Kings coach Rick Adelman surveyed the Western Conference and had this assessment: None of the competition is backing away.

After Tuesday's victory over Utah, the Kings coach knew the Jazz was the only one of the conference's top eight teams coming off a loss.

In fact, the Lakers, Trail Blazers, Mavericks and Timberwolves have been playing exceptionally well. But Adelman's point was simple: So what?

The Kings coach said his team's goal is the same one he's been preaching all season -- improve daily.

"That's the only situation we can control," Adelman said. "We have to use this game as a building block and try to win games and see where we are at the end of the season."