Domantas Sabonis splashes the game winner to beat the Jazz

The Sacramento Kings clinched their 2025-26 rookie season with a thrilling 105-104 victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday night at Golden 1 Center, with Domantas Sabonis‘ Clutch late-game basket determining the outcome. He was originally expected to miss the game with a hamstring strainSabonis was cleared to play after Thursday’s practice and made a much-needed impact, finishing with a double-double of 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds in 36 minutes.

On the final possession, Sabonis grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed shot by Malik Monk and made a layup as Walker Kessler was fouled. Although he missed the ensuing free throw, Sacramento’s defense, led by Schroder, forced Keyonte George to miss a 21-foot buzzer-beater, giving the Kings a 1-1 record on the season.

The game was back-to-back, with neither team leading by more than eight points at any stage. Sacramento trailed 96-92 after Brice Sensabo’s 3-pointer with 5:10 left, but Zach LaVine started a turnaround 7-0 run, hitting a 3-pointer with 4:57 left and an inside basket with 3:19 left to give the Kings a 99-96 lead. LaVine, continuing his strong start to the season, finished with a game-high 31 points on 10-of-18 shooting, including four-of-nine from beyond the arc.

Reserve Malik Monk stepped up in a big way off the bench, scoring 20 points on 6-of-9 three-point shooting, while Dennis Schroder contributed 17 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals in 33 minutes. Russell Westbrook, making his home debut, added seven points, four assists and a steal in 17 minutes.

Utah stormed back late, taking a 104-103 lead with 28.1 seconds left on a pair of free throws by Lauri Markkanen. Markkanen led the Jazz with 33 points, including four three-pointers, while Keyonte George had 18 points and 10 assists. Despite outscoring the Kings 50-33 and winning the shootout 48-36, the Jazz couldn’t close out the game. Jusuf Nurkic added 11 boards off the bench, and secondary scorers Kyle Filipovski, Walter Clayton Jr. and Sensabo scored 10, 10, and 15 points, respectively.

Sacramento also forced 19 turnovers for Utah, converting 15 of those turnovers while shooting 48.2% from the field and 43% from three, compared to 44.2% and 31% for the Jazz.

Next up, the Kings host the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday at 9:00 PM ET.