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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Jeff Hornacek said goodbye to his final regular season with an 18-point, seven-rebound effort.

The Jazz organization apparently isn't ready to say goodbye to him.

Hornacek concluded the final regular season of his 14-year career by scoring 18 points, and Karl Malone also had 18 as the Utah Jazz beat the Sacramento Kings 95-86 on Wednesday night.

Although Hornacek made it clear before training camp this season would be his last, a flyer distributed Wednesday by the Jazz said he would be honored by the team "at a later date if he retires."

In the dressing room, Hornacek reiterated that he doesn't plan to be back.

"The Kevin Johnson situation would be the only way I'd consider it," he said, alluding to the Phoenix guard who returned this season after a one-year absence to help the injury-riddled Suns.

"If somebody got hurt at the end of the season, I'd consider it. That'd be it," Hornacek said.

A team official later said the flyer means Hornacek will be honored during a ceremony next season. Because of salary cap implications, the Jazz don't want to send a premature message to the league office that Hornacek is done.

It seemed the Kings were done when the Jazz, after trailing 49-47 at halftime, used a 21-0 spurt for a 70-56 lead in the third quarter. But Sacramento rallied against the Utah reserves and the Kings led 75-74 after the period.

The Jazz regrouped in the fourth quarter, with Armen Gilliam scoring nine points and Utah outscoring Sacramento 21-11 in the period.

Bryon Russell and Greg Ostertag added 10 apiece for Utah.

Darrick Martin led the Kings with 16 points. Lawrence Funderburke had 14, Jon Barry scored 12 and Predrag Stojakovic 11.

Last year, Utah outlasted Sacramento in a dramatic first-round playoff series. Even earlier this week, it appeared the regular season finale might be a playoff preview between the teams.

But with a loss Tuesday to Seattle, Sacramento was locked as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. Utah already had won the Midwest Division title and the No. 2 seeding, so this game was inconsequential.

Kings starters Chris Webber (strained right calf) and Nick Anderson (sore left knee) didn't play. In the second quarter Ostertag, a center, found himself open from 3-point range and shot an airball.

"I wasn't going to push anybody," said Sacramento coach Rick Adelman. "I wanted to get Ryan (Robertson) and Bill (Wennington) on the floor. They had worked so hard all year."

The action was left to Hornacek, who scored 10 points in the first quarter. Jazz fans cheered wildly with every shot, groaning for each miss and screaming when the ball went in.

A sponsor handed out Hornacek posters, showed a video tribute and held a halftime ceremony.

"That was nice," Hornacek said. "I've got to go home now and watch the videos to see what it was about."

Hornacek will leave the NBA with the third-highest free-throw percentage in league history.

After going 3-of-3 from the foul line against the Kings, Hornacek finished the season 171-for-180 (95.0 percent) from the line. Houston's Calvin Murphy holds the record of 95.8 percent in 1980-81.

Game notes
Gilliam went 0-for-6 in the second quarter, missing a dunk and a layup. He also had a basket taken away on an offensive foul. ... A small but vocal group of Kings fans attended. ... Sacramento lost seven of its last eight. ... Utah closed with four games in five nights.