Rookie Isaiah Thomas impresses as Sacramento Kings edge past Utah Jazz 103-96 - NBA Recap
Sacramento Kings are having a pretty ordinary season so far but the future looks extremely bright for them.
Their Rookie Isaiah Thomas, who started the season quietly, has picked up the momentum with time and the way he has performed in the last six games, it looks like he is the future star of the team.
In what was the Kings first game after the All Star week, Thomas put up a solid performance to guide his team to a convincing 103-96 win over the Utah Jazz.
After scoring only 3 points in the first half, he picked up the pace and finished with 18 points on a perfect 4 for 4 from the charity stripe and 8 assists.
"I had to pick up the tempo, not just for myself, but for my teammates," Thomas said. "We needed to get out in transition and run. I'm out there trying to make the right play. I'm doing that at a pretty high level right now."
DeMarcus Cousins was phenomenal and marshalled the Kings with a game high 22 points and 18 boards while Marcus Thornton tallied 21 points on 8 for 9 from the free throw line. Tyreke Evans and Jason Thompson recorded 13 and 10 points respectively.
Kings were accurate with their free throw shooting and netted 24-for-29 from the range.
Devin Harris led the Jazz with 18 points and 7 assists whereas Josh Howard amassed 15 points on 7 for 12 from the floor. Reserve CJ Miles had 13 points while Al Jefferson bundled 12 points.
First two quarters of the games were highly competitive as neither team managed to control the game fully. Although Jazz held the upper hand most of the time, however they never completely dominated the game. By the end of the half, Jazz were ahead by 3
points 47-44.
Kings started the third frame with a 6-0 spurt to get ahead 50-47, however Utah responded with another 6-0 spurt to again regain the dominance. Next few minutes saw an intense battle as the momentum kept on shifting from one side to the other. Jazz were
in front, ahead by 2 points 71-69, with less than a minute remaining in the quarter but Thornton reeled a 5-0 spurt in the last few seconds to ensure Kings entered the final frame with an advantage, 74-71.
Jazz quickly slashed the two point deficit and kept fighting hard in the first five minutes of the final frame to keep themselves in the hunt. With scores levelled at 85 all, Kings rattled a 10-4 burst to get in a commanding position at 95-89. Jazz quickly
made a comeback in the ensuing passage, making it 96-98 with a minute remaining.
The game hung in balance and both teams required a moment of brilliance to win the game. In the end it came from Kings, in the form of Thornton’s 5 free throws, which helped them in winning the game.
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