final three-point attempt missed. However, George did hit two clutch threes in the final 11 seconds to set up the dramatic finish.

A rough second quarter proved costly for Utah, as the team was outscored 29-18 and endured a six-minute scoring drought. That stretch finally ended on Isaiah Collier’s half-court heave at the halftime buzzer.

“We didn’t handle the pressure as well as we did for the remainder of the game, and then that bled into our defense where our shifts weren’t as tight, our communication wasn’t as good,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “And as much as coaches wish it wasn’t the case, sometimes the offense getting a little bit off-kilter does impact some of the fire on defense.”

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Hardy remained optimistic about the team’s late-game resilience.

“That’s what those moments require,” he said. “So there’s a lot to learn from this game. It’ll be a good opportunity (Tuesday) to get back on the practice court, watch a bunch of film, clean up some of those things, and on we go.”

Playoff Stakes in the West

With Sacramento striving to solidify its playoff standing and Utah looking to stay competitive despite injuries, Wednesday’s matchup carries significant implications. The Kings will seek to build on their momentum, while the Jazz hope to correct their offensive struggles and protect home court.

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