A call to all tank enthusiasts out there: are you having fun yet? It doesn’t get much tank-ier than this. If a 49-point loss to an injured Utah Jazz team isn’t enough for you, then you are impossible to please! Whether you are pro- or anti-tank, we have now come upon a game that erases this divide and unites us all. No matter how dire the situation, we can all agree that a day where the Sacramento Kings beat the Los Angeles Lakers is a damn good day. And, in finding the thinnest of silver linings, a day where they don’t just puts more fuel in the tank to get us to lottery day. So let’s see how they did:
Quick Stats
Outcome: Kings win, 110-106
Sacramento Kings: 110 PTS, 45.3% FG, 36.4% 3 PT, 90.9% FT, 29 AST, 17 TO
Los Angeles Lakers: 106 PTS, 50.6% FG, 25.0% 3 PT, 71.4% FT, 24 AST, 21 TO
It’s a damn good day!!! I don’t care what anyone says – there is still a deep rivalry between these two teams, even if it only resides in the darkest crevice of my own heart. The Kings finished with seven players in double digits and held LeBron James to 16 points to make my Friday night one to celebrate.
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
The Good:
- The BIGS: Richaun Holmes. Chimezie Metu. Damian Jones. I want to take all of their collective energy, somehow infuse it into some of Morgan Ragan’s crystals, and pack those into every locker room the Kings walk into. We are used to Richaun leaving his heart on the floor every night – he finished with 22 points and nine rebounds. Chimezie left the game after a scary fall in the second quarter, but spent his 13 minutes venting out his frustrations from Wednesday’s loss. From the start, Chimezie looked confident, aggressive, and undeterred by his matchup against Anthony Davis. He finished with 10 points and one big put back slam that we’ve all come to love from him. Damian brought even more fearless energy as he tried to murder everyone who got in his way when attacking the rim. He was also active on the offensive board, staying active and getting tips to get the Kings extra possessions. Marvin Bagley III also contributed an efficient 11 points in his first game back. The bigs came up big in body, energy, and physicality for the Kings tonight.
- Hali + Holmes Hype: The two-man game between Tyrese Haliburton and Richaun Holmes is my favorite movie and I could watch it on an endless loop for the rest of my life. Tyrese is so exceptionally crafty at finding his bigs on penetrations, often sending lobs up across his body. Tonight, Richaun was on the receiving end of a handful of these lobs and as usual, finished the play with an emphatic slam or athletic lay-in. This combo play was the go-to offense down the stretch for the Kings and was just enough to secure them the W.
- Embracing the Flames: After spending a long Wednesday night burning in basketball hell, the Kings could have easily smoldered. Instead, they embraced the flames and used this fire to fuel them to a win tonight. Despite various mistakes and trailing for most of the game, the Kings never quit. They fought their way back and it felt pretty damn good to NOT be the team looking visibly deflated and giving up on plays.
The Bad:
- Comparison is the Thief of Joy: When it mattered most, the Kings came up with some big defensive stops. They deserve credit for that. But through the middle stretch of the game, it was hard not to compare the defensive differences between these two teams. The Lakers disrupted the Kings’ offense by being both positionally sound and scrappy as they forced the Kings into 17 turnovers. On the other hand, the Kings still showed a consistent lack of defensive awareness and rotation, often gifting the Lakers open rolls right to the rim.
The Ugly:
- First Quarter Closeout: Like we’ve seen so many times before, the Kings came out surprisingly well. Matched with the fact that the Lakers came out unusually sluggish, the Kings managed to gain a 15-point lead with one minute remaining in the quarter. However, LeBron James decided he wasn’t getting embarrassed in his first game back and the Kings laid out the carpet for him to cut this lead in half in the final 60 seconds of the quarter. In the blink of an eye, the Kings transformed what felt like an impressive defensive quarter into just a seven-point lead and a momentum swing in the Lakers’ favor. Their inability to close out the final minute tainted their best quarter with an ugly ending.
The King of Kings
For the first time in a long time, this was a hard pick. A lot of guys did a lot of good things tonight. Delon Wright and Terence Davis hit some big shots off the bench and Damian Jones brought a contagious energy every time he was on the court. But I would be remiss if I didn’t give this crown to Tyrese Haliburton. Logging another double-double (23 points, 10 assists), Tyrese has continued to surpass every expectation of him. He hit 4-8 from deep (even though the shot wouldn’t translate) and was the key playmaker throughout the game. He was even given the respect of full-court denial by Dennis Schroder in the fourth quarter where he still managed to cash in on four points and three assists.
Up Next
Sunday, May 2nd @ Dallas Mavericks – 5:00 P.M. (PT)
Worth it.
Welcome back, LeBron!
…Somebody better put you back into your place
WE WILL WE WILL ROCK YOU

Tyrese Haliburton is great and I almost hope he leaves so we get to watch him in the playoffs someday.
Stow the attitude bro, Hali is gonna grow and flourish for whatever team he plays for. If nothing else he has grown and improved despite Walton. He is only going to get better and for once in some part of a decade we have drafted a player who doesn’t require me to squint too hard to see Hali as a significant part of the Kings future, However you want to cut it tonight was a good if not perfect win.
Downvoted for using “bro” unironically.
I say bro with my close friends. To me, it’s like a masculine term of endearment.
This explains why the other loopers look at me funny when I call them sweetcakes.
I say bro with the hopes of your disapproval of me for eternity. But I probably already have that anyway so I say it cuz I’m a Cali kid and you Midwestern people can toddle back to your cold and humidity any time you like.
key word… Almost
Ding ding ding!
This is bad
Nah bro. You trippin. You leave. He stays.
Honestly guys and gals… We should just enjoy this one win regardless of the situation, scenario or preference you usually visit this site with. I have been so deflated and bitter these last several weeks. Winning this game, on the back of Burt, against those shit bags in yellow feels great and I’m going to enjoy this all so fleeting moment. Please, join me.
tomorrow we can all be mad again win or lose because both outcomes suck. Today though… today we absorb and appreciate this odd feeling that some NBA fans call joy.
I hope Metu is allright.
Also, despite his bad shooting night I thought Buddy moved the ball well this game.
Tyrese was great but had a stretch were he had like 3 TO’s in a stretch of 5 or 6 plays and looked rattled. But he bounced back in a good way.
Luke just lost by 50 on his home court 2 days ago. I don’t think everyone has forgotten that. If Walton is here next year it has everything to do with Vivek being broke and literally nothing else.
God I hope you’re right!
Bring back Morgan Ragan! She was awesome, especially considering it was her first time hosting!
Dance like you’re at the Farm to Fork Fest humans!
Look at Holmes barking at Bagley………
(Bagley had no idea who should he be guarding underneath the basket)
Bagley is just like BenMac, below average BBIQ and basketball sense will limited them…
BenMac – 15 mins and 3 TOs ; Bagley 21 mins and 3 TOs…..
I hope McNair can find another team to trade Bagley away, maybe Bagley for K. Hayes ? (not S. Bey this time)
Dude has no clue. Maybe he should have been with the team learning the defensive rotations for the past few months he was out?
It looks to me like Holmes was barking at Buddy who was initially between Drummond and the basket but turned him loose.
Agreed. A new coach may be able to get more out of Bagley on the defensive end of the court, but Buddy is close to a lost cause.
No way. Exact opposite.
Both Buddy & Bagley need to go. Anywhere.
Yeah, I think he was barking at Buddy too. Both Buddy and Bagley screwed up, but Buddy was worse. He flat out quit guarding his man, while Bagley was over there guarding no one. I appreciate that Richaun wants them doing the right thing and it’s going to be disappointing if the team can’t manage to move some salary to keep him here.
I don’t care who Holmes was barking at, I’m just happy he expects these guys to be accountable for their actions whomever he was barking at (most likely Buddy).
he was actually yelling at me. I had courtside seats and I yelled “can I get a hell yeah?”
You aren’t important enough to bark at, Rory. FYI.
Looks definitely like barking at Bags. Can see by Buddy’s lack of reaction and where Holmes is looking if you now it up. Plus, didn’t see Holmes Bark at Buddy when Bags was put las weeks.
Either way, it just shows
1-Bags is a terrible defender
2-He hasn’t improved and he won’t. Exhibit A-Buddy. Barely improved on D.
I barely noticed Bags out there. This notion that he might turn into something is silly IMO. Get rid of Walton and Bags can go too.
Shit, no edit by me. Terrible
According to Kayte & Mo on the postgame show, Bagley looked great out there.
Ridiculous. Why do people make excuses for Bags or project/see what he isn’t? He a bench big who can’t defend or rebound (defensive) well or set screens etc etc.
Why do people imagine Bags is -getting better on D-No he isn’t.
People don’t do this with other players. He is who he is and I’d bet any amount of $ Bagely won’t amount to anything more than an O bench big.
Homers…
We call em shills in these parts…
Bagley had multiple good plays on defense last night. Players barking at other players happens, especially if they’re competitive, at literally every level of basketball. Would like to see how this play developed instead of just the tail end to see where the breakdown really happened but I do think he’s barking at Buddy here.
FWIW basketball-ref gave Bagley a best-in-game DRtg of 101. No one else on either team was lower than 105.
Hali leading us to beat LA ðð½I’m full on tank mode- close losses but beat the Lakers and Mavs ð
Lottery luck to lift us from 6/7 to top 2 ðð½ðð½
Also, I like the aggressiveness of T. Davis….


Decent defense on AD / James..
active hands, can drive
maybe keeping him cheap during off-season…
Davis is one hell of an athlete, and if he’s willing to grind on the defensive end like he did with Lebron tonight, that’s a nice bench piece. He’s one of those guys that when he sees his shots fall, he can fill it up fast.
A lot of things will need to shake out before figuring out what to do with Davis, but it’s not hard to see how good he could be if things go right.
I don’t know. I’d rather not have a player who’s accused of/punched his girlfriend etc.
Not worth it. Sac ain’t getting out of the gutter w Davis and could at least put together a team with decent human beings.
Sounds rather sanctimonious, “decent human being”. In my experience we are generally a mixed bag. Clearly wrong to do what he did (or is accused of doing, has admitted, I don’t know), but isn’t there also some stuff about casting the first stone, hating the sin, but not the sinner? Does not mean you have to want him on your team, but wholesale condemnation as a human being …
I struggle with the concept of “culture” quite a bit. To me, the ideal culture for a team offers players a chance for redemption. I don’t know Terence Davis obviously. Based on the allegations, he could just be a bad human being. But, I also believe in second chances. I saw real pain when he talked about the fact that he hasn’t been able to see his kid because of what he (allegedly) did.
I don’t know where I’m going with this other than to say the best outcome is that Davis can grow from this, and hopefully be capable of being a good dad.
I, too, struggle with the concept of redemption. But I also do not forgive or forget…..
Key word here is “accused,”
You must not be a Duke lacrosse fan.
Great game. First full game I’ve watched in couple weeks without switching channels. Oh btw.. FUCK THE LAKERS
Christie is a bit repetitive on the broadcasts – This loop never gets repetitive!
DC, please reduce Two-hands and Hali Berry nice
Was there some sort of one-handed rebounding phase the league went through that I missed?
The “two hands” thing is one of Doug’s dumber catchphrases, and that’s saying something.
Doug Christie’s punch to Rick’s chin – “One hand!”
I see ya big fella!
Damian “Murda” Jones. Tries to kill anyone and all things on dunk attempts. Gotta love the guy.
Kings win aside are we gonna get an article on the latest Athletic piece on Bogi and the Hawks bizarre decision by the Kings to turn down Tony Snell and a protected 1st in a sign and trade. McNair decided to take nothing in return instead. I’d love for K4E to explain the “McGenius” behind that one.
I’ll take a shot at it. Snell was a $12m contract. The pick offered is overwhelmingly likely to convey into two 2nd rounders. So $12m for the expiring Snell & two 2nd round picks. Seems pricey.
And there’s a reasonable likelihood that McNair was constrained to not spend the money. I mean he did deal for two (younger) two guards and another veteran small forward later in the season.
“How bad do we need this player?”
“We don’t really need him”
“Then save the money.”
Let me pull a scenario out of my arse:
Sac. wanted a young player in return. They had DDV before the Bucks deal fell apart, so that was their bar. Atl. refused, counter-offering an overpriced expiring vet & a couple of 2nd rd. picks. Sac. Now ranked their options (1) don’t match, (2) match, or (3) Snell / 2nd rounders.
It goes back to the valuation methods of the front office. They seem a tad high to me, but perhaps that’s part of the mindset after the organization has been run over by opposing front offices for the past decade.
The one thing that many noted when McNair took the job was how narrow the needle is that he has to thread. Can’t go full tank with Fox, may not ever get a player of his caliber if he trades him to go full tank. Hence the re-tooling. Under that umbrella, Snell & two 2nd rounders doesn’t really do anything (neither does letting Bogi go for free).
Dumping Hield for best offer & matching on Bogi seemed to make sense, but I wonder if Hield’s amazing durability combined with Bogi’s lack of it was a mitigating factor.
Anyhoo, summer awaits, and the pressure is squarely on this front office to change the direction of the team via both coaching and roster construction. A critical period for the McNair era.
Yes, the 2022 protected first will likely convert to two second rounders, but it is still a 2022 protected first that has value. OKC may turn things around quickly. Should they land the #1 this year and grab Cade, they could very well be sniffing an 8th seed next year. It’s an asset in the cupboard that could always be moved. If OKC continue to struggle, those 2nd rounders are in the low 30’s.
It is my mindset that any possible first round pick is still a valuable asset.
In regards to Snell, he is nothing to shake a stick at. The guy is a solid 3 and D wing who is shooting and insane 56% form 3 this season. He is also an expiring so the long term cost is minimal. All that aside, after letting Bogi walk the Kings did go out and sign Jeffries and GR3 at roughly a combined $3M to play that Snell role. The boot, the Kings still could have taken on Snell AND signed GR3 and Whiteside to the vet minimums AND re-signed Jeffries.
The whole things stinks of cost savings to me.
And they dealt for Harkless, Wright and Davis who all do what Snell does. I’m guessing the only one who will rostered next season is Wright. If you’re going to roster a bunch of vet twos and threes anyway, you might as well take Snell and a couple of seconds.
That being said, I don’t really care one way or another about Snell. Harkless hasn’t been good, I’d rather Davis take his personal issues elsewhere, and Wright is an incrementally good move, but isn’t going to meaningfully change anything. It seems to me that second round picks don’t have much value anyway. At best, they’re a sweetener to get someone to take am expiring vet off your hands.
I have more issues with a bad team being stagnant since McNair took over, and Luke Walton still being employed. If McNair can’t manage any improvement this offseason, it’s not a good look.
This is a really good point. This summer, more than anything, largely determines whether or not the fortunes of this franchise will improve, or the status quo remain. But I also think the Kings can move on from Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley and get value in return for doing so, which is not necessarily the POV of others around here.
And I think your POV is the view of the FO as it pertains to Hield’s and Bagley’s (and Barnes’) value. As tired of them as the fan base may be, the FO isn’t going to deal them for leas than the value that they perceive in them.
Which may mean that like deadline, nothing gets done. I keep trying to trade my golf cart to Smails for his Rolls, and he keeps giving me that look.
Yep. I think the last Ranadive front office(s) earned a rep. of buying high & selling low, and I think this front office is drawing a hard line in an attempt to change that perception. It could pay off, and it could explode spectacularly in their face.
That’s the thing that I think maybe people don’t fully accept. If I was a seasoned vet GM, and I went into negotiations with the first time GM of an organization with a poor reputation, then I’m going to test their mettle.
Hate to say this, but there was movement at the deadline. Just not the players that most fans would have preferred to see go. And I’m not seeing what realistic expectation there is for that based on the rumors I saw. I saw bad deals that I don’t see helping Sacramento in any way, regardless of previous reputation.
Having said that, I think the issue in the off-season was this. Bogdanovich, Barnes and HIeld could be all considered good NBA players (in different ways). The problem was Bogi was a RFA, the other two had multi-year deals. Keeping the other two was simply a matter of pragmatism first and foremost. I doubt there was a reasonable deal for Hield out there, and I’m not sure short of an absolute slam dunk no brainer deal there was any appetite to deal Harrison Barnes period. And frankly, I’m not sure what benefit there would be to deal Harrison Barnes there is if you aren’t tanking and bottoming out. Which the Kings aren’t doing.
But this is what changed. Giannis Antetokounmpo signed his super max. Paul George signed that extension in LaLa Clip Joint land. Fox, Adebayo and Tatum all signed max extensions.
Right now Hoopshype (that’s the first site I saw and I’m not searching far and wide for lists of available players right now) has Kawhi Leonard, John Collins (RFA), Mike Conley, Victor Oladipo (that’s revealing a great deal right there), Jarrett Allen, DeMar DeRozan (this might be too low for DD), Chris Paul (ditto as DD), Kyle Lowry, Lonzo Ball and Andre Drummond as their top 10. Regardless of what you think the top 15 or so FA’s should look like, that isn’t…..10 teams with about 20 million or more in cap room deep. Keith Smith did an article back in January projecting maximum cap room and New York and Oklahoma City have over 130 million in cap room combined. That’s unlikely, but still possible. But further down Smith has them projected for about 105 million in cap space, and overall the league has about 300 million in cap space. That money is going to get spent somewhere.
That’s what I believe the FO see’s, and it’s quite possible that a guy who has a history of playing 2200+ minutes, hitting 3-4 3’s a night, grabbing about 4.5 boards a night, whose AST/TO ratio is a tick under 2:1, and whom you can pencil in about 16-18 points a night isn’t totally valueless around the league. In fact if Buddy weren’t on the Kings and weren’t owed 60 million after this season, say more like 45 million, he might even be seen as a very valuable player.
I don’t know what will happen, obviously, but I bet Buddy gets traded this off-season and for a better return than many expect. It wouldn’t shock me to see the tone around here (and elsewhere) improve after the off-season depending on what happens with the draft.
But, as always, proof is in the pudding.
the perfect scenario is for the Kings to offer a fat contract to John Collins this offseason, then do a sign and trade with ATL that sends Bagley to the Hawks IMO. It would be a bit of a long con making Collins deal unaffordable since they’re paying Bogi $18 mil per year. Collins can fit in lineups with Barnes/Metu/Jones pretty seamlessly.
I’m not in love with John Collins as my plan A…..but I think it’s a good idea as a plan B if the Kings don’t move up in the lottery.
Yeah it’s just hard to come up with a better alternative if the goal is to win sooner rather than later. I scroll the player contract list every so often, and I can’t really come up with the ideal player if they go the big trade route. It’s basically Marcus Smart, Porzingis, Collins and Siakam in the possibly attainable difference makers pool.
Siakam is the only guy I trade my 1st rounder for. Honestly.
Of that group you named.
I concur with basically all of this. The one thing I do think McNair could’ve done a better job of is giving folks the impression that he actually might just keep Bogi. It seemed to me, at the time, that there was basically a 0% chance that they would match offers. That puts them in a position where they don’t really have a ton of leverage with a team like the Hawks that don’t need to do a sign and trade.
I remember reading Amick’s interview with Bogi, and Bogi said basically he never even spoke with McNair during free agency. That’s the type intel that would give opposing GMs confidence that they don’t need to make an offer McNair can’t refuse.
Don’t worry, Bogi will go play 300 EuroBall games this summer and be injured (tired) coming into next season.
Kings undefeated in Louis King era.
King Louis!
We could put a little winning stint together and along with this game, go 5-2 over a 7 game stint. Kings could be trying to make a legit run at the 10th spot in the lottery!!
And Walton gets to keep his job because goldfish brain.
Please No. it’s over if Vivek doesn’t back off and allow coachless Walton to be axed.
At this point, I’m rooting for this to happen simply because this organization doesn’t deserve anything better.
Until he’s gone, I’m going to be hopeful Bagley finds his role and rhythm with our team. It’s funny I’ve posted so much on him, because he’s barely cracks my top 5 favorite current Kings. It’s been said many times to jeers and downvotes. There are just too many in the fanbase that view him through shit stained glasses of negative emotion. Every bad play he’s in the frame, is his fault. Every miss is a bad shot, every shot taken is a selfish one. Broken down plays get assigned blame when only a fraction of the problem. Good plays? Not really… Easy buckets and open shots, with selfishness sprinkled on top. Literally from day one. Everything is terrible through those glasses.
I like Metu and Jones, I like some of the strengths they bring, and I think if we hang onto Bagley through his contract I think they might help push him to be better. They are young bigs trying to make a name for themselves, they’re cheaper, and they bring some tenacity. This is where it’s earned. No more giving of starting roles and minutes. Made sense with Bjelly, doesn’t make sense with other young guys. It’s earned now. This can be a good thing for Bagley, and good for the team. Best possible outcome for both Kings and Team Bagley is him having a breakout year next year. In that scenario we can sign and trade if the relationship is unsalvageable. If he doesn’t improve or stay healthy, he keeps a limited bench role and his value is about the same as it is right now next trade deadline. We shouldn’t move him in the offseason unless we get something really solid in return. Metu and Jones mean we can be patient.
This is kind of where I’m at – I don’t see a ton of upside in Bagley, but he did improve over his minutes played this season.
If McNair isn’t able to deal him in the off-season, he should be getting minutes again, next season, along with Metu and Davis (who have somewhat limited ceilings as well IMO).
Hey-o, where my Doomers at ?!?!
First off, we lose this game by 15-20 points if Marvin is not taken off the court for the 4th quarter. How many games did he miss, and first game back after 6 weeks and I was already tired of watching his act. Same futile performance. Low effecient scorer and a terrible defender playing key minute is how to lose 70% of your games and that is what you get with Marvin.
Metu was doing a great job checking Anthony Davis before he took the spill and minus Metu Davis got his offense untracked against Marvin. Marvin looks weaker than before the injury, thinner with NO muscle tone. Metu has much more sturdy physique to go up against AD and Metu is still a work-in-progress in terms of his physicality which shows you what a sham of a player Marvin is.
Terrence Davis played like a friggen star, exemplifying his star potential, which I envisioned he possessed after Game #1 ain SAC! He did a marvelous job on LeBron, giving up 6 inches did not faze him in the slightest! Davis is an awesome player, he loves the moment, he is a fearless competitor. He’s not made his shots as well as he can but those will come, then watch out, he can be a full fledged star in the mold of Bobby Jackson or Donovan-lite !
Metu is an awesome player too, and Ty is more awesome than them Metu and Davis!
BuT, buT, bUt, tHeRe Is No Hope For the KaNgZ , the ExPeRts SaiD so
the TeaM is a HopELess and aPaTHetiC , the ExPeRts SaiD so
thaT’s the FaCtS jAcK, kAnGz for LiFe, the ExPeRts told uS so
Tell the the Lakers the Kings are hopless and apathetic, we trounced their slow bricklaying methodical butts. Holmes, getting work done! Giving Marvin the business for his lackluster nonsense. And if you want to know just how bad of a pick setter Marvin, contrast him and Metu and Jones to illustrate the point. Often our halfcourt playsets never materializes bc Marvin cannot complete the most basic of big man functions. But ultimately it is GOOD to see Marvin for who and what he is as a instead of deluding ourselves into thinking he is going to “flip a switch”.
That was my hope but I am done investing mental (or emotional) energy in him.
And don’t worry about our lottery status because we can likely get Jalen Johnson (or Kai Jones as a back-up plan) even if we win a few of these remaining games.
Of course if we want to lose out the string all we have to do is play Marvin in the 4th!
have you ever considered making the same points, but not being so pompous?
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