Shorthanded Jazz stun Kings to stick in play-in race


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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz weren't supposed to be in Monday's game.

They didn't have Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson or Collin Sexton. The Sacramento Kings, meanwhile, came in with the second-best record in the Western Conference and had won eight in a row.

Had …

In a season of shockers, the Jazz pulled off another one on Monday at Vivint Arena.

Ochai Agbaji scored a career-high 27 points and Kelly Olynyk flirted with a triple-double to lead the Jazz to a 128-120 victory over the Kings.

"The thing I continue to be most proud of with this team is that every night it just seems like different people continue to step up and continue to use the opportunities that are given to them," Jazz coach Will Hardy said.

When you get a 13-point, 6-for-6, eight-rebound night from seldom-used Udoka Azubuike, you know things went really well — or really poorly. It was the former on Monday.

"He deserves a lot of credit for working really hard to stay ready," Hardy said. "And he made the most of his opportunity."

And Azubuike was far from alone in that.

It's a bit cliche and coach speak to call Monday night a "team win," but, my goodness, that's about the only way to describe it. Without the team's top three scorers, the Jazz put together a performance that shot them right back into play-in position for the postseason.

Utah had eight players in double figures, led by Agbaji's career-night. And Hardy couldn't help but praise everyone.

Kris Dunn had 18 points and 10 assists and closed the game for the Jazz, who did fall behind for a time in the fourth quarter.

"He just carries himself with a confidence and a presence that feeds into the rest of the group," Hardy said.

Olynyk had 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and used his unique blend of size and versatility to be the engine for Utah at times. Hardy called him "unscoutable" because he doesn't really have true tendencies. Sure, sometimes it can be awkward, but, like Monday, it can be quite effective.

"If you did like a Mapquest tracker on the court of where Kelly goes on one possession, he'd cover more ground than any player on the team, but it's what gives our team an unpredictability," Hardy said.

Walker Kessler had 10 points and five blocks, including a game-turning block on Domantas Sabonis with 1:20 left and the Jazz holding onto a 3-point lead. Sabonis, the likely Third Team All-NBA center, only had 11 points.

"We've just got a lot of guys who play and like to play, and young guys who are hungry to play and play hard and play together," Olynyk said. "That's kind of the identity of this team right now."

And it has been the whole season.

Utah jumped out to a 25-point lead in the first half, and then survived a back-and-forth chaotic ending to move to 35-36 on the season. That pulls them into a tie for eighth (they would be 10th due to percentages and tiebreakers) in the West with 11 games remaining in the season

Utah started the game 8-for-10 from the field and their high-energy zone that confused the Kings, who have the top offense in the league this season. That led to a 16-point lead at halftime — a lead that wouldn't last.

Sacramento scored 43 points in the third quarter to come all the way back, but the Jazz didn't wilt.

Agnaji and Dunn both scored 7 points each in the quarter — both had key straightaway 3-pointers late. (More surprising: Azubuike had 7 points himself in the final frame; add that to things you wouldn't have expected to have read about in a close win against the second-best team in the Western Conference.)

Dunn's triple tied the game with 4:19 left, and Agbaji's gave Utah the lead a couple minutes later. Agbaji wasn't done, though. His hard drive in the final minute led to two key free throws — and helped secure the surprising win.

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