Utah Jazz Show Familiar Flaws In Loss To Kings
Oct 24, 2025, 11:37 PM | Updated: 11:54 pm
Keyonte George #3 of the Utah Jazz is guarded by Zach Lavine #8 of the Sacramento Kings (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz pushed the Sacramento Kings to the final possession, but suffered their first loss of the season, falling 105-104 on the road.
Lauri Markkanen scored 33 points to lead the Jazz, while the Kings were led by Zach LaVine’s 31.
The Jazz had a chance to win the game at the buzzer, but Keyonte George’s desperation jump shot came up short.
With the loss, the Jazz fell to 1-1 on the season.
What Looks New, What’s The Same In Utah Jazz Loss?
Friday’s loss brought back reminders of the many issues that plagued the Jazz last season, but it also highlighted some encouraging early-season trends.
On the bright side, the Jazz have held the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings to 108 and 105 points, respectively, to start the year. Last season, they managed to keep opponents under 110 points in back-to-back games only once — and still lost both.
Keyonte George has stepped up defensively, disrupting plays with deflections and rotating more innately around the floor than he did in his first two seasons.
𝙰𝙲𝙲𝙴𝚂𝚂 𝙺𝙴𝚈: 𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐄𝐃#TakeNote | @keyonte1george pic.twitter.com/cNsJYOtvDI
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 25, 2025
While George likely won’t earn an All-Defensive team nod this year, he’s made noticeable progress. He even drew an offensive foul late in the fourth quarter when the team needed a stop.
“Keyonte put his body on the line and took a charge in a massive moment in the game,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “That is incredible growth for him.”
The Jazz also protected the paint well, allowing just 36 points on 34 attempts and limiting the Kings to only 15 free-throw attempts.
However, some familiar problems resurfaced.
The Jazz committed 20 turnovers, including six from Walker Kessler and four from George.
Despite Lauri Markkanen’s hot shooting, the former All-Star struggled to get touches when the game was on the line.
deeeeeeep three on the markk 🎯#TakeNote | @markkanenlauri pic.twitter.com/t728riNtVN
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 25, 2025
Markkanen gave the Jazz a 93–89 lead with 5:38 remaining, but didn’t attempt a shot during the next six possessions. That drought allowed the Kings to take a 99–96 lead.
During that stretch, the Jazz shot just 1-for-5 and turned the ball over once on a poor pass from George.
Markkanen remains the Jazz’s best player, but he hasn’t developed into a reliable offensive creator. He depends on teammates to get him the ball in his preferred spots, which limits his ability to take over in late-game situations.
While George’s 18-point, 10-assist night is impressive on the box score, the guard’s shooting tells a different story.
The Baylor product is 2-13 from downtown in his first two appearances, an early warning sign that he may be on pace for another year with a three-point shooting percentage in the mid-to-low 30s.
Even with his improved defense, if he can’t become a more consistent shooter, he likely can’t be a starter in the modern NBA.
If the Jazz maintain their current defensive intensity, they’ll stay competitive. But if they slip on that side of the ball, last season’s weaknesses offensively could drag them down once again.
Second Unit Frontcourt Struggled In Sacramento
One of the biggest disappointments in Sacramento came from the Jazz’s frontcourt bench unit.
Jusuf Nurkic, Taylor Hendricks, and Ace Bailey combined to shoot just 3-for-15, scoring six points across 48 minutes.
Bailey still looks winded as he recovers from the illness that nearly kept him out of Wednesday’s season opener. During the preseason, he was one of the team’s most active off-ball players, but against the Kings, he grabbed only two rebounds in 13 minutes and missed all five of his shot attempts.
Hendricks, in his first road game of the season, shot 1-for-3, finishing with two points and three rebounds in 17 minutes.
💲when the brice is right💲 pic.twitter.com/MbCkFecLxI
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 25, 2025
Nurkic led the team with 11 rebounds but struggled offensively, shooting 2-for-7 and scoring just four points in 18 minutes.
Until Georges Niang returns from his foot injury and Bailey regains enough strength to join the starting lineup, the Jazz coaching staff may have no choice but to stick with the current rotation.
However, if the second-unit bigs don’t start producing more, the team will have a hard time winning games early in the season.
Next Utah Jazz Broadcast
The Jazz will host the Phoenix Suns on Monday at 7 p.m. MST. The game will be televised on KJZZ, streamed on Jazz+, and heard on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.
