SALT LAKE CITY \u2013 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.<\/p>\n
Lauri Markkanen scored 33 points to lead the Jazz, while the Kings were led by Zach LaVine\u2019s 31.<\/p>\n
The Jazz had a chance to win the game at the buzzer, but Keyonte George\u2019s desperation jump shot came up short.<\/p>\n
With the loss, the Jazz fell to 1-1 on the season.<\/p>\n
What Looks New, What\u2019s The Same In Utah Jazz Loss?<\/p>\n
Friday\u2019s loss brought back reminders of the many issues that plagued the Jazz last season, but it also highlighted some encouraging early-season trends.<\/p>\n
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 \u2014 and still lost both.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\ud835\ude70\ud835\ude72\ud835\ude72\ud835\ude74\ud835\ude82\ud835\ude82 \ud835\ude7a\ud835\ude74\ud835\ude88: \ud835\udc03\ud835\udc04\ud835\udc0d\ud835\udc08\ud835\udc04\ud835\udc03#TakeNote<\/a> | @keyonte1george<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/cNsJYOtvDI<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 25, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n While George likely won\u2019t earn an All-Defensive team nod this year, he\u2019s made noticeable progress. He even drew an offensive foul late in the fourth quarter when the team needed a stop.<\/p>\n \u201cKeyonte put his body on the line and took a charge in a massive moment in the game,\u201d Jazz coach Will Hardy said. \u201cThat is incredible growth for him.\u201d<\/p>\n The Jazz also protected the paint well, allowing just 36 points on 34 attempts and limiting the Kings to only 15 free-throw attempts.<\/p>\n However, some familiar problems resurfaced.<\/p>\n The Jazz committed 20 turnovers, including six from Walker Kessler and four from George.<\/p>\n Despite Lauri Markkanen\u2019s hot shooting, the former All-Star struggled to get touches when the game was on the line.<\/p>\n deeeeeeep three on the markk \ud83c\udfaf#TakeNote<\/a> | @markkanenlauri<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/t728riNtVN<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 25, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Markkanen gave the Jazz a 93\u201389 lead with 5:38 remaining, but didn\u2019t attempt a shot during the next six possessions. That drought allowed the Kings to take a 99\u201396 lead.<\/p>\n During that stretch, the Jazz shot just 1-for-5 and turned the ball over once on a poor pass from George.<\/p>\n Markkanen remains the Jazz\u2019s best player, but he hasn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n While George\u2019s 18-point, 10-assist night is impressive on the box score, the guard\u2019s shooting tells a different story.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Even with his improved defense, if he can\u2019t become a more consistent shooter, he likely can\u2019t be a starter in the modern NBA.<\/p>\n If the Jazz maintain their current defensive intensity, they\u2019ll stay competitive. But if they slip on that side of the ball, last season\u2019s weaknesses offensively could drag them down once again.<\/p>\n Second Unit Frontcourt Struggled In Sacramento<\/p>\n One of the biggest disappointments in Sacramento came from the Jazz\u2019s frontcourt bench unit.<\/p>\n Jusuf Nurkic, Taylor Hendricks, and Ace Bailey combined to shoot just 3-for-15, scoring six points across 48 minutes.<\/p>\n Bailey still looks winded as he recovers from the illness that nearly kept him out of Wednesday\u2019s season opener. During the preseason, he was one of the team\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Hendricks, in his first road game of the season, shot 1-for-3, finishing with two points and three rebounds in 17 minutes.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcb2when the brice is right\ud83d\udcb2 pic.twitter.com\/MbCkFecLxI<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 25, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Nurkic led the team with 11 rebounds but struggled offensively, shooting 2-for-7 and scoring just four points in 18 minutes.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n However, if the second-unit bigs don\u2019t start producing more, the team will have a hard time winning games early in the season.<\/p>\n Next Utah Jazz Broadcast<\/p>\n 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\u00a097.5 The KSL Sports Zone<\/a>.<\/p>\n Are you on Threads yet? Let\u2019s connect, give us a follow\u00a0@kslsports<\/a>.<\/p>\n Download the new & improved KSL Sports app from Utah\u2019s sports leader. You can stream live radio, video and stay up to date on all of your favorite teams.<\/a><\/p>\n 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\u00a0<\/a>97.5 The KSL Sports Zone<\/a>. Find Ben on Twitter at\u00a0<\/a>@BensHoops,<\/a>\u00a0on Instagram\u00a0<\/a>@BensHoops,<\/a>\u00a0or on\u00a0BlueSky<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n