• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Kings-Jazz Preview

Jan 29, 2010 - 11:16 PM By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA STATS Senior Writer

Sacramento (16-28) at Utah (27-18), 9:00 p.m. EDT

Even by their high standards, the Utah Jazz are enjoying a strong run offensively. They have quite a void to fill, though, with Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams sitting out.

After one of their best shooting games of the season, the Jazz have to get by without their top two scorers as they host the lowly Sacramento Kings on Friday night.

Boozer, averaging 19.2 points and 10.7 rebounds, will not play due to a strained right calf and will be re-evaluated Monday. Williams, who averages 19.0 points and 9.5 assists, is in West Virginia to attend a relative's funeral.

Their strong seasons have helped Utah lead the league in field-goal shooting at 49.0 percent. The Jazz (27-18) have been particularly sharp in recent weeks, averaging 111.2 points and shooting 53.0 percent over their last nine games, winning eight.

Utah shot 60.3 percent in a 106-95 win at Portland on Wednesday night, four days after shooting a season-best 61.1 percent in a 116-83 victory over New Jersey.

Williams scored 24 points Wednesday and Boozer had 14 before leaving early in the third quarter with the calf problem.

Williams had 29 points and 15 assists against Sacramento (16-28) on Nov. 7, but Utah lost 104-99. The Jazz had won four straight in the series.

Rookie sensation Tyreke Evans had 32 points and seven assists for the Kings in that contest. The guard scored 23 points as Sacramento snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 99-96 win over Golden State on Tuesday night.

Evans, though, went 8 for 21 from the field and the Kings shot 38.0 percent (35 for 92). Sacramento had been 0-13 when shooting under 43.9 percent.

"We're still trying to find our rhythm," Evans said.

While Evans leads first-year players with 20.8 points per game, veteran guard Kevin Martin continues to struggle. Martin, who averaged 24.6 points last season, has scored five in three straight games.

Martin missed 32 games with a broken wrist, returning in a 98-86 loss to Philadelphia on Jan. 15. He went 3 for 23 in the past three contests.

"I'm sure his confidence is rock bottom right now, he's human," coach Paul Westphal said. "He's trying to play through it and be aggressive ... he'll get there."

Martin averaged 27.0 points while making 15 of 30 attempts from 3-point range in his last six games versus the Jazz.

Sacramento could certainly use another strong effort from Martin as it tries to end an eight-game road skid. The Kings scored fewer than 87 points four times during that span.

The Kings were outrebounded 41-33 in their last road game, a 115-84 loss to Miami on Saturday night, but set a Sacramento-era record with 68 boards against the Warriors.

Sean May, a first-round pick in 2005, had 11 rebounds in a rare appearance in which he played significant minutes. He was active off the bench in place of rookie Jon Brockman, who was out with a hip injury.

"I hadn't been out there in a month, so it felt kind of weird," May said. "It's tough being the guy at the end of the bench, fighting for minutes and trying to stay in shape and be ready when your time comes."