At this stage of the Western Conference playoff race, every game is a big game. But when you consider the fact that the Kings have one of toughest remaining schedules, you simply have to win your most winnable games, and this was one of them. The New York Knicks are a good team, and they’ve played well at home all year, but they’re also missing Julius Randle and OG Anunoby. On top of that, the Kings are scheduled to play in Boston on the second night of a back-to-back tomorrow, so it’s not getting easier.
The Kings needed this one, badly, and they blew it in frustratingly familiar fashion. Let’s discuss:
The Beam Team played nearly perfect Kings basketball in the first quarter. We’ve talked about it all year, but a huge indicator of success for this squad is the 3-point shot, and they poured it on the Knicks early. They shot 52% from three in the first half. De’Aaron Fox was hot, Keon Ellis was scorching, and Davion Mitchell’s bench production would have made Malik Monk proud. Sacramento jumped out to an early 21-point lead.
The Kings cooled off midway through the 2nd quarter, and I’ll give the Knicks defense credit here. They smothered the ball with Fox on the bench, and forced the Kings into some bad passes while Jalen Brunson got his offense going. The Kings tried everyone on Brunson, and it really didn’t matter. Unfortunately he appears like one of those players that is just going to score a shit ton of points against the Kings anytime they play. He’s not the first and won’t be the last.
The Knicks gained all the momentum during this stretch, erased most of the Kings lead, but Sacramento didn’t fold (yet). Fox checked back in with about 5 minutes left in the first half, the offense settled back down, Keegan Murray hit a few big shots, and the Kings ultimately carried a 60-52 lead into the half. Crisis momentarily averted.
The 3rd quarter got increasingly nerve-wracking. Turnovers and fouls started to really pile up. Keegan Murray picked up his 5th foul. Keon Ellis picked up his 4th foul. Brunson was getting every call, and yeah, the officiating wasn’t great tonight, but I can’t pretend like the Knicks didn’t play with considerably more force and physicality. The Knicks attacked the rim repeatedly, and the officials rewarded them for it.
Donte DiVincenzo found his outside shot here, too. Both the MSG crowd and the Knicks were feeling themselves, and momentum was not on the Kings’ side, but a massive (and difficult) De’Aaron Fox three tied the score at 89-89 to close the quarter. Into the 4th we go.
And that is where it all fell apart. This game had been teetering on disaster for 2.5 quarters and the deathly combination of Jalen Brunson repeatedly owning Sacramento’s defense, Josh Hart’s shotmaking, frustrating officiating, foul trouble, and ice-cold Kings shooting resulted in a dominant 4th quarter for the Knicks. Immensely frustrating stuff here. What was once a close game turned into a 120-109 breezy Knicks win.
In a two minute stretch with the game still in reach, Sacramento went 0-6 from three on nearly consecutive possessions and it really highlighted how dangerous their reliance on 3-point shooting can be. Instead of attacking the rim, instead of trying to slow the momentum of the game down and get to the line, they just kept chucking.
I’m almost done here, but we’ve got to talk about Harrison Barnes. Damn. The Kings veteran played just 12 minutes, turned the ball over 3 times, shot 0-2 from the field, 0-1 from three, and scored 0 points. An average game from Barnes, and maybe the result tonight would have been different. This was a total no-show.
One more thing: the free throw shooting. Good Lord. The Kings shot just 7-12 from the free throw line. The Knicks shot 20-29. I can’t decide if I’m more frustrated by the fact that they only shot 12 free throws, or that they only made 7 of them. Either way, bad news.
Alright, end rant. Good luck to the Kings in Boston tomorrow night.
A stunning game. Or should I say I’m stunned? Went from a 21 point lead to an 11 point loss. Wow.
Knicks played with fire and the Kings did not.
Kings also played with fire, just differently.
When the going got tough the Kings folded again. For NY when the going got tough Brunson Hart and Devincenso got going. IMO at least last night when they really needed it they had no fire no will or desire to want this game. Only Fox wanted it. Sabonis although he had a DD was not up to the task. Barnes was the biggest disapointment of all. What a waste. First quarter was really good but said to my wife just wait and see. It will happen and it did. You can almost count on it. They folded. Monty needs to make some changes or next year will be the same or worse. Even if they make the playin they IMO aren’t going anywhere. Very frustrating. A bright spot is the Stockton Kings are going to the finals. GO STOCKTON! PS I still love the Kings with all my heart.
Keep grasping at hope that Kings can get back the 5-6 spot then they lay a stinker like this. Sucks to have to hope for 7-8 knowing 9-10 is very real.
Welp, see you in the play-in! The only thing to decide now is whether it’s going to be 8,9 or 10. We’ll be tied with the Lakers after tomorrow’s loss to the Celtics. Sigh…
The chance to grab the 6th seed went down dramatically after the two losses to Dallas and losing Monk. “Mathematically” they could still try to get it, but the chances of the Kings going on a massive winning streak and then the other teams losing a lot of their games was also a longshot. Now it’s a matter of fighting just to hold the 8th spot. The Lakers and Warriors are literally right behind us.
Yep that’s kind of where we’re at. The Kings have had chances but just haven’t been able to capitalize. At this point I just really have a hard time seeing us get out of the play-in. Which really sucks given the pick protections.
The Kings are 1 game back from 6th, with games against the Suns (currently 6th) and the Pelicans (currently 7th). All three teams have tough remaining schedules. Literally nothing is settled and the 6th is absolutely within reach.
Well, “mathematically” (in a technical sense) they can still get the 6th, but they are literally also half a game back from falling to 9th. They are running out of games to play and they don’t have an easy schedule either. And the Pelicans have whooped the Kings all year, and the Phoenix game is a third game in four nights coming back from a long road trip (and this isn’t even including tomorrow’s game against Boston which in all likely hood is a schedule loss). The Kings have been inconsistent most of the year, and in order to grab the sixth we would need to win a good majority of the games we have left (four of which are good teams), and hope that the other teams lose a majority of their games.
If they grab the 6th seed, I will gladly eat crow, but given their history and how tough the rest of the schedule is, I still think there is more of a chance the 6th seed will be harder to get then it looks on paper. Which is why I’m not really setting my expectations high for where they ultimately end up.
After last night’s loss our chances for the 6th seed seem no better than a flickering ember. However, there is still hope in that the Suns still have a more difficult remaining schedule than we do and the Pelicans are struggling without Brandon Ingram.
The most recent update on Ingram estimates his return for April 12, the night after our game with the Pels when they have a SEGABABA with the Dubs.
Meanwhile, the L****s, per Tankathon, have a slightly harder SOS than ours—theirs is 5th, ours is 6th.
You just can’t let someone else do your bidding. You have to do it yourself.
But if we don’t at least believe it can be done, it won’t get done.
I agree but it’s not up to us.
I completely disagree. The Kings are losing tonight so they won’t be 1 game back of 6th. They also are less talented than the teams above them in the standings and I have very little faith they’ll be winning many games from here on out. They are more likely to finish 10th than they are to finish 6th.
2 games out of the 10th spot and a do-or-die game at the Chase Center. Thankfully the Warriors are terrible at home.
This team is boring to watch this year and overall a is slightly better than average team.
Looks like the play-in with no chance of winning a playoff series.
The core is written in stone with Fox and Ox on their respective contracts. I see a high floor low ceiling team the next few years.
i guess it beats sucking for a decade and a half.
Fox and Ox, both career years with Ox having a historical year and this team is a 45 win team. That high floor is somehow still very low
Those two don’t translate to playoff bball. The regular season accolades are great, but I just don’t see a team with Fox n Ox as it’s two best players causing damage in the playoffs, especially Domas.
MM seems infatuated with ground bound unathletic players (Domas, Sasha, Davion, HB, KM). An unathletic core that lacks length is getting you nowhere when it matters.
I’ve felt uneasy since the day MM traded for Sabonis. Not nervous about Sabonis coming in but rather the player going out. Sabonis’s double double streak felt a lot like Russell Westbrook’s triple double season. Empty
Trade him and let’s get back to 25 wins a year . Great plan
Sarcasm aside, he’s probably untradeable once his deal kicks in. So we’re riding this 45 win team for the next 5 years. Better plan I guess
Embid and Jokic aren’t walking thru that door . Again what is your solution . You must like 25 win teams since that is what you had for most of 16 years .
I like teams that are smart with their assets that leads to contention. We might be 3 years away from being a 25 win team again. The only solution in my opinion is hope and pray that Keegan is better than Domas sooner rather than later.
And with Russ and Domas you have the parallel of their games not translating in the playoffs. Russ never did sh@t in the playoffs in terms of winning once KD left.
Circling back to the Domas trade, like you I didn’t like it at the time and I still don’t. Hali is just a better and most importantly more impactful player. Pacers will make a deep playoff run sooner than we will imo.
Russ is a HOFer, so if we’re charting out the same career arc for Sabonis, I’m strangely comfortable with it.
I always chuckle when the shortcomings of a team are pointed at their very best players, especially when those players are at least in consideration for all-star (24 slots) or all-NBA (15 slots) consideration.
I could not disagree more strongly with those that posit that Sabonis’ season was somehow empty calories or boring. Charlotte. Brooklyn. Atlanta. That is the level of team that we are watching without Domantas Sabonis.
The guy plays the game hard, he plays it right, he plays it well. If that’s not enough for a Kings fan after all of the dreck that we have had to watch for the 15 years prior to his arrival, I don’t know what to say.
And for what it’s worth, Sabonis has logged almost 700 more minutes than Haliburton this year, after logging almost 900 more minutes last year, one-handed! For all the caterwauling that still rages on over that trade, what seems to always be conveniently overlooked is the fact that Sabonis is on the actual floor making an actual difference far more than is Haliburton. Take the 158 games that the Kings have played over the past two seasons and divide that into Sabonis’ 5,457 minutes and you get a guy that prorates out to 34.5 minutes per scheduled game. Do the same with Haliburton (159 games / 3,946 minutes) and you get 24.8 minutes per game. Is Haliburton more impactful in 25 minutes than Sabonis is in 35 minutes? I think not. I mean, Sabonis is basically playing almost 40% more basketball than Hali. That is a huge factor, in my humble opinion.
The Kings had a better record than the Pacers last year. They have a better record this year. And the Kings play the tougher (WC) schedule. Hali has the better highlights, so I guess if we are making the determination based on 7 second video clips, it’s Hali and it’s not close. But for me? I have enjoyed watching Sabonis immensely this season, one of the truly great seasons by a Sacramento Kings player ever.
If the Pacers advance it will be due to key factors like playing in the East and the addition of Siakam , with Hali third on that list .
Yep. The issue here is roster construction. The roster lacks depth and length on the wing, especially defensively. And if the current version of Murray (or Monk) is your 3rd best player, you are lagging behind the league’s elite.
I see the Kings as Nuggets-lite, and I mean that in a good way:
Jokic – Sabonis
Murray – Fox
MPJ – Murray
KCP – Ellis/Huerter
Gordon – Whoopsies
–
Jackson – Monk
Put Aaron Gordon on this roster for Barnes and I think you’re a 50+ win team.
On a night in, night out basis, it’s not about Sabonis. And it’s not really about Fox (and I’m not saying that there isn’t room for growth or improvement from them, because there always is). When we talk about them tweaking their games, a lot of it has to do with the shortcomings of the rest of the roster.
The good news is that you’re not talking about a major renovation of the roster. You’re talking about shoring up the wing with some more length and athleticism, especially defensively. The bad news is that even that singular change will be much easier said than done.
which kind of player would be ideal in that slot? A big wing defender that complements Keegan or a stretch 5 that complements Sabonis?
as for Aaron Gordon, it might not be a bad idea to develop Slawson for that role.
Bobby Portis.
I look at guys like Mikal Bridges and Jerami Grant because, you know, talent! But they probably aren’t coming through that door. I’m not enamored of Kyle Kuzma, but he does give you a guy that can create on his own when the shot clock is winding down.
Naz Reid could be a sneaky good fit, and the Wolves are going to have some tax issues. However, I could see them trying to move KAT and his contract instead if Minny flames out in the playoffs. I think that John Collins could have a bit of a resurgence here. Herb Jones, though you’re not getting him at his value contract.
Even guys like Saddiq Bey or Aaron Nesmith give you bench depth that is currently missing, but they aren’t exactly big needle movers. Royce O’Neale is a UFA that wouldn’t break the bank, as is Cedi Osman. Tobias Harris is probably too expensive.
We need 2 players not 1. One to play SG and the other ar PF. Murray goes to the SFa spot where he shold be. I have some ideas but not until the season is over. Bridges I like but would cost the Kings way too much. Grant and Kuzma don’t interest me. Kuzma doesn’t want to be a King and Grant costs way too much for what he would produce. Bey and Nesmith would compliment the bench but O’Neale is too old.
100% agree with this comment. It’s not unique to this forum, but when things don’t go as planned fans tend to blame it on on their best players(which for us is Sabonis and Fox). Again–not unique to here, the Kings, or even this sport. Maybe it’s because they are paid the most? I don’t know.
Sabonis and Fox are paid to win the games they are supposed to win and they didn’t do that this year. Now granted, they did steal a few that they shouldn’t have but bottom line is they lost the games they should’ve won and that’s the season.
So when Steph Curry is basically the same player but the cast around him changes, is he singularly responsible for the team’s record?
I love Sabonis but he SHOULD be better than Hali but a few years from now- not sure how his game ages without a reliable middy. I still think this team is better than the Pacers RIGHT NOW but there isn’t much room to grow other than Keegan becoming a capital S star. I can love Sabonis AND not like the trade but as currently constructed with a few tweaks, I don’t see many more moves than can get you more than 5 wins a game.
Important to note that Hali’s new contract kicks in next year, and over the next four years he will make only 5, 7, 7, and 7m less than Sabonis. Indy does have $46m more in cap space than Sac next year, but they have not paid Siakam or Toppin yet.
Not sure how this team is better with Hali instead of Sabonis. You weren’t going to a ton for Fox at the time of that trade, and Fox and Hali had already shown that they could not really be effective together. So you trade Fox for middling pick or two, you don’t get Sabonis, you ride to another one or two sub-30 win seasons, you fire the front office and hit the reset button yet again. Yummy!
I think that there is long standing evidence that the elite free agents are not coming to Sacramento. That leaves the draft and trades. I’m not sure how the Kings could have charted a better path that would have taken them from the shitter to today. And this is coming from someone that didn’t want to trade Hali (but acknowledged at the time of the trade that people were sleeping on Domas).
I’m disappointed that we did not win 50 games this year, but I’m not ready to throw out the baby with the bathwater, nor am I ready to bemoan a trade that was made over two years that fundamentally and simultaneously vastly improved two franchises. Your mileage may vary.
IMO if we hadn’t traded for Sabonis we are not where we are today. IMO we need just 2 good players and 1 good free agent if Monk walks.
Because they added Siakam and he would have made Kings much better as well . Actually, Siakam has been better than Hali since the trade, in case you have watched the Pacers .
I disagree. Fox and Sabonis and possibly Murray are a good core. What needs to happen and I hope it does is Monty needs to go all out with all of the other players and as much first and second rounders as possible and bring in as much talent as he can to surround those 3 players. Maybe keep Ellis but he might be a good trade chip. If Monk doesn’t stay that is also a problem. I’m sorry but Barnes and Huerter as starters just doesn’t cut it. Other than Monk and possibly Ellis the bench is terrible. I don’t know what Monty can do but I hope something. I have some ideas but will wait until the season is over.
Agree, as we saw teams like Dallas, Phoenix and especially Indiana get better at deadline . Kings didn’t and injuries decimated a thin roster .
Sabonis is having a career year but like last night needed to do more. I thought he would step up but it didn’t happen.
Knicks flat out punched the Kings in the mouth in this one. They continually drove to they paint and out muscled the Kings. Meanwhile, our team settled for three after three in the second half. When Fox shoots that many threes, it doesn’t matter if if makes a fair chunk of them because the offense goes to shit. Kings were outscored 60-40 in the paint. Game over.
Bingo!
People complaining about the the FT-disparity can’t ignore the fact that we settled for 42 threes, 14 (!) more from behind the arch than NY. Good luck getting free throws that way.
Also, I am starting to get the impression that Keon is really good at deflecting passes and poking the ball away, but he is not that good at just staying in front of his players. He’s even masking it by recovering and bothering shots from behind and the side, but he seems to get burned at the PoA repeatedly.
I would have liked to see Len a bit more, even alongside Sabonis. Once we couldn’t outscore them from outside anymore, we had to match their length and physicality. Maybe I am overly critical but I’m just not seeing enough succesful ingame adjustments by Brown.
And-one;
I really hate how the Kings give up many and-one’s. When a guy goes almost unimpeded to the basket and there’s that halfhearted, last second swipe or little shove.
Either commit fully and make sure that whatever happens, he doesn’t score or at least gets to feel it, or just take the lost points and avoid the foul.
As a coach I never would just let the other players score, Maybe if its Fox’s last foul, but put them on the foul line. They at least have to earn those points.
I’m sorry but IMO Brown needs to take some responsibility for what is happening out there. As I said above other that Fox, Sabonis and maybe Murray and the loss of Monk he just doesn’t have much to work with. And if we lose Jordi next year that in itself will be a great loss.
From the 10:32 mark in the 4th all the way to 5:47 the Kings took 8 straight 3pt attempts. They made the first two but then proceeded to miss the next 6. Why isn’t Brown making some adjustments?
I don’t know. You tell me.
I just watched MB’s post-game presser. He emphasized several times that he was disappointed that we passed up too many open threes. He thought we should shot at least 50 threes!
Well, that’s why he gets paid big bucks to coach the Kings and why I give free and useless advice on TKH.
For those who wonder why Fox is shooting so many threes instead of driving to the basket, listening to this MB presser provides an answer. MB criticizes his players (though not necessarily Fox in this case) for passing up threes to drive past closing defenders.
Here’s a link:
And instead of losing by 10 we lose by 20.
What a joke. Browns O does not suit these players. He keeps saying the same shit and it’s not working.
Why they didn’t install 1/2 court sets or get more players that fit this system is beyond me.
And doing things like having Fox Shootin, million threes because he’s taking it to the bucket where his strength is is stupid. Again, this season is frustrating and I’m concerned about the future of this team
All the Kings are very likeable players but that doesn’t give you much of a chance to succeed. As much as I personally like all the players professional basketball is a business and needs to be taken as such. IMO you can’t root for all your favorite players and win a championsip with what you have now. Your choice or Monty’s. Who do you want?
The Kings are missing a player or two that have that “dog” in them. The Knicks have their Villanova three that all share that trait. Those are 3 tough dudes that punch above their weight.
2 players IMO would do it. They have to be starters.
hey- only 15 more years after this one and we can tie our record playoff drought (assuming we’re one-and-done in the play-in)
The Kings cannot be one-and-done in the play-in unless they fall to the 9th seed.
They’re going to be tied with the Lakers after tonight Greg.
But the Kings own the tiebreaker, so technically still a game up.
I don’t like watching Brunson play either. He just barrels through people. I feel like half of the calls against Ellis where just Brunson running him over. He’d really good at creating separation with his shoulders and elbows, and he’s tough as nails, but the league’s trend of favoring offensive players really helps his game.
If Brunson would bounce off people to spill on the floor constantly, arms flailing, would it be more palatable? His ball control, body control and craftiness are pretty impressive. And he works on D too.
I always ask myself; if he was on my team, would I root for him?
I would definitely root for guys like Brunson and Luka, not so much for guys Harden and Draymond. Dillon Brooks is a bit more complex. I don’t know.
Brunson better than any King and serious MVP candidate . Wish we had some ugly like that .
Guess I’m in the minority as I enjoy Brunson’s game, it’s amazing a guy that short and unathletic can be as good as he is, reminds me a little of IT that year he had in Boston.
Surprised MB didn’t go away from blitzing Brunson. Wasn’t working after the 1st. Didn’t stop Brunson from scoring, the ball easily got to the paint for those spray 3s, and Hart killed us in the paint.
Yeah, that didn’t work at all.
I disagree. I love watching Brunson play basketball. He knows who he is and what he has to do. And most of the time he does it. I’d take him on my team anyday. As a side note All 3 players Brunson, Hart and Divencenso all came from Villanova. My second favorite college team during Wright’s era. Does that say something you bet. I wanted Jat Wright as our coach 2 years ago. Nothing against Brown just my choice. If you ever get a chance to read his book I highly recommend it.
Great point and interesting how all three Villanova players improved greatly playing for Thibs ?
Play-In here we come!
With current standings, 7,8,9 or 10, you’d get either the Pelicans, L*kers or Warriors!
Awesome! Just the teams you’d want to face in a potential one game play-in!
I don’t know why I keep using exclamation points! Maybe it is my subconscious way of trying to garner excitement for a one game play in at Chase Center or Crypto!
The Kings did nothing to improve upon their inability to play playoff winning ball since last year. . They have a team and coach bad at it.
And honestly, I don’t really give a shit about regular season success-that goes for the team and individual players success. I want a team, coach, players built for playoff style. IE-Knicks. Heat. Doesn’t matter that it’s boring- it’s winning.
(I know you have to win enough regular season to be in playoffs)
It’s been a frustrating season to watch because it’s the a March to playoff loss/or no playoffs.
They’d better make some changes next year or this ship is sunk.
As of now, if the team is bounced in the play in, the first question to study is Fox’s first two months in comparison to the rest of his year. Obviously inconsistent motor is part of it, but the team and Fox need to do a better job handling it. I thought he was actually headed for an efficient game, until the 4th quarter hit and he has not replicated his heroics last year in the clutch to say the least for the 11-26, 1 free throw stat line
“Imprint”, it was inconsistent from his first SL, and thats why I noted it, its tiger stripes
Another day in the office…
Villanova 3 to good and tough for the Kings . Spraying the ball is not a consistent offense . On to Boston
I didn’t get to watch this one- late work day,
Looking at the stat line it’s difficult to ignore the 17 FTA difference.
The second half was Knicks 68 Kings 49.
Kings with 6 players with 25+ minutes. All negative +/-. Fox Sabonis Murray all at -20. Turnovers Sac 16 NYK 11
At least, it’s nice to see another double double from Domas.
Next.
This has been such a puzzling NBA season. That Kawhi-less Clippers team that we handled so easily a couple nights ago just beat the Nuggets ( who were without Jamal Murray). The Nuggets led by 17 pts in the first quarter.
I don’t like that the league encouraged the refs to call less fouls, or ref the game differently, mid-season. The players had been used to the way the game was called for 50-55 games, then overnight it changed.
Wait until the offseason and make the changes to what is going to be called. Bad move by the league to do it mid-season.
Larry and Susie were at the game
Kings beat Warriors for spot in Western Conference finals!
Stockton Kings over the Santa Cruz Warriors that is.
GO KINGS!!
That game was the full spectrum of the Kings/Kangz experience.
Playing with energy, speed and intensity and raining open 3s in the first quarter to getting pushed around, committing the softest fouls possible and jacking and clanking 3s without running any offense in the fourth quarter.
That is their season in a nutshell.
Is Barnes going to disappear again in the next game at Boston ?
How can he be that ineffective, and not helping the team in any way….
We need him to shoot some shots, and his ability to draw fouls….
I am really disapointted about him in this game…
When a starter does nothing than that is problem number 1 in finding blame for loss . Zero in minutes played on both ends .
This is why and I think Adamsite might agree that both Huerter and Barnes should not be starters next year for the Kings. Monty can do better. Barnes at least has given the Kings a good ride but the bus has to stop here.
Give the guy his due!
He had 3 TOs!!!
This team is pretty predictable at this point actually, they’re good enough to hang with a tough NY team most of the game but were not going to be favored in this game. We have some injuries now too and this season is not finishing great but injuries had to happen eventually. This team was definitely not built to make a deep run. The people who come on here and whine all the time are the ones that give Kings fans a bad name, yes it’s cool to have a chip on your shoulder from all the crappy years and disrespect but this team is pretty good and still has the potential to improve the next few years. For this year I’m just hoping we get to eliminate the Lakers or Dubs and have a fun first round series which we are basically guaranteed to lose.
Sasha should be more aggressive when he comes off the bench. He’s on the team for his shooting and offense. If he’s not gunning or making plays, there’s no reason to put him on the court. that airball three from the corner … come on now.
If he is fearless in his limited minutes, that will affect the rest of the team in a positive way. If there’s even a smidgen of doubt, forget it.
Look at all the threes he shot last night along with a lot of others. 28% doesn’t hack it. This has happened more than not over the year. Very disappointing.
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