Salt Lake City, UT (Worldwide Gamble) - Gordon Hayward scored 21 points, C.J.
Miles had 20 and the Utah Jazz survived a tailor-made three-point attempt by
Jimmer Fredette in the final seconds to beat the Sacramento Kings, 96-93, on
Saturday night.
Fredette missed a deep shot from the right side that could have given the
Kings a one-point lead in front of an away crowd, some of whom may have
cheered for the NBA rookie when he starred at nearby BYU.
The shot was contested by a rushing Earl Watson and Fredette thought he might
have been fouled.
"I caught it, shot it, possibly contact, maybe not. But the ball didn't go in
and that's what happens," Fredette said. "It was a tough loss for us."
Al Jefferson added 12 points, Paul Millsap had 14 rebounds and the Jazz held
on to snap a two-game losing streak.
The Kings have lost four in a row and eight of their last nine games in Salt
Lake City. Fredette scored 14, but Tyreke Evans had 31 to lead Sacramento,
which has now dropped four in a row overall and seven of its last nine.
As time ticked down, Fredette freed himself up with a slight push-off on
Watson and stepped behind the three-point line at the top of the right side.
Watson recovered and charged Fredette, his hand in the air, as the guard let
loose his shot.
If the ball touched any part of the rim, it grazed the front. But mostly the
shot looked like an airball, and Hayward knocked down a free throw at the
other end to give Utah its 96-93 lead with 4.2 seconds left.
Watson -- and not just because his team won -- enjoyed the way the game felt
at the end.
"It was like a college atmosphere. I loved it," he said.
Fredette was anticipating it.
"Excited to be back in Utah to play tonight!" he Tweeted before the game. "I
know it's going to be a great atmosphere out there!"
It wasn't always such a tight game. The Jazz led 27-26 after the first quarter
and 49-47 at halftime, but pushed their advantage to 11 points, 78-67, going
into the fourth.
They were ahead by as many as 13 points on Derrick Favors' layup early in the
final quarter, but the Kings used a 9-0 run later on to pull within three.
They cut the lead to one when Millsap was called for goaltending.
Game Notes
The Kings shot 46.3 percent and fell to 2-10 on the road this season. They
have lost three in a row away from home...The Jazz shot 44.3 percent.
