Jazz rout Kings to clinch No. 1 seed as Sacramento’s focus shifts to Walton’s future
The Utah Jazz needed a victory to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The Kings couldn’t offer much resistance as the conversation in Sacramento turned to coach Luke Walton’s future with the organization.
Jordan Clarkson scored 33 points to lead the Jazz to a 121-99 victory over the Kings on Sunday night at Golden 1 Center, helping Utah secure the No. 1 seed and homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs.
Bojan Bogdanovic had 18 points for the Jazz (52-20), which won seven of its last nine games to finish with the best record in the NBA. Rudy Gobert posted 13 points and 16 rebounds.
Terence Davis scored 20 points for the Kings (31-41), who missed the playoffs for the 15th year in a row to match the longest postseason drought in NBA history. Damian Jones added 19 points and six rebounds for Sacramento, which was shorthanded again with De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Harrison Barnes, Richaun Holmes, Marvin Bagley III, Justin James and Hassan Whiteside all out of the lineup.
Buddy Hield had 13 points, a career-high-tying nine assists and seven rebounds. He went 1 of 7 from 3point range, finishing the season four 3-point goals short of Peja Stojakovic’s franchise record of 1,070.
Walton said he was confident he would return next season when asked about his future with the Kings on Friday, but he has received no assurances from the organization. He is owed $11.5 million over the next two seasons. When asked about his future again before Sunday’s game, Walton said he is not concerned about his fate after posting a 68-82 (.431) record in his first two seasons.
“It doesn’t weigh on me because it’s the same thing I always talk about — it’s control what you can control — the same message I give my players every day,” Walton said.
“... So if you ask me, I’ll tell you, no, I’m not concerned at all because it doesn’t do anything for me or the group to be concerned, so we’ll stay focused on the positive and the good things. Like I continue to say, I’m excited about this group and excited about our future.”
The Kings finished in a three-way tie with the New Orleans Pelicans and Chicago Bulls for the eighthworst record in the NBA. A random drawing will determine which teams are slotted eighth, ninth and 10th in the draft lottery. Those teams will have identical odds of jumping into the top four in the draft.
Luke Walton will return for third season as head coach of Sacramento Kings
Kings general manager Monte McNair could have opted for change. Instead, he chose continuity.
McNair informed coach Luke Walton on Monday he will be back for a third season in Sacramento, multiple sources told The Sacramento Bee, confirming a report from James Ham of NBC Sports California.
Walton addressed uncertainty over his future last week as another difficult season was coming to an end. Sources said Walton had been given no assurances from the organization at that point, but Walton said he was confident he would return and looked forward to continuing his work with players such as De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton.
“I’m very confident and, yeah, I love this group,” Walton said. “I love coaching these guys. I’m excited about trying to get Sacramento back into the playoffs.”
Former Kings general manager Vlade Divac hired Walton to replace Dave Joerger in April 2019. Walton’s job security has been the subject of speculation since McNair was brought in to replace Divac in September, but Walton has maintained strong working relationships with players and the team’s new front office.
Walton, 41, compiled a 62-82 (.431) record over his first two seasons in Sacramento, posting the highest winning percentage of any Kings coach since Rick Adelman was fired in 2006. He has two years and $11.5 million remaining on his contract.
A number of players have expressed support for Walton, including Fox and Haliburton, who figure to be cornerstone players in Sacramento for years to come.
“Me and Luke, we get along really well,” Haliburton said in a postseason media session Monday. “I love him. I love playing for him, so he’s definitely high up in that regard. We get along really well and I look forward to play for him for years as we move on.”
The Kings went 31-41 to finish 12th in the Western Conference this season for the second year in a row. They missed the playoffs for the 15th consecutive season, matching the longest postseason drought in NBA history, but there were some signs of individual growth.
Fox took another step toward becoming an All-Star, averaging a career-high 25.2 points and 7.2 assists after signing a maximum five-year, $163 million extension with clauses to reach the $195.6 million super max. Haliburton, the No. 12 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, is expected to finish in the top three in Rookie of the Year voting after averaging 13.0 points, 5.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game.
Richaun Holmes averaged career highs of 14.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. Harrison Barnes had one of the best years of his nine-year NBA career, averaging 16.1 points and career-highs of 6.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting a careerbest 49.7% from the field.
“I’m very pleased and excited with a lot of the progress we made from a team standpoint and individuals,” Walton said before the Kings concluded the season with a 121-99 loss to the Utah Jazz on Sunday. “You go down the line and I could make a case that even guys like Harrison, who’ve had some really good years in their career, to me he was playing some of his best basketball. … You can go down the line and, to me, that’s something that’s working.”