Jazz blowout Kings 121-93 in Jaren Jackson Jr.'s Utah debut

SALT LAKE CITY — When things get bad, just remember the Jazz could be the Kings.

Utah blew out the shorthanded Sacramento Kings 121-93 in Jaren Jackson Jr.'s first game at the Delta Center as a member of the Jazz Wednesday night.

Jackson got off to a hot start, along with the rest of Utah's roster; and once the Jazz took an early lead, the team never looked back. Jackson poured in a team-high 23 points in just 22 minutes of action.

"It was great," Jackson said. "We won, it was loud; it felt good. It was good to get that out the way. I definitely was looking forward to it."

With the Kings missing plenty of key players, the Jazz were able to blitz Sacramento and watch its lead grow throughout the game. The Kings were missing Domantas Sabonis, Zach Lavine, Russell Westbrook, Keegan Murray, Deandre Hunter and Malik Monk.

Lauri Markkanen was originally listed as out for rest on Tuesday and would miss the Wednesday night matchup, alongside Keyonte George, but his status was changed shortly after it was originally announced.

Utah plays the Portland Trail Blazers on the second night of a back-to-back Thursday, which would make more sense to rest Markkanen then. After Sacramento's injury report was released, the Jazz may have assumed they wouldn't be able to avoid a win in the tank-off game against the Kings.

A lot of talk around the NBA and national media has been aimed toward Utah and their usage of players down the stretch of games. That narrative could shift toward Sacramento now after what the team did Wednesday night and what a near-fully healthy Jazz squad can look like moving forward.

Since its blockbuster trade to bring Jackson (among others) to the Jazz, Utah has looked much improved, and the differences can be seen in areas that were once glaring weaknesses.

Transition defense has been something that has haunted the Jazz many times throughout the season, but against the Kings, Utah was able to turn the tides and get some easy buckets of their own. The Jazz totaled 25 fastbreak points, which allowed them to jump out to a lead that swelled to as much as 36 points.

As a team, Utah combined for 34 assists, and five players reached double-digit scoring. Isaiah Collier recorded another double-double with 12 points and 14 assists to continue his growth as a consistent playmaker for the Jazz.

"We've got to help each other create the advantage and keep the ball moving," Utah head coach Will Hardy said. "Tonight, we end up with 34 assists, which obviously is something that we're always going to be proud of, and we want to play a style where everybody's involved."

The Jazz's frontcourt was dominant, once again, with Markkanen starting at the three alongside Jackson and Jusuf Nurkic. Markkanen scored 19 points to add to the starting frontcourt's combined 47 points.

"It just forces the defense to make choices," Jackson said about his pairing with Markkanen. "Whatever choice I'm going to make is based on whatever choice you make, the defense is going to be wrong in some way."

With Markkanen at the small forward position, Utah has plenty of length to cause problems defensively, as well presents a matchup nightmare on the offensive end.

"He's a great passer, great cutter, great at pretty much everything he does, and he's super humble about everything," Jackson said. "A rare breed. Definitely somebody to be appreciated around here. I know y'all appreciate him."

Markkanen said the size and length he and Jackson bring can create advantages for the Jazz.

"He can protect the paint, he can guard the perimeter, and then, obviously, on the offensive end, he's a tough matchup with anybody," Markkanen said. "With all three of us out there, we have a big lineup, and someone's gonna have a small (forward) a lot of times, and he's one of the best ones to punish the matchup for sure."

Vince Williams Jr. had his best performance thus far with his new team. The newly acquired guard did a bit of everything in his home debut with Utah. Williams scored 9 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out three assists.

Another player that continues to dazzle off the bench for Utah is Brice Sensabaugh, who scored in double figures for the 30th time this season. Sensabaugh poured in 19 points and has shined in his sixth man role as of late.

It was a special night for Jackson, though, who showcased his dominant play and why the Jazz were interested in bringing him to Utah. And why the Utah faithful will have a new star to support.

"He's a very efficient offensive player," Hardy said. "He can do it both inside and out. I think he's a capable shooter, but his physicality and his touch around the basket is really good for us. Defensively, size, length, and communication, he's helping us in a variety of ways. He's taking the pressure off of the other guys in some ways and I also think that they're taking the pressure off of him."

Jackson wasn't alone in the new chapter and got to share the moment with his father.

"I knew he wasn't gonna miss this one," Jackson said. "It was special. Just talking to him around like the fourth quarter, I was just able to catch up with him a little bit because we were up enough where I could walk over there and just talk to him about taking this moment, taking it all in."

It felt like a shift in the mood at the Delta Center Wednesday night, too. A chapter had finally closed and a new one was just beginning. The rest of the season may still feature bumps and learning curves, but the potential for the Jazz going forward seems to be high.

"It's a high ceiling," Markkanen said. "Really excited about what we can do with this group. I mean, just kind of seeing the direction, and seeing what we can do on the court, I'm really excited about that future already, and it really feels good."

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