(Sports Network) - Rookie guard Tyreke Evans scored 32 points and doled out seven assists to lead the Sacramento Kings in a 104-99 victory over the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena.

The Kings were playing their first game without guard Kevin Martin, who is set to have surgery Monday to repair a fractured left wrist. He's expected to miss a minimum of eight weeks.

Beno Udrih added 15 points and Andres Nocioni 14 for the Kings, who have won two of three and snapped a three-game road losing streak against the Jazz. Jason Thompson ended with 12 points, 11 boards and five helpers, while Donte Greene had 10 points in the win.

Deron Williams totaled 29 points and 15 helpers for the Jazz, who have dropped three of four. Carlos Boozer boasted 16 points and 17 rebounds, while Mehmet Okur also had 16 points. Wesley Matthews and Andrei Kirilenko scored 11 and 10, respectively.

Trailing by 15 points in the fourth, Ronnie Brewer hit a pair of free throws and Williams added a layup to spark a 12-3 run. Another Williams' layup closed it out with 1:31 showing to get within 95-89.

The teams traded baskets and eventually Williams nailed a three-pointer to bring it to 99-95 with 17.5 ticks left.

The Kings were subsequently sent to the line and Utah could only get within four points the rest of the way.

The Jazz were on top 30-19 after the first quarter, but the Kings used a strong second period to tie the game at 55 heading into the break.

Trailing by five points early in the third, Evans and Spencer Hawes offered buckets to spark a 19-0 run that gave Sacramento a 74-60 lead with 5:09 left in the stanza.

The Kings kept pushing, eventually stretching the surge to a 26-2 run, and were up 85-68 heading to the final 12 minutes.

Game Notes

Sacramento shot 49.3 percent from the field, while Utah hit 48.7 percent of its shots...Nocioni was arrested Thursday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence and was released after posting bail. The 29-year-old released a statement through the team saying he was apologetic for his actions. Nocioni was acquired by Sacramento last season from Chicago in the trade that sent Brad Miller to the Bulls...Utah won all four meetings with Sacramento a year ago and has won five of the last seven despite the loss...Sacramento had lost four straight trips to Salt Lake City.



Copyright 2009 The Sports Network
All rights reserved

 Email To Friend