Utah Jazz at Sacramento Kings: Keys to the Game

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Mar 5, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) controls a rebound against Sacramento Kings guard Arron Afflalo (40) and center Kosta Koufos (41) during the overtime period at Golden 1 Center. The Utah Jazz defeated the Sacramento Kings 110-109 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Key Stat – Assists

As a team with no true stars on their roster, the Kings absolutely have no choice but to rely on one another to create shots and put up points. As such, despite being a poor team for most of the season, Sacramento has actually done a solid job of moving the ball and logging assists.

The Kings are 13th in the league in assists at 22.4 per game and are 12th in assists per 100 possessions at 22.8. The Jazz, on the other hand, haven’t been an efficient assist team this year and rank just 28th in the league at 19.8 per game. And their pace isn’t to blame for that low output as they’re only a slightly better 25th in the league in assists per 100 possessions at 21.1.

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Sacramento’s recent comeback against the Clippers was an excellent example of what they’re capable of doing when they start to move the ball well and work to get open looks for their teammates. They finished that game with 23 assists – three more than the Clippers – to help them seal the deal.

As a team that thrives by working to make its whole better than the sum of its parts, the Kings have been at their best when they move the ball and display excellent teamwork. With that being the case, the Jazz will have to play stout defense to throw off Sacramento’s offensive flow while also hopefully logging more assists as part of a prolific offense of their own.

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