College Article Feature: Stars Outshine Kings Again

Written by Will Naughton | Weber State University

Two days after their late comeback win at home against the Stockton Kings, the Salt Lake City Stars repeated the trick and won 149-122 in Nov. 24’s NBA G League rematch at the Maverik Center. The sweeping triumph moved the Stars back into first place in the Western conference table and improved their record to 5-1.

Jazz two-way guard Elijah Harkless topped the box score with a season-high 31 points to go along with his six assists and was too much for the Kings’ defense. Fellow guard Max Abmas again demonstrated his offensive inventiveness with a game-high eight assists.

SLC center Mo Bamba and guard Sean East II each scored 10 points in the first quarter, helping the Stars to a 36-31 lead at the buzzer with both men hitting two from outside the key. Bamba and East II have proven reliable in recent weeks and the hosts were able to lean on them again. The latter drained a 3-pointer that brought the score to 31-28, and the Kings (5-3) never managed to catch up.

In the second period, Abmas and Harkless both climbed to double figure scoring tallies as Salt Lake extended their advantage to 19 points. Despite guard Jameer Nelson Jr.’s 17 first-half points for the Kings, the Stars led 82-63 at the break. Nelson Jr. would finish the game as Stockton’s top scorer on the night with 30 points.

The physicality of center Oscar Tshibwe was a commanding presence for the Stars, with the former University of Kentucky Wildcat coming up big in the paint via 11 first-half rebounds and a steal to suppress the visitor’s efforts. He finished the game with 15 rebounds, six of which came off the offensive glass.

The third frame scoring mirrored the opening 12 minutes as the home side knocked down 36 points to Stockton’s 31. Salt Lake coach Rick Higgins cited his team’s fellowship as the key factor to their success this season.

“I think that we are – as a group, person-to-person – doing a really good job of trying to pull together and be a team,” Higgins said. “Our camaraderie, our togetherness is the most important part of our team. It’s the only thing that’s gonna get us through any form of difficulty.”

During the fourth quarter, the Stars never let up and only built on the margin of their scoreboard edge. With just over four minutes on the clock, SLC guard Justin Harmon converted a layup to extend the gap to a game-high 33 points.

Fulfilling his G League assignment, Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks showed out with 14 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. The 2023 first round draft pick sustained a season ending ankle injury early last season and has been steadily mounting his comeback in 2025-26. After the win, Hendricks expressed calmness and satisfaction with his progress.

“It felt good for the most part,” Hendricks said. “That’s all I can ask for. Just trying to be aggressive, take some more shots than I did last time without trying to force. You’ve got a lot of other good guys on the team.”

Salt Lake hit on 51% of shots from the field and sank 45.5% from behind the arc to record a season-best 149 points. On the opposite side of the court, their defensive efforts limited Stockton to a 26.3% success rate from behind the 3-point line.

The Stars will now head west for a double-header against the Santa Cruz Warriors at Kaiser Permanente Arena, which will air on Jazz+ on Nov. 28 and 29.