I spent the past few days contemplating on how to open this recap and get y’all interested in still tuning into this team at this point. With only 11 games left after tonight, no reason for a play-in push, and no reason to win, I was finding it difficult to find anything enticing to preface this all with. And then the great Blake Ellington published a fantastic article detailing 5 things to watch in the final 12 games of the season. So, go read that and get pumped for some late season Kings basketball! They continued on one of the hardest stretches of their schedule by facing the Milwaukee Bucks tonight. Let’s see how they did:
Quick Stats
Outcome: Kings lose, 135-126
Sacramento Kings: 126 pts, 48.9% fg, 37.2% 3 pt, 85.7% ft, 27 ast, 39 reb, 15 to
Milwaukee Bucks: 135 pts, 52.8% fg, 51.4% 3 pt, 71.9% ft, 21 ast, 47 reb, 13 to
Well, in case you needed any extra reasons to keep watching the Kings, they offered up a handful of them tonight. Despite the loss, this was one of the most entertaining games to watch this season. Golden 1 Center was vibrating with energy, the Kings went toe to toe with the reigning champions, and I feel like a proud grandmother that just loves and appreciates the effort and fight from my boys.
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
The Good
- Donte’s Inferno: Where are my Divine Comedy fans at? This was scheduled to be Donte DiVincenzo’s revenge game against his former team, and although the Kings didn’t secure the win, I couldn’t have been more entertained by his performance. Donte finished with 19 points, three steals, and four made 3-pointers. He was clearly on a mission and it felt like his teammates were supportive by finding him within the offense.
- Bench Mob: While De’Aaron Fox secured his 17th consecutive game of 20+ points, as well as his 2,000th career assist, he was still visibly struggling with a right-hand injury all game. With Fox hindered, the Kings needed others to step up and carry the load, and the bench came all the way through. Led by Donte DiVincenzo and Davion Mitchell, the bench contributed a total of 53 points. It was also the bench unit that provided the defensive spark that got the Kings going to bring them back from an 11-point deficit and keep them within striking range down the stretch of the game. Chimezie Metu had a few great sequences on both ends of the floor, as he finished with nine points on 4-5 from the field. It was also great to see Richaun Holmes find some rhythm and have some big plays, including an absolutely disgusting put back in the fourth quarter.
- D&D: I am not sure I can even find the words to describe how much I loved watching Donte DiVincenzo and Davion Mitchell tonight. Both played huge roles tonight in keeping the Kings in this game as they combined for seven made 3-pointers. But my favorite part was watching them work on defense. Against much bigger matchups in Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, and, oh yeah, that one freakishly built human named Giannis Antetokoumpo, Donte and Davion showed absolutely no fear. To make up for their disadvantage in size, Donte and Davion both put in the extra effort to get their bodies in front of men, and be physically felt by their opponents.
- Playing the Slow Game: The pace of this game felt much slower than what the Kings typically try to play at. Against a championship team, they were forced into a half court game more often than not, shown by them only scoring seven fast break points. I was nervous about this, as we’ve heard the goal of pace being hammered into our brains for the past five years, but the Kings showed growth and success in the half court set tonight. The Bucks aimed to pack the paint most of the night, and the Kings showed patience and ball movement to probe the defense before finding open shooters. The Kings worked the ball inside and out, took what the defense gave them, and in most instances, made the right pass to an open shooter.
The Bad
- Black Falcon, We Need You: Harrison Barnes had a quiet night, finishing with just 10 points on 3-5 from the field and 3-3 from the free throw line. Alvin Gentry went with the three guard lineup to close the game, leaving Barnes to log just 22 minutes. It took three quarters for Barnes to attempt five field goals. Against a powerhouse like the Milwaukee Bucks, the Kings really needed more from Barnes tonight. As the Bucks’ big 3 of Giannis Antetokounmpo (36 points), Khris Middleton (32 points), and Jrue Holiday (21 points) tallied their usual contributions for their team, the Kings were missing their third guy in the box score alongside Domantas Sabonis (22 points) and De’Aaron Fox (21 points).
The Ugly
- Turnovers: The Kings were trading baskets with the NBA champions in the final minutes of this game. It was fun, it was thrilling, and it made me actually want them to win. But in the last two minutes, De’Aaron Fox committed four turnovers as the Kings tried to match the Bucks’ final scoring possessions. Two things can be true at once: (1) De’Aaron Fox had another great game of 21 points and seven assists and was a big reason the Kings were in a position to win and (2) De’Aaron Fox cost the Kings their opportunity to win in final possessions with some poor decisions.
The King of Kings
Donte DiVincenzo, of course, gets the crown for being the most fun player to watch on the Kings tonight. The motivation to torch his former team, the fight to bang with the bigger bodies, and the confidence it takes to score 19 points off the bench were all things I loved to see from him tonight.
Operation: M.C.N.A.I.R. Watch
Tonight’s chosen charity is Project HOPE, which is currently on the ground responding to the crisis in Ukraine and providing essential medicines and medical supplies to Ukrainians. Donate here and be sure to notify Will via Twitter (@WillofThaPeople) or e-mail (donations@kingsherald.com) so he can continue to track donation totals.
Up Next
Friday, March 18th vs. Boston Celtics – 7:00 P.M. (PT)
can we please get some 3 point defense?
Agreed. Holiday should be sat for the rest of the season and hopefully moved as a filler in the off season.
So what else is new!
DDV and Davion look better with more minutes . Fox was actually bad tonite, poor shooting and 9 to’s , did play hurt. Gentry needs to move on from Holiday . No future . Amazing that Bucks have a Championship team built around only 2 draft picks, the rest trades and FA’s and the picks were 16 and 37 ( Giannis, Middleton )
Actually, Middleton was drafted by Detroit and traded to the Bucks in the Brandon Jennings deal in 2013.
Jordan Nwora is the only player on the Bucks roster other than Giannis drafted by them. And Nwora was a 2nd rd pick in 2020.
I agree about Holiday. He isn’t going to play much next year or even at all. I have a problem but it.s a good problem. We have two players who could start with Fox and at this time I really can’t decide which one, and I really like the two playing together.
DD can be slotted at the wing if the matchups are right. He’s shown that he can make things difficult for bigger players, and I love the idea of having our guys swarming like bees on defense.
I couldn’t understand why the hell Gentry didn’t take Fox out once it was clear he was injured, or (I hate to say it), after Fox got to twenty.
Fox didn’t want to come out? Tough shit! You’re the coach, do your job!
Finding silver linings is getting harder and harder, it’s like a nightmarish version of groundhog day.
All that said, here we go:
The Kangz have the same number of road wins as the Fakers with lebron/davis/westbrook.
same number of road wins as the Fakers with lebron/davis/westbrook.
This is pretty good
Here are some: Davion has a growing bag of tricks. Divincenzo is showing he can be a quality starter or key rotational player. Metu is adding consistency to his flashes. Lyles is a good basketball player.
Divincenzo can definitely be a good rotational piece. We need an elite, or at least consistent 3 point shooter to start with Fox and Sabonis.
Perhaps a guy who’s made 40% of his threes on huge volume over his career? Those guys don’t grow on trees.
Are you being presumptuous enough, again, to argue that Steph Curry would help the Kings win more games?
Jeesh Sims. You really like to go out on a limb, don’t you?
Pfft, we’d run his ass out of town for his shitty dancing.
Gotta have some nifty footwork if you gonna survive this cowtown.
Vacaville is the cow town????
Details are stupid.
Apparently there was a game tonight? Hell, I didn’t even get a chance to sell my tickets. 🙁
They are actually playing very competitively vs good teams right now, regardless of whether you’re aware of it. Been fun games to watch, actually
Except for the constant useless chatter from Kyle and Kayte !
I like them so does that mean our votes cancel each other.
You enjoy useless chatter .
No but I enjoy Kayte. She knows her basketball. Until I hear something about knowing basketball from you I will continue to enjoy her comments.
Well, he’s here isn’t he?
Agreed, constant and nauseating.
Great summary of what I saw! Thanks, Mirann!
Last season I cancelled my monthly league pass because I couldn’t stand to watch the Kings’ lack of defense. At the same point in this season, they are a treat to watch with their intensity and effort, especially Donte and Davion! They are a joy.
If De’Aaron is the least bit hurt, let him sit. Give other players some burn.
Metu and Lyles make a good 1-2 at the 4.
The Kings seem to lack only outside shooting from being a playoff team.
Hat tip for being the first person in this article / thread to mention Lyles. I don’t know what the future holds for him, but he was outstanding last night. The kind of guy that, if he can provide that level consistently, would be an excellent bench piece.
We should add, a very cheap, excellent bench piece. His TO salary of $2.6M next year is very good value.
Second hat tip to Monte for turning Bagley into DDV and Lyles.
I mentioned him several times in the game thread. Quite impressive he was. At one point in the 4th, I said I thought Gentry should replace Lyles with Holmes. That wasn’t a very good take, as it turned out.
Lyles has been so good for awhile now. I’m not sure his DRtg (118) in March does him justice given the energy and activity he displays (and the boards, oh my, those beautiful boards he gets), but he does have a 113 ORtg and a 61 TS% in March.
I think his performance gives the Kings a great deal to think about in June when his team option comes up. And that says everything about how he’s performed since starting IMO.
So if I understand it right, he has a $2.6m team option, which seems like a no-brainer. DDV has a $6.6m QO. The Kings can exceed the cap to re-sign DDV and do not have to use their MLE on him. Is that accurate?
I believe you are correct, but it may come down to timing. If DDV signs an offer sheet right away the Kings may be forced to use that cap space to retain him. It would nice to use the cap space elsewhere first, then go over the cap to keep DDV.
If you are DDV do you take the QO and opt for UFA the summer of 2023 or test RFA this summer?
DDV turned down a deal from MIL of like 3 years/$30M before he got hurt, and now faces an unknown future. I imagine he is a little gun-shy abt turning down another multi-year contract.
Yep, that’s accurate although not the entire story. Dante’s cap hold is 14M, for starters. The Kings have full Bird rights and could theoretically resign Dante to a max deal. As I’ve said, the QO mainly exists so that teams and players alike are encouraged to sign new deals. I would be shocked if Dante signs his QO as A) negotiations have broken down and B) it’s challenging to trade a player in that scenario given he has a no trade clause as a result of signing the QO. I think Dante is in that 10-12M range, and I can easily see them offering a 4/48 type deal. I’m not sure I would go that high yet, but I can squint and see it kinda.
Lyles is both a very valuable trade chip because he’s automatic cap space for this summer OR because he’s cheap and potentially very productive. He’s probably the best bottom half of the roster asset the Kings have.
If that’s one thing that Monte has right now, it’s ALOT of cheap tradeable pieces. That’s especially handy since they aren’t likely dying to trade Barnes unless they get a Siakam maybe?
This team doesn’t have cap room this summer, but they do have lots of flexibility for trades in particular. That’s a reason I’m remaining optimistic.
I do like what I’ve seen from Lyles. He’s not going to blow you away with his athleticism, but his play is smart, he knows what he’s good at, and doesn’t try to do a bunch of things that he can’t. His shooting stroke is awfully nice, and he manages to play well on defense, with good anticipation and quick decision-making.
He also does one other thing that I like, and which only Moe Harkless seems to do: When he drives to the rim, he’s looking to dunk the ball, first, second, and third. Foul him if you want, but he’s getting his points.
As you explained, his contract is spectacular, and he could be a great rotational piece, or be part of a deal to acquire a better player. Tre all day!
I want Fox and Sabonis to continue to build together so sitting him may not be the best idea right now. However, no other players besides Donte and Davion and should see guard minutes for the rest of the season.
Lyles has been a nice addition. He’s only 26 and showing he should be a rotational piece in the future.
Ehh, Metu and Lyle might make a good 3-4 at the 4.
In addition to outside shooting, they also lack defense pretty much anywhere outside the back-up guard slot.
I learned today shooting 34% equates to a great game.
Live ordie by Westbrook Lite.He appeared to be rattled by the hand injury (non-shooting hand) and officiating. It took it out of his game long before those 4 consecutive turnovers in crunch time. Does not make it a valid excuse.
Personally, would have preferred to see Fox sit v. playing one-handed.
Or regain his composure.
I’m glad he played. Yeah, I know the stat line is ugly, but that’s how it goes in the NBA. Great players have these kind of games every once in awhile. The trick is not have them as frequently as Westbrook has them now.
Crazy right? Not to mention that Fox is probably better suited as a bull fighter based on his defense. I know one thing, if he were in court he’d be screwed, the prosecution would have no opposition.
I can’t make sense of this, either from a basketball perspective, or a legal one.
Translation: There is no Defense from Fox
When these bloggers try to tell us after less than one season Mitchell projects as a backup guard or someone like Patrick Beverly perhaps the most ridiculous comparison I’ve heard don’t inhale. When they try to tell you Fox and Mitchell can’t play together don’t inhale. We’ve got ourselves a two way player in Mitchell, I just hope Kings management sees it. I wouldn’t mind Fox missing a few games so he gets a better chance to show his stuff.
I really enjoy watching DDV and Mitchell play together. As an old coach I love defense and those two provided me with some.
Yeah it’s nice to watch players play both sides of the ball. I hope we can see those guys get more minutes together as we wrap of the season.
Agreed. Plus it’s always nice to see someone on the Kings play defense.
Like bloggers saying the Kings can get Zach Levine !
Of course it was said as a very long shot and to the point that a player like that is what the Kings need. Don’t be a toady ass. Your smarter than that.
Irony alert.
Have you ever noticed that little men act macho when behind the wheel of a car or when posting on blogs.
Irony alert x 2!
Small man’s syndrome on display again.
Living vicariously through a blog.
Pee Wee plays your part well although isn’t he a little bigger than you?
Thisx has gone past irony and into performance art-territory.
Expecting our resident genius to tag in Alex Jones at any moment.
Yes you are !
Also: You’re smarter than that.
But you are smart, yes? So you already know this.
If Pat Beverly isn’t a fair and complimentary comp, then who is in your opinion?
We don’t know yet. Mitchell can teach himself pretty much any move or nuance that he sees done by a 6 foot point guard (except for the insane vertical stuff) and has the IQ to know when to implement it.
Agree to your point we certainly don’t know yet. Of course many who have never played or coached seem to know already.
You do not know that but not surprising !
You’re following me around like a dog in heat like that other blogger who I just ignore. It’s kind of embarrassing. I do appreciate that you value my opinion if though you can’t admit it.
The little man has weighed in.
And getting shorter with each passing day! On the other hand, I do know the difference between “you’re” and “your.”
Small man’s syndrome.
He would never do that in person.
Says the person hiding behind a screen name.
Says the very small person with a complex,
If you want to see a 6’1′ guard score in the NBA just look at Jalen Brunson and Mitchell can play defense.
These goddamn bloggers. They have no respect comparing a guy like Davion to PatBev. The nerve!
They are both dogs on defense especially on ball. After that their games are completely different. Mitchell is a much better ball handler and facilitator and much more equipped to beat his defender and attack the basket. Beverly is a more experienced defender, works off picks a little better than Mitchell and understands team defense better at this point. But offensively they are completely different players and Mitchell has more weapons on offense although still evolving as a shooter. Beverly is a fierce competitor and I think Mitchell has a similar mindset.
Hard to compare Mitchell to anybody but he has aspects of Kyle Lowery (not merely the shooter or shot creator) and Patty Mills in his game. Some combination of those guys is a much better comparison than PB.
I mentioned Kyle Lowry yesterday as a very optimistic comp, but I’ll also add unrealistic. Lowry’s growth as a player is an outlier to most NBA careers, much like Jimmy Butler. They took years to become the stars we know today. I think the issue for Davion is time. He’s gonna be 24 before the beginning of next season. By the time Lowry turned 24 he had played in 5 NBA seasons and became a starter for Houston.
Could Davion become a Lowry type player? Sure, but I wouldn’t bet on it. It’s kind of like saying Haliburton will become the next Chris Paul or Cade Cunningham will be become the next Kobe. There’s always a chance, I suppose.
From all that, Mitchell is likely not even a top 10 rookie currently in his draft class. Things could change in a few seasons, but at his age I’m just not sure there is that much of a ceiling left. Very few players improve that much past the age of 25 and the ones that do are true multi-year all-stars. I think it would take Mitchell supplanting Fox on the team by this time next year for me to say Mitchell is going to be that good.
Who are your top 10 rookies? Obviously Cunningham, Mobley, Barnes. But after them, who do ya got?
My current top 10 would be Mobley, Barnes, Cunningham, Wagner, Giddey, Green, Jones, Duarte, Kuminga, Dosunmu. Mitchell and Hyland would be battling for 11th chair right now.
As we have noted, Fox was not a top ten rookie while DSJ was, so I don’t put too much stock in rookie rankings. But Mitchell has pretty much been as advertised – a defensive minded point guard that needs to work on his shot.
That would pretty much be my top 10 as well. Tre Mann is also climbing that list and a healthy Suggs may be there soon as well. Also, as I mentioned above, all those guys, minus Duarte, are younger than Mitchell.
Mann, (Zaire) Williams, Boston Jr, Sengun, Primo could all be interesting as well.
Mann and Boston have been very good for the Clippers all year.
This seems to be a quality draft with talent all over the place is my main takeaway.
Agreed. Maybe add Moody to that list as well, and I’m not out yet on Bouknight, either. Some interesting longer term projects in Kai Jones and Garuba.
I really don’t like evaluating drats before 10 years. I know that makes me weird, but alot happens in a decade.
Bouknight could have a jump like the one Desmond Bane took this year. He didn’t seem to get his feet under him as a rookie, but man, he sure looks like a steal right now,
Isaac Okafor as well . Major strides .
You mean Okoro. But yes, Okoro has done well for Cleveland.
Bane? Bane had a very good rookie year. He shot 43% on good volume/minute, put up a .600 TS%, and played good defense.
That should read 43% from 3.
LAC Mann is different than the rookie Mann
Oh yeah, my bad. For some reason I got the OKC and LAC mixed up. My bad. Thanks for the correction!
I think Mitchell’s standing will be decided if and when he gets into a playoff series. His ability to slow down or possibly take an offensive player out of a series is when his value will go up. I could see him becoming one of, if not our most popular player if we can get him into the playoffs off of just his defense.
Grimes and Sengun probably need consideration in there as well.
Yep.
We will see. You could be right but I’m projecting him much higher than you. Don’t want anything bad to happen to Fox but I’d like to see a few games without Fox suited up. I’m not interested in a top 10 rookie opinion. Those things seem to change dramatically with time.
Don’t compare Mitchell to another player. He is who he is and a very good player at that. I would feel more comfortable watching hm play for the Kings. Even as a 24 year old rookie he does some things better than a lot of players who have been in this league a lot longer I think the Kings should keep him, not trade him. In my opinion he is a winner and you can’t slot that in to the tangibles. As a side note he plays really well along side DDV. Those two together can really play havoc in a game. Two winners who play defense can play into a lot of wins especially in the fourth quarter. The only problem I see is a good one. How are you going to play both along side Fox for any long period of time? Last night they all 3 played together and only good things happened. I thought Monty did a really good job of trading Bagley and eventually getting DDV. He knows a winner when he sees one.
Pretty sure that Kings management saw it when they decided to draft him.
I am sore after watching that game.
So many nights it’s only Fox and Sabonis out there playing well. We had a night where it was everyone but Fox and Sabonis playing well.
This team has 2 good players, a solid starter and then a handful of really good to solid role players.
Can Mitchell get his offense to be more consistent and be a starting level player? I’m starting to get more optimistic again that he may. His ability to get to the rim has been impressive and he can get separation on his shot(he just needs to hit it more often)
If he can the Kings have 4 starting level players.
They’d need 2 more.
They’ll have Richaun, potentially Harrison Barnes(I wouldn’t do it, too hard to replace), and all of their draft picks to figure it out this summer.
I can see there are pieces here towards a pretty good basketball team, but you have to nail your distribution of the remaining assets the Kings do actually have still.
MItchell is so fundamentally sound, I just can’t see him being anything less than a solid 6th man.
As time has dragged on, it’s harder for me to see Davion being a bust. He just simply doesn’t quit. I don’t know if the Kings are ultimately the right team for him, but man it was fun watching him get after it. (I suppose it wasn’t that fun watching all the rookie calls he continually gets. But, that’s the way of the NBA for young guys.)
I am now officially nominating the DiVicenzo-Mitchell lineups as the D&D wrecking crew. They some Nasty Boys!
Yup, if the Kings can find superior talent in the backcourt to make D&D (I like the moniker) your bench mob, you are off to a good start.
Boy do I agree with you.Go Mitchell and DDV.
I agree, already a fantastic defender. His shot mechanics are sound, so I have hope he can become a good shooter. I do think he needs to get a little better at seeing the court, but if he is coming off the bench mostly due to just being behind Fox, him being more shoot first oriented works off the bench anyways.
I feel like most playoff teams have at least 1 guy coming off the bench that could start for most teams in this league. I could see him becoming that(ie Bobby Jackson would have started for a lot of teams, but Bibby was more consistent and fit better)
I still think they are far away. Maybe a .500 team. A Healthy West: Suns, Clips, Wolves, Grizz, Mavs, Jazz, Denver, And Pels(Zion, McCollum, and BI) are all clearly better than the Kings. I don’t even think it’s close. Kings are a playin team, at best.
Kings will have to get extremely lucky in the draft. Even then, how much impact do you expect from a rookie? Kings don’t have much in the way of assets.
Holmes(Undersized, one dimensional) Barnes(Nice player, but turning 30)That’s pretty much it. If you package one or two of those players with the pick, what are you expecting?
A game changer. Highly doubtful.
The Kings only and best hope. Fox finally makes that leap. Consistent 3pt shooting and D from day 1 next season. There is no cushion in the West with this team. Kings start out slow again, they’re done.
The Fiery Hot Ragu
Dare I say it, but Donte is going to make up for the loss of Hali. Totally different players, but I think he will be a key part to this team’s success going forward and become a fan favorite. He works so hard. Oh and BTW, Lyle is a keeper too. Dude has a high game IQ and plays as hard as anyone on the floor.
I don’t know what it will cost to retain him, but to basically get him for free may wind up being one of the better deals for this front office. I hope that he’s here next year – would love to see him after he has a chance to be completely healthy and knock off all of the rust.
I would imagine the FO is starting to see him as next year’s starting SG more and more. If that’s the case, $12M-14M/year is probably likely.
I like his game but not sure he’s a starter on a playoff team. I like Donte and Davion as the first guard/wing off the bench.
You mean a championship team like the bucks???
He was not in the Championship run – Playoffs but do see the potential !
Hard to say. He was an energetic brick layer when he first got here. Career-wise, he might be a borderline MLE player? Career .345 from 3 for his career, and I’m not sure that gets it done as it pertains to the Kings’ needs at starting SG next year. He was at 38% the year that he started the entire season for the Bucks, so maybe?
4 year 44M and that’s the final offer. Who says no?
That seems fair, but would also eat up all the remaining cap space with still a massive hole at the 4 spot. Landing the right player in the draft could really help this team. C’mon Keegan!
Because DDV is an RFA, I think that the Kings can exceed the cap to re-sign him? That is, they could use their MLE somewhere else and then still re-sign DDV? I could be 100% wrong about this, of course.
It’s because the Kings have full Bird rights they can exceed the cap to resign DDV. You can have early Bird rights like the Kings did with Terence Davis and have that player be RFA, as well.
The Kings would still have the MLE and the draft. Also, as everyone keeps saying, the Kings don’t have cap space. What they DO have is alot of room between committed salary and the tax line.
I’d say no. That’s a lot of money for a guy who plays above-average defense, but does little else of note. Though, I’d go 4/$24-28, simply because of how terrible most of our players are defensively.
DDV is not your average defensive guy.
Not so sure about that one. His DTRG is fairly mediocre, and he’s allowing his guys to shoot above their season % by a diff of +5, if I’m reading NBA.com correctly. He plays hard though, which is nice to see.
I would imagine that $10M/year is as low as he will get.
What? The guy is a career back up. Hell no.
Started every game for an NBA champ.
Yet got replaced by a young Ted Cruz.
Joke….just a joke.
I think it’s pretty fair to say that our guard rotation is set next year with Fox, Davion, TD and DD. Which one of TD or DD start next to Fox is likely the question but if we can just shore up the wing depth with one high quality FA like Portis or TJ Warren and a good draft pick like Smith, Murray or Griffin then we are solid.
I agree with this, but alot of people don’t.