Jazz Surpass Last Season’s Loss Total After Falling To Kings
Mar 31, 2024, 10:06 PM | Updated: Apr 1, 2024, 1:28 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz got career highs from Brice Sensabaugh (22) and Taylor Hendricks (18), but it wasn’t enough as they fell on the road to the Sacramento Kings 127-106.
Including Keyonte George, all three Jazz rookies bounced back from Friday’s rough performance against the Houston Rockets, combining to score 58 points in Sacramento.
“We’re trying to build winning habits and I want them to feel good about elements of the game that they’re improving because they are improving,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “But I also think that for those three guys in particular, it’s about the necessary focus on the things that they need to improve for us to win.”
🖐️ three-pointers for @bricepsensa.
📰: https://t.co/yfGuIDwXm0#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/4dCD9BWrIc
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) April 1, 2024
Related: Recapping The Jazz’s Loss To The Kings
The trio of 20-year-olds also combined for nine rebounds and six assists, but turned the ball over six times in 99 minutes on the floor.
With their ninth straight loss, the Jazz are in the midst of the team’s longest losing streak since December 2014.
The nine-game losing streak is the fifth-longest in team history.
Jazz Will Finish With Worst Record Than Last Season
After Sunday’s loss to the Kings, the Jazz are now guaranteed to finish with a worse record than last season.
The Jazz finished the 2022-23 campaign with a 37-45 record, but with 46 losses already this year, the team won’t be able to match last season’s .451 winning percentage.
This marks only the fourth time in the franchise’s 50-year history that the Jazz will see decreasing win percentages in three consecutive seasons.
With 46 losses already on the season, the @utahjazz will finish with a worse record this year than last.
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) April 1, 2024
After the franchise’s second trip to the NBA Finals, the Jazz saw their win percentage decrease five years in a row between 1998 and 2002.
Only three other times have the Jazz seen a decrease in win percentage in back-to-back seasons.
The team’s current .392 winning percentage is on pace to be the ninth-worst in franchise history, while the team could surpass the 1982-83 roster for the eight-worst record if they lose their final seven games.
Utah Jazz Standings Watch After Kings Loss
With the Jazz’s loss to the Kings, teamed with the Brooklyn Nets’ loss at home to the Los Angeles Lakers, the two teams remained tied in the lottery standings at 29-46.
Only seven teams in the NBA have worse records than the Jazz and Nets with seven games remaining in the regular season.
Updated West Standings ‼️
– OKC and DEN clinch playoff spots as OKC moves into 1st
– DAL wins 7th straight, moves into 5th
– SAC wins and moves into 7th pic.twitter.com/ldaIhCUGnG— NBA (@NBA) April 1, 2024
Related: What Happens If Jazz Win The Draft Lottery?
At season’s end, whichever team between the Jazz and Nets that finishes with the ninth-worst record in the NBA will own a 20.2 percent chance of moving into the top-four pick draft.
The team that finishes eighth has a 26.2 percent chance of selecting fourth or higher.
If the two teams were to finish with identical records at season’s end, they would split the odds of moving into the top four picks, with a coin toss deciding who would select eighth, and who would pick ninth if neither moved up via the lottery.
Utah Jazz Next Game
The Jazz will host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday at 7 pm MST in Salt Lake City. The game will be televised on KJZZ, streamed on Jazz+, and can be 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 or on Instagram @BensHoops.
