The wildest finish just went down in Salt Lake City. The Utah Jazz fell to the Sacramento Kings, but they didn’t go down without a fight or a crazy, disallowed bucket that just missed the mark.
Kings star point guard De’Aaron Fox drove to the cup to rack up 37 points on the night with 0.4 seconds left. Fox’s layup put Sacramento in front and Utah needed a prayer. The Jazz heaved one towards Lauri Markkanen, and the Finland native nearly pulled a Derek Fisher. But… it was not to be.
The Kings-Jazz finish was bonkers! 🏀🔥👑 pic.twitter.com/wrZYWb4Qpj
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) January 4, 2023
The bucket didn’t go down in time, which probably magnifies just how crazy THAT shot was back in 2004. The Kings walked away winners and have 20 wins before the month of February. They also currently lead the Pacific Division, which is making for a great, ongoing story in the Association.
The crazy finish caught a lot of attention on Twitter.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps raved about the crazy finish.
Man, Lauri Markkanen just made a completely insane play, but it isn't gonna count. Wow. What an ending to this Kings-Jazz game. Incredible play by De'Aaron Fox to win the game for Sacramento at the other end, but man. Crazy ending.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) January 4, 2023
User @sreekyshooter made a hilarious joke, as they tweeted, “The refs in Kings vs. Jazz said no we don’t like that Finnish.”
the refs in Kings vs Jazz said no we don’t like that Finnish
— sreekar (@sreekyshooter) January 4, 2023
Will Griffith of The Kings People, a Sacramento Kings blog, tweeted, “I would absolutely love watching 7 games of Kings-Jazz in the playoffs. Just sayin’, basketball gods.”
I would absolutely love watching 7 games of Kings-Jazz in the playoffs.
Just sayin’, basketball gods.
— Will Griffith (@WillofThaPeople) January 4, 2023
Talkin’ NBA said they wished it was a game-winning shot. I mean, in fairness, it’s a pretty great shot and bucket.
This stinks. Really wish this Lauri Markkanen shot was a game winner. What a shot!pic.twitter.com/O8NThXQFSv
— 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧' 𝐍𝐁𝐀 (@_Talkin_NBA) January 4, 2023
[The Comeback on Twitter; Photo Credit: Root Sports Utah]
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022