A foot injury forced Kings forward Keegan Murray to miss two games in early January, but that might have been a blessing in disguise.

The Sacramento Kings took care of business and did exactly what they needed to do as they took down the 14-win Utah Jazz 118-101. Unlike their win over the Charlotte Hornets where Zach LaVine scored 42 points,

Nikola Jokic had 22 points and 14 rebounds, Russell Westbrook scored 25 points, and the Denver Nuggets rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Sacramento Kings 116-110.Jamal Murray scored 24 points for Denver,

A smaller move has also been crucial for the Kings after Domantas Sabonis strained his hamstring two games ago. But Jonas Valanciunas has filled in admirably at center, putting up 29 points and 23 rebounds in the big man's absence, while blocking five shots and delivering crushing screens.

Keegan Murray scored a season-high 26 points and Zach LaVine added 22 to lift the hot-shooting Sacramento Kings to a 118-101 win over the Utah Jazz.

The Sacramento Kings travel to face the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday to end a four-game road trip but are facing some adversity heading into the big matchup. The Nuggets are in third place in the West with a 39-22 record, so heading into Denver is already a tall task for the Kings, and injuries are not making it any easier for them.

Keegan Murray scored a season-high 26 points to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 118-101 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Murray posted his fourth 20-point game of the season and his first since Nov. 24 to help the Kings (30-28) start a four-game road trip with a victory.

Change. After a 13-18 start, ownership fired head coach Mike Brown, who had led the team since 2022, the year the Kings drafted ex-Iowa and Cedar Rapids Prairie standout Keegan Murray fourth overall. Brown also won NBA Coach of the Year in 2023.

One Kings player who has stepped up his game lately is Keegan Murray. He's started all season for the Kings and is averaging 12.4 points per game, but since trading De’Aaron Fox, Murray has started taking more shots and he’s red-hot heading into this matchup.

Sacramento forward Keegan Murray's consistency led to a much-needed season-high performance in the Kings' win vs. the Utah Jazz.

With those players out, Dallas started Kyrie Irving, Dante Exum, Klay Thompson, Kessler Edwards, and Dwight Powell, while Sacramento rolled out Malik Monk, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray, and Jonas Valanciunas.

• Fox played his first 7 1/2 seasons in Sacramento, finishing fourth on the Kings' all-time scoring chart with 11,064 points. He also ranks fourth all-time with the franchise in assists (3,146) and second in steals (731).