The Tank-Off showdown between the Sacramento Kings and the Utah Jazz at Golden 1 Center was truly a sight to behold, given the decimated rosters. Golden 1 Center is usually known for its roaring Light the Beam, but Sunday night’s matchup was nothing like what fans would expect from a late-season NBA battle.
When both teams dropped their reports with a total of 18 players being ruled out for the game, social media nearly reached a breaking point. A number nearly double the combined playing fives of both teams was listed OUT.
Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz Tank-Off Has NBA World in Turmoil
The Kings managed to register a 116-111 win thanks to their fourth-quarter performance after the Jazz mounted a late charge. But this win felt more like an afterthought than the blatant roster management in front of everyone.
For fans and analysts, this display could be seen as redefining Tank-Off in the NBA, with both franchises racing to the bottom of the standings rather than fighting to survive.
The game between the Kings and Jazz was historic just because of the sheer volume of DNPs. The Jazz entered the contest with just nine available players. Their DNP list resembled a team’s starting five and then some: Ace Bailey (concussion protocol), Kyle Filipowski (rest), Keyonte George (hamstring), Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee), Walker Kessler (shoulder), John Konchar (calf), Lauri Markkanen (hip), and Jusuf Nurkic (nose).
The Sacramento Kings went a step further than the Jazz, listing nine players as OUT. The list included Patrick Baldwin Jr. (G League), Devin Carter (calf), Drew Eubanks (thumb), De’Andre Hunter (eye), Zach LaVine (finger), Malik Monk (ankle), Keegan Murray (ankle), Domantas Sabonis (knee), and Russell Westbrook (foot).
The Sacramento Bee’s Kings beat writer, Jason Anderson, reported the incident on X. When a fan asked, “Who’s available?” Jason replied, “I don’t know. Are you busy?”
The Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz have ruled out a total of 18 players for tonight’s game at Golden 1 Center. A thread 👇
— Jason Anderson (@JandersonSacBee) March 15, 2026
Anderson was not the only one to share the situation online. Keith Smith, a Spotrac writer, NBA Front Office Show host, and salary cap expert, tweeted, “To those watching Kings-Jazz live: I salute you. Even more so if you are on the east coast. Myself, I’ll check it out in the morning, if necessary.”
Jason Shepherd of BYU radio also posted, “The Sacramento Kings tanking lineups are so far worse than anything the Jazz have ever done.” He followed with another tweet: “Thank you, Kings. I didn’t think there was a chance the Jazz could lose this game.”
DeMar DeRozan of the Kings was the night’s highest scorer with 41 points, shooting 11-of-21 from the field. The Jazz’s Cody Williams followed with a career night: 34 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists on 12-of-20 shooting.
Jazz insider for KSL Sports Ben Anderson said, “Biggest day of the season for the Jazz to date.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver Addresses League’s Tanking Problem
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the league’s Tank-Off issue at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. He said, “We are going to make substantial changes for next year. I think where I’m on the fence, on one extreme, you could completely divorce the draft from teams’ records. That would completely disincentivize tanking.”
In February, the Jazz were fined $500,000 and the Pacers $100,000 for “conduct detrimental to the league” after benching players to improve their draft lottery odds.
Games like this highlight why the current format might be broken and need the “substantial” change Silver described.
