The Utah Jazz are streaking to the finish line and building momentum for the postseason.
The Sacramento Kings are geared up to halt a stretch of 12 straight losing seasons.
Red-hot Utah looks to record its seventh straight win and 12th in 13 games when it hosts the Kings on Friday.
The Jazz aren’t just winning, they are notching impressive victories.
Wednesday’s 118-97 road win over the Phoenix Suns represents Utah’s ninth win by 15 or more points during the 12-game stretch. Six have been by least 20 points.
The Jazz are also performing no matter how long their injured list grows.
Power forward Derrick Favors (back) and swingman Kyle Korver (knee) will miss their third straight games. Small forward Jae Crowder (quadriceps) and point guard Ricky Rubio (hamstring) are questionable after sitting out Wednesday, while point guard Raul Neto tweaked an ankle against the Suns and is in danger of sitting out against the Kings.
Being shorthanded against Phoenix opened the way for small forward Joe Ingles to enjoy one of the top games of his career. Ingles matched his career high of 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting — he was 6 of 8 from 3-point range — and also registered eight assists while helping star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell (29 points) carry the load.
The stellar showing came in Ingles’ 300th consecutive contest, the longest active streak in the NBA.
“I’m going to shoot when I’m open, regardless of if I’m making or missing,” Ingles told reporters afterward. “If it’s a good shot, I’m going to take it. My team encourages me to do it.”
Mitchell was impressed but not surprised that his team could win so easily when it was missing two starters and two other key rotational players.
“It’s next man up,” Mitchell told reporters. “We’ve been saying it for two years now. Every game you can see it. … It just shows our resiliency.”
Sacramento (39-40) needs to win two of its final three games to avoid a losing campaign after notching a 117-104 home win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday.
The players have been vocal in recent weeks about the importance of finishing at least .500. The franchise hasn’t avoided a losing season since the Rick Adelman-coached group went 44-38 in 2005-06.
“It shows we are moving in the right direction,” shooting guard Buddy Hield said in a postgame television interview after the win over Cleveland. “Everybody will be coming in next year willing to work. We know what the goal is and know what we’re capable of doing — next year to make a playoff push. To finish .500 would be a blessing for us.”
Hield also has a superb chance to make the most 3-pointers in the first three years of a career in NBA history.
Portland’s Damian Lillard holds the mark of 599 but Hield is just five behind after knocking down five 3-pointers while scoring 23 points against the Cavaliers.
“‘Dame’ is one of the great shooters in this league,” Hield said during the postgame interview. “I’m just taking it game by game and if I break it, I break it. I want to. If it comes, I’ll take it.”
Sacramento rookie power forward Marvin Bagley III scored 15 points against Cleveland and has reached double digits in each of his past 12 appearances.
On the other side of the equation, small forward Harrison Barnes had just nine points on 3-of-10 shooting against the Cavaliers and has scored 10 or fewer points in five of the past seven games.
The Jazz are 2-1 against the Kings this season. However, Sacramento won the previous meeting in Salt Lake City, 119-110, on Nov. 21.