The Sacramento Kings got reinforcements as Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan returned from back injuries, but it wasn’t enough as the Kings were outplayed by the Los Angeles Clippers Friday night in Los Angeles. The Kings dug a big first-half hole and never recovered, losing 104-88. Some observations from the loss:
Mike Brown, What Are You Doing?
Mike Brown’s challenges have been an ongoing misadventure this season since he became Kings head coach, but this was special. Mike Brown started this game by challenging a call 30 seconds into the game, on a foul call against De’Aaron Fox on the team’s first offensive possession. The challenge was successful, but using a challenge so early in the game to prove a point to the refs felt like such a shortsighted mistake.
Beyond the challenges, Mike Brown was just outcoached in this game. Ty Lue has his team playing their asses off, especially on defense. The Clippers were swarming and disruptive and completely took the Kings out of their game, especially in that first half. As the game continued, Lue regularly used timeouts to stop Kings runs before Sacramento could gain momentum. Mike Brown often decided not to use his timeouts in this way, following a trend from this season. It continued to not work out well for the Kings.
Brown also made some real head-scratching lineup choices in this one. In the first quarter Brown had Doug McDermott guarding James Harden, and it went about as well as you’d expect. McDermott played that 3 minute stretch and that was it for his evening. Colby Jones also had first half minutes, and actually had a solid play or two, but it was such a weird decision. I understand the game was already a mess and Brown was looking for any answer, but that felt like a strange decision nonetheless.
A Brutal First Half
The Sacramento Kings scored 29 first half points. 29. The halftime score was 51-29.
The Kings were sloppy, wish so many careless turnovers. Domantas Sabonis stood out as having some really ugly unforced errors in this one. Maybe it was rust, maybe he just trying to get too cute, maybe he was distracted by the bright blue floor, I don’t know. But it was bad. Sabonis finished the game with 6 turnovers, a blight on an otherwise solid game from Sabonis where he finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and a block.
The Kings played better in the second half, but were never able to overcome that early deficit.
Die By The Three
The Sacramento Kings made just 7 of their 35 three point attempts. The Clippers weren’t much better, shooting 10 for 42 (23.8%), but it’s yet another game the Kings would have won if they had simply shot league-average from beyond the arc.
The perfect microcosm of this game, and the season overall, came at the end of the game. The Kings had fought and clawed back and cut the lead to 8 with 2:45 remaining, with the score at 96-88. De’Aaron Fox got into the paint and fed the ball to a wide open Keegan Murray…who badly missed the 3. The next play Fox again got into the paint, and got the ball to an open Trey Lyles for 3, and he missed. Then Sabonis missed a three. Then Fox found a wide open DeMar DeRozan for 3, and he missed too. Tired of seeing his assists die on the vine, Fox took the next three pointer, and he missed. The final attempt was Sabonis from 3, and he missed again. End of game. That is every shot attempt in the 2:45. After closing the gap to 8 points the Kings never scored again. They were a collective 0-6 for beyond the arc, and that was the game.
Fox was 1-7 from 3, and it seemed like he was forcing them again. Some of that was the deficit, some of it was the Clippers defense, and some of it was that nobody else could make them, but I didn’t like seeing the forced threes from him again. Sabonis and Keegan were both 2 of 5 from deep. DeRozan was 0-5. Lyles was 1-4.
We Need A Shooting Guard Who Can Shoot And Make Shots
Kevin Huerter was scoreless in 29 minutes of playing time, shooting 0-4 from 3 and 0-5 overall. Huerter did have 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, and an assist, but that’s simply not enough production from the guy who is supposedly there to space the floor for the Kings. Last year, when we all agreed Kevin Huerter was in a slump and playing poorly, he was taking 5.3 threes per game and making them at at 36.1% clip. This year Huerter is attempting 6.3 per game and making 29.5%.
This would be a prime opportunity for Keon Ellis to seize the reigns and earn the starting shooting guard role, but he refuses. After his 33-point outing last game, timid Keon came back. In 16 minutes Keon had 1 point, and was 0-3 from the floor and 0-2 from 3. The coaching staff has urged Keon to let it fly, and Keon doesn’t seem ready to. Rarely does a player struggle because they refuse to shoot more.
Hopefully Malik Monk can get healthy soon, but it’s worth remembering that before getting hurt Monk was averaging 27.9% from deep this season.
Master Of None
Let’s talk about Keegan Murray. Keegan finished this one with 10 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. Keegan played very good, but not great, defense in this one (I suspect he’s gotten a little gun shy and is trying to avoid fouls). Keegan contributed in a lot of ways, and the Kings are asking a ton of him in every game this season. But 10 points on 11 shots, and going just 2/5 from 3, it’s just not enough right now. The Kings need Keegan to be hitting shots, especially when he gets wide open looks. I’m not as down on Keegan as some folks seem to be, but the ongoing shooting woes are a major concern. Did he bulk up too much? Is he not in condition to play 40 minutes of hard defense and get his legs into his shots? Is he being thrown off by being guarded by bigger players now that he’s playing more of the 4? I don’t know. But he’s shooting 30.4% on threes this season, and that’s not good enough.
De’Aaron Fox, Still A Stud
Despite the aforementioned struggles from beyond the arc, Fox had another very good game. Fox had 29 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and a steal. He easily could have had double digit assists if teammates had hit shots. Fox was 9 for 13 on two pointers, and went 8 for 10 at the free throw line.
Up Next
The Kings host the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, November 24th at 6:00 PM PT.
In a game where Fox and Domas played close to average games overall and the rest of key players underperformed a loss was earned . Also, the coaching staff outperformed as well . No great teams in the west but a lot of good ones and worry creeping in that Kings may not be among them .
My thoughts:
1) I agree with Greg. Brown got completely out coached last night, and it wasn’t even close. That review call in the first second of the game is jut plain stupid. It doesn’t matter that he won the challenge because it had no bearing on the game. Lue and JVG, on the other hand, have Harden and his band of role players humming on defense. Could Lue and JVG be the best coaching unit in the league?
2) I just mentioned in the other thread, that this collection of players has more talent than any team over the past 20+ years, yet they look average at best. Many things are very off and there is no easy fix.
3) The third best player for the Kings last night was not DeRozan, but Keegan. Sure DeMar scored 6 more points than Keegan, but he did it on 8 more shots, while gong 0-5 from deep, and 4-8 from the FT line.
4) 40 or more minutes for Sabonis, Fox and Keegan. THIS IS NOT SUSTAINABLE
5) Worth mentioning again from the other thread (hat tip to Rik) Kings have had the second easiest schedule so far, but will have the 2nd hardest schedule remaining. Buckle up.
I don’t understand watching guys perform decently while a star is hurt and when that star comes back the decent performer doesn’t see the floor again for weeks. You have to reward good play with minutes. Domas is great. And playing him 40 minutes a night is dangerous. Give Robinson 7 minutes and help him develop some chemistry in the flow of a real game. And if he’s not doing it, Len has proven time and time again he can hold the center spot down. Lyles has been playing decent of late. Huerter is absolutely ineffective when he’s tired and he’s playing extended minutes. Coach’s rotations are super questionable.
I railed against Brown getting a premature extension after last season’s mediocre performance.
He didn’t get outcoached last night. He is what he is. Strategically solid but very inflexible and a really bad tactician.
We made our bed and now we’ll have sleepless nights in it.
Brown has to go. He thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room, and he clearly is not
Brown is stubborn, has his system-players be dammed. It ain’t working. And Monte is gonna have to get players for Browns style but Brown is showing his limitations.
What Brown and staff has done with Keegan is unacceptable. As I said in thread- Brown has broken Keegs. How the fuck can you take away Keegan’s most important quality- 3 ball and turn him into a decent defender who can’t shoot. A joke.
And enough w Kevin Hierter. He’s never good when needed. Could see that in first playoffs. Shoulda been traded years back.
Overall, I don’t think the Kings know what they are doing/there’s a disconnect between coach and GM.
Unless Monte can move guys and get a PF/few wings this looks like a useless team. Average at best, though they have talent.
I do not think Brown needs to be fired. I think Brown needs to make some adjustments that he has not yet been willing to make.
Exactly. Brown does not adjust. This is his biggest issue. He’s stubborn.
He won’t change. The only way out of this would be Monte getting him guys that fit his bullshit system.
He’s so stubborn he’s made Keegan an afterthought. A 4 pick, came into league as a great 3 point shooter and now?
Legitimate question: Have you seen anything in Brown’s tenure, or past, that makes you think he’s willing to change? Lineups only change with injuries it seems under Brown.
Isaac Jones and Orlando Robinson seem to at least warrant a shot when looking for a spark sitting a game when, I don’t know, you score TWENTY NINE first half points. I’d rather see unknowns get a shot then Huerter go 0’fer again or Domas and DDR play 40 minutes each the game after coming back from back injuries, likely caused by overuse. Just seems like a change is in order
Brown just has to be better. He wants his players to make decisions in .5 seconds but he can’t make an adjustment until halftime.
I’m always too low after losses, but it’s hard to believe in the organization after this seasons performance to date. What is our upside here?
The upside is —at least they’re not the Wizards?
This team should be better than they are, so I’m not excusing anything here, but it is worth noting that this is still a .500 team and three years ago we would’ve been pretty happy with that. Things are annoying and frustrating right now, but I try to keep sight of the fact that we’ve got some really good players and are at least a decent team.
Nope. Real teams win 72 games and a championship, Greg. Anything but wins shall not be tolerated.
Being 500 is an improvement over the crap years. But it leaves no shot at getting a high draft pick. So in some ways winning 41 is worse than winning 31.
Team seems to be in mediocre purgatory. 1st round playoff exit is ceiling and 10-14 lottery pick is floor.
Path to getting to the next level is extremely narrow and uphill IMO.
You all can sit back and watch Fox and Sabonis waste their prime years on where they are now. Derosan will be gone in probably 2 more years. In 3 or 4 years Fox and Sabonis will be past their prime. So will Monk and Lyles. OK Monty what are you going to do now? IMO if you just sit back and wait for the draft which if successful only one player per year. This team is good but is not consistent game in and game out. It loses too many games to teams they are supposed to beat.Sure they play close in a lot of games but don’t seem to have the fire to win those games. Lose most of them. IMO the Kings need to make some major changes in the roster and maybe in the coaching. They aren’t going anywhere soon and that is so sad. The whole Kings organization needs to sit down and figure things out. Listen to everyone from players to coaches to top personal and if change needs to change SO BE IT.
Are the Kings in the category of “teams they should beat” when it comes to better teams? Like do other look at Sac and say it’s a team they should beat?
What teams should the Kings beat?
That’s kind of setting the bar low, especially with who is on the roster. I’m not ready to settle for .500 basketball.
Please show me where I said to settle for .500 basketball
Then please explain what you implied by this:
“but it is worth noting that this is still a .500 team and three years ago we would’ve been pretty happy with that”?
My comment was two sentences long. I can’t really help if you’re gonna only focus on the second half of the first sentence.
This team should be better. It’s frustrating. No excuses. But it’s a good frustration to have, because we aren’t that far removed from dreaming of these being our frustration.
No need to get condescending.
I can’t really help it if you follow up the first sentence with the qualifier “but” and then are surprised if some people focus on the ensuing qualifier, but maybe that’s my reading comprehension.
“My comment was long. I can’t help. It’s frustrating. Excuses.”
(It is a joke.)
I feel you Greg. Appreciate your work.
It’s a bit implied in your statement, like Rik pointed out, but I said “I’m not ready to settle for .500 basketball”
I get that this team is better then than the drought years, but I’m just not going to celebrate mediocrity over crap, just because it’s marginally better. I especially don’t want management and ownership to think that we are happy now that we no longer are the laughing stock and are now just a hurdle for good teams.
Well said!
Average is never good or good enough, I want above average to great for any type of consistently positive feedback.
Mismatched pieces. GM and coach who don’t seem to be aligned in how they want to play and who they want.
Is there Vivekery afoot?
Frustrating to watch right now. Can they make moves to get back on track?
Had to rub it in. The clips defense in the first half was a thing of beauty.
Lu has done an amazing job over there. Powell, a 12 yr vet. Playing like an All Star(Didn’t even play this game)
Every single player knowing their
role. So disciplined and impressive.
This is where you see coaching really makes a difference. Van Gundy is A defensive savant.
Just my opinion:
Coach Brown just signed a 3 year/$30M extension. Like him, hate him, either way: he is not going anywhere unless there is a total collapse and failure.
You can define failure any way you like- but this season 16 games in, is not it. Just for historical review: Michael Malone, foolishly not protecting his star player against contracting viral meningitis earned himself dismissal ten years ago (2014-2015) 24 games and an embarrassing woefully underperforming 11-13 record. He has gone on to win some, riding on the coattails of his assistant coaches and his luck that a second round draft pick came through but he is constantly standing out front to claim the credit. Sheesh! That Vivek learns from his mistakes. No, really.
And let’s just say, for the sake of argument, and the dampness that rainy days bring, that Mike Brown gets the pink slip. Vivek replaces him with …
A)
Ty CorbinJay TrianoB) Ty Corbin
C)
Doc RiversMark JacksonD) Becky Hammon, Mike D’Antoni, Monty Williams and Adrian Griffin
E) name your poison
Not only would that likely tank the season, as it provides an excuse to tank the season (Drag for Flagg, Race for Ace), it loudly echoes the Kangzian character that the players, players agents, coaches, coaches agents, media, fans and memes across the interwebs have about Northern California’s other NBA franchise. Rudderless and not a professional organization that display any semblance of competence.
In regards to Mike Brown leaving the Kings in the next two (this and next) seasons: Not going anywhere.Cement, Super Glue. Petrified (not Petrie-fied) in place.
That kite won’t fly. That ship can be full sailed but won’t leave harbor. That dog can bark, howl and bay at the moon – but it remains on the leash.
How about a trade?
Can coaches be traded?
Wasn’t Doc Rivers traded from the Celtics to the Clippers?
I believe so. Not sure if that is still able to happen in 2024.
Agreed don’t see Brown going anywhere. Even if this team doesn’t make the playoffs. Right now it doesn’t look good. Pieces don’t fit, spacing is poor,’horrible 3 pt defense, no length and limited athleticism. If team can’t outshoot the opponent. Right now their offense is not that great either.
Mediocrity is what they are right now. Not a contender by any means. Not even sure they can win a playin. Even with a full roster.
Limited assets to make moves. No real cap room to chase a core piece
Unless Monte has an epiphany to move one or more of Keeg, Fox and Boner.
This team’s ceiling is not very high.
The Spurs and Blazers may not be as talented on paper as the Kings right now.
Both teams will probably surpass the Kings as early as next year.
Unless the Kings realize they need to make wholesale changes. Signing a 35 yr old to a 3 year deal doesn’t change this teams future success.
There is one asst that all of teams will be looking at. Chris Quinn asst to Spoles in Miami. He also coached under Pop.
He will certainly be in high demand very soon.
Jerry Stackhoise with the Dubs is another big name. Looking at the job he’s doing there.
Hope he’s available should Coach Brown exit, in 3 or more seasons from now.
And why would this highly sought after coaching prospect want to be a part of Vibek Ranadive’s Sacramento Kings organization as opposed to other offers and attractions?
Social media comments had me rolling after 29 at the half, Kangz have returned ouch. Can’t say I’m not used to it. Hard for me to pinpoint the worst of it at this point, so many problems. Monte has failed on roster last 2 years and MB went from good to bad to ugly as a coach, no idea why. Our talent seems overrated to me, we lack depth and our stars are the type of stars that can put up nice-looking numbers but it’s a lot of empty stats for me, especially Sabonis. There’s a huge difference between numbers and being a winner, ask Draymond. We need a couple nasty guys and more defense, maybe some length/size. I don’t even know at this point but I’m praying this will be a bottom for these guys to wake up, not sure it will be though.
This season is a gross disappointment thus far, and I for one am ready for real change to this organization. The standard is winning, and if you can’t manage that then none of it matters. I’m not attached to any coaches or players, and will be fine with whatever moves need to be made at this point. It’s time for this GM to earn his paycheck.
I’ll never hope to tank but if there were a year for us to be bad, this would be the one.
Way too early draft talk but that kid from BYU would be something on this team at shooting guard. Egor Demin should be getting talked about a lot more
It’s still early in the season but our offense just seems clunky. Obviously missing monk and our big 3 have missed games so it’s still wait and see but it’s hard to watch some games. Fox and Domas come to play but the rest of our team is the island of misfit toys
The west is a scary place man.
Jazz just beat the knicks.
Spurs just beat the dubs.
You look down the standings and you see us in 12th, with the spurs pels and jazz all breathing down Coach Browns neck.
Damn. Anyone of our top 3 players gets injured for a prolonged period of time and I see us falling to 15th easily with our “brand” of basketball.
Do we even have a brand besides iso fox? Sheesh.
That Pels team is better than the Kings, they just been hurt basically all season.
The only fully healthy teams in the West I can confidently say the Kings are better than are the Blazers and Jazz. That’s it.
Cold World
And when they get healthy and we start free falling down the standings, browns seat is about to get really hot, real fast.
Like, De’arron fox fast.
ISO Fox is impressive to see. ISO Fox has not led to wins at any point in his well defined career. They have put great players around Fox. These great players have changed the direction of this organization. Fox needs to figure out how to be a TEAM leader. Use his skills to add to the skills of others. Brown needs to build a system he can do that in.
We are ten games into a season but also three years into a bad bench and an obvious need for a big. The ten game vs. twenty game time to panic is meaningless. This is not anything new.
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