“Keyonte George praises Jazz's 117-114 preseason win over Kings”.

The Utah Jazz continue to put up a strong performance in their preliminary round games ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season, as we saw them narrowly defeat the Sacramento Kings 117-114 on Tuesday night and record a 4-1 preseason lead for Utah.

It was a big night for second-year guard Keyonte George as he returned to the starting lineup after missing a game in Utah's game against the Dallas Mavericks because of his scary knee sprain, and he came in to make a statement against Sacramento to set: a total of 24 points, three rebounds and five assists.

After the game, George was asked how his knee felt in his first competition back in action – and ultimately gave a reassuring answer:

“I'm doing well. “Did I look good to you out there?” George asked.

It's safe to say he actually looked good when he returned. George finished the game with a team-high score and led the Jazz to their fourth preseason win, showing no signs of his previous injury bothering him in this game.

“Obviously a frightening slip-up,” George continued. “It was in my best interest to win the (Spurs) game and come back properly. I'm just happy that everything went well and took the opportunity to play today. It felt good to get into the rhythm and get my legs going. This is the first time some of our key players were playing in the fourth game, so it was just a good test for our win.”

In the fourth quarter, each of Utah's five starters secured a few points lead in a narrow win, with Lauri Markkanen leading the way with nine points on six of six shots from the free throw line. George also had four assists in six minutes of the fourth quarter.

“I think last year, the rookie year, you had all the nerves of trying to be perfect,” George said after the game. “(You) don’t want to screw it up. You see everything that is said about you on social media. But this year I'm just going to go out and play ball – without worrying about what's being said or what people are thinking.” . I just go out and play, bad game or not, I go out with a clear head.

With a renewed confidence and a full work break, the stage is set for George's best sophomore season. We've already seen some telling signs in the preseason, but let's see if the 2023 first-rounder can hold his own heading into the regular season.

George and the rest of the Jazz team will have one more chance to show off their preseason game before the actual games begin, as their final preseason game is on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.

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