SACRAMENTO — Even after exiting the Golden 1 Center with a 39-point preseason victory less than a week ago, Utah Jazz players weren’t delusional enough to waltz back in the same place expecting the game to play out the exact same.
“At the end of the day, they’re an NBA team,” said Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell. “You can’t look at it as what the score was.”
And it didn’t.
Utah ultimately pulled out a 123-117 victory to start the 2018-19 regular season 1-0 against the Sacramento Kings, but not without a fight.
“In the NBA, every night’s different,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said ahead of the tip-off.