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Kings 110, Nets 96: A sloppy game, but a win nonetheless

Fox 's big third quarter led the way for the Kings.
By | 50 Comments | Jan 28, 2025

Jan 27, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) drives to the basket against Brooklyn Nets center Day'Ron Sharpe (20) and guards D'Angelo Russell (1) and Tyrese Martin (13) during the third quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Following back-to-back losses to the Nuggets and the Knicks, the Sacramento Kings had an opportunity to emphatically restore the vibes against the tanking Brooklyn Nets. While the Kings missed the mark on an emphatic victory, they still defeated Brooklyn 110-96 in an ugly win that will nonetheless count the same in the standings.

The Kings jumped out to an early lead and halfway through the first it seemed the Kings would cruise to victory, but the Kings allowed the Nets to go on a 17-2 run and ended the first quarter trailing by a score of 30-22. It was embarrassing. The Kings did fight back in the second quarter, but it was a slog. The refs were heavy handed in this game, particularly on the Kings (Brooklyn ended up with 30 FTAs to Sacramento’s 17), and while I don’t want to harp on the officiating too much it definitely prevented the Kings from establishing much of a rhythm in this game. The third quarter was much better, largely thanks to De’Aaron Fox. Fox had 16 of his 30 points in the third quarter. The fourth quarter finally saw the Kings pull away, and the game was thankfully not close in the final minutes.

A few thoughts and observations:

Thumbs? We don’t need no stinking thumbs.

De’Aaron Fox ignored the calls for him to rest and recover, including such a call from myself, and had himself a game. A game-high 30 points, 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, 7 assists, 0 turnovers. It was a really great showing from Fox. The inconsistency this season has been a bit maddening, especially when Fox himself insists that it’s unrelated to his multiple injuries, but when Fox is on he’s fantastic.

Triple Double Domas

Domantas Sabonis finished with 21 points, 22 rebounds, and 10 assists. Just an absolute monster, and the Nets struggled to find an answer for him. I thought Day’Ron Sharpe held his own against Sabonis, better than his teammates anyway, and if the Kings do manage a trade with the Nets for Cam Johnson (rumors have been swirling again over the last day or two), I’d love to see Sharpe included too. Sharpe finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds. But despite solid play from Sharpe, Domas was simply too much. Some big shots from Domas in the fourth quarter helped the Kings lock up the win.

Keon Ellis, very good player

Keon was also big in the fourth quarter, hitting some timely shots and making disruptive plays. Keon finished with 11 points, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 2 assists, and 1 rebound. For me one of the most important numbers of the night was 30, the minutes Keon played. The Kings are better when Keon plays more.

Good even when he’s bad

This was a rough game from Malik Monk. He had several ugly turnovers early in the game, was in foul trouble most of the game, and was 0-for-6 from 3. Monk is shooting 30.3% from 3 in the month of January, but somehow it feels even lower. But what I love about Monk is that he finds ways to contribute even when his shot isn’t falling (he finished with 9 assists, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block), and his confidence never wavers. Monk stays in attack mode, and is willing to shift to driving the lane when his three point shot isn’t falling. Monk was 8-of-9 outside of his three point attempts, and had several key baskets in the third and fourth quarters.

My Kingdom For a Bench

Kevin Huerter received a DNP-CD, his first of the season. Doug McDermott played just 7 minutes, but was clearly being used in the minutes slot that had been Huerter’s. Alen Len played 5 minutes and was -14 in those minutes. I despise single-game +/- as a stat, because it can be horribly misleading, but trust me when I tell you that it was very accurate in this one. Devin Carter played 10 minutes, and was ok, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, but he also had 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in that short time. Trey Lyles and Keon were the only real positives off the bench in this one. The Kings desperately need to improve the bench if the Kings want to make a sustained run at being a real playoff team this year. Monte McNair and Co have 8 days until the deadline.

Up Next

The Kings visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.

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Kfan
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January 28, 2025 8:34 am

All road wins are good. Let’s string some Ws together now.

MichaelMack
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January 28, 2025 10:09 am
Reply to  Kfan

Absolutely.

SavageBeast
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January 28, 2025 8:38 am

100% agree on adding Sharpe to Johnson in a Nets trade. The only way to make the $ work in a Cam Kevin swap is including Lyles, so I’d really like to bring back some additional length. But we have to make a move to improve the bench. Watching Len come in for Domas is knowing we are about to let the other team go on a run.

Ruben
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January 28, 2025 8:46 am
Reply to  SavageBeast

Watching Len come in for Domas is knowing we are about to let the other team go on a run

This seems to be pretty much consens around here, maybe you can help me understand why.

Of course Domas is some sort of machine and I get that subbing in Len is a massive downgrade, but I actually like his defense and intensity. He´s a good rebounder and takes blocking out seriously.

He´s also not totally useless on the other end as he´s at least a fairly big presence under the rim and sets good picks. I feel like we could do worse than Alex Len, other parts of the bench concern me a lot more.

Last edited 20 days ago by Ruben
SavageBeast
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January 28, 2025 8:54 am
Reply to  SavageBeast

Okay, I lied. I was sure we had to include Lyles to make the numbers work. But we could actually do the trade by adding one or more of several different smaller contacts. Still really like Sharpe as a backup 4/5 though.

As far as Len, I’m not saying he’s useless. But he completely changes the flow of the game when he’s on the floor and his numbers are not even close to what you’d expect with his size. We really need a better backup center.

Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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January 28, 2025 10:02 am
Reply to  SavageBeast

I mentioned yesterday that the only way I’d include a 1st round pick in a trade for Cam was to include Sharpe. After watching him play last night I fear it may not be enough.

eddie41
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January 28, 2025 10:07 am
Reply to  Adamsite

Agree. Huerter & Lyles for Cam & Sharpe seems like a lateral move at best in terms of value for value.

Hippity_Hop_Barbershop
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January 28, 2025 8:48 am

Rumors of trade today…

TravisMaysHayes
January 28, 2025 8:59 am

source? link?

Hippity_Hop_Barbershop
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January 28, 2025 9:24 am

Just some garbage on twitter and reddit but Heurter and Cam both DNP last night.

RealMaKoi
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January 28, 2025 10:47 am
Last edited 20 days ago by RealMaKoi
Hippity_Hop_Barbershop
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January 28, 2025 11:22 am
Reply to  RealMaKoi

I can’t believe you would give up your source like that!

NowLoveThemOnceAgain
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January 28, 2025 8:56 am

If Kings get Cam Johnson, that means one of the starters goes to the bench. Monk?

I’m fine with unloading Huerter. Last night’s DNP portends this. However, I’m a big fan of Lyles and think the Kings should keep him. Not sure what other assets we can meaningfully include to acquire a player of Xam Johnson’s caliber.

TravisMaysHayes
January 28, 2025 8:57 am

Was at the game last night sitting near the Kings bench (tickets are cheap in Brooklyn) along with tons of Kings fans. In person I can tell you Devin Carter had a huge impact on the game. It might not have looked like much on TV or on the stat line, but his on-ball pressure on D against DeAngelo Russell changed the flow of the game in the Kings favor during both of his stints. Each time he was subbed out he got a big ovation from the Kings fans in attendance. He didn’t try to do too much on offense (ok he did once, but not many times) and played really strong D. That is all we can ask of him this season.

OLDBHOY
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January 28, 2025 9:12 am

100%, I thought the same thing. That is great you got to see the game live.

Last edited 20 days ago by OLDBHOY
Want2win
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January 28, 2025 9:15 am

Loved the movie Major league, thanks for sharing that statement because I was just thinking that I haven’t been overly impressed with Devan Carter. I personally wanted Da Silva, Daron Holmes or Dalton Knect for this team . And would’ve taken Jared McCain over Carter. I certainly like his defense, but I’m not quite seeing anything to be excited about on the offensive end.

Marty
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January 28, 2025 9:26 am

The fans like yourself in the lower rows got a lot of screen time last night. It made for a fun broadcast even with the ((((shudder)))) broadcast team muted.

MichaelMack
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January 28, 2025 10:23 am
Reply to  Marty

I always listen to the home team, I like hearing the extra context of other teams that you can only hear their announcers, and it is interesting to hear their takes on the Kings.

The Nets broadcast team was very entertaining. They were calling the game like they were neutral, celebrating good play by the Kings like they were the home team. They were enthralled with Monk in particular, and were very knowledgable of the Kings players in general, much more so than most.

What was hilarious, to me anyway, was the lack of seriousness. The color guy sounded like he had a gummy or two as his pre-game snack, and the play by play guy was loose and very funny. Seems like a good pair for a team that runs out of talent in the 4th quarter of most games.

Convoy
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January 28, 2025 10:28 am
Reply to  MichaelMack

Yes, it was great to see a nice Yes broadcasting crew. The King’s broadcasting crew is absolutely crazy with Mark Jones dropping euphemisms/trite expressions every play until you feel like you’re gonna barf and Kayte making excuses for the team’s performance the entire 48 so that you actually would have no idea what was going on in the basketball game if you weren’t actually watching the TV.

Want2win
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January 28, 2025 10:36 am
Reply to  MichaelMack

Maybe I need to start listening to the other teams broadcast, I moved to the East Coast and have been watching an NBA TV

MichaelMack
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January 28, 2025 1:36 pm
Reply to  Want2win

Nice to see you posting more W2W.

Again, I like learning more about the opponents players, and it is very interesting to hear their takes on the Kings. You should give it a shot.

BuiltToSpill
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January 28, 2025 10:56 am
Reply to  MichaelMack

Can we get NBCSCA to do a separate stoner feed? I am not a Kayte, Mark, or Kyle hater but I would love to hear a little “duuuuude, that was badASS, man!”

Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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Nostradumbass 14
January 28, 2025 10:58 am
Reply to  BuiltToSpill

comment image

RealMaKoi
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January 28, 2025 10:54 am
Reply to  Marty

Are you for real? I love the Kings announcers. Where else can you pick up new words when they’re being used in context. Keegan had a pulchritudinous finish at the rim last night.

Later that night, I was able to tell my wife she is pulchritudinous. She said she has hoped for years to hear those words and escorted me to the bedroom.

Unfortunately, the short walk was still enough time to develop a sudden headache, so we watched a movie.

Last edited 20 days ago by RealMaKoi
MichaelMack
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January 28, 2025 1:37 pm
Reply to  RealMaKoi

A candidate for post of the year, in my opinion.

BuiltToSpill
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January 28, 2025 9:30 am

His defense will take a little time to come along. There were points last year where Keon would get called for a foul for every brush against an opponent. As his stature as a top defender has increased, the refs seem to be letting him play more freely. Carter’s going to experience some of that. Plus, it can’t be easy coming in mid-season. I’m super high on Carter but he definitely is not having the same impact on offense that he’s having on defense. Appreciate the in-person report!

OLDBHOY
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January 28, 2025 9:44 am
Reply to  BuiltToSpill

Strong take. The good thing is the Kings generally don’t need offense, they can score with anyone most nights. Carter gives more of what they really need, defense and high effort.

BuiltToSpill
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January 28, 2025 9:51 am
Reply to  OLDBHOY

Agree. Like Keon, you can see he doesn’t take plays, or even moments off. Plus, he anticipates shots and crashes the boards. He definitely plays out of control on offense, but I don’t see it as a concern at the moment.

OLDBHOY
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January 28, 2025 9:58 am
Reply to  BuiltToSpill

Yeah, I don’t sweat that at all. His offense will improve with experience. And the same way I think of Keon, any points he scores will almost be worth double because he can playing winning basketball without needing the ball in his hands a lot.

IMO, that is a super underrated skill that all winning teams have and you can never have too much of.

TerzoM
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January 28, 2025 9:34 am

Do it
comment image

Last edited 20 days ago by TerzoM
Kfan
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January 28, 2025 9:58 am
Reply to  TerzoM

Need Monte to be more IN-Vested in making a trade!

TheBaker
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January 28, 2025 10:13 am

Keon is 8th in the league in deflections and 2nd in the league in deflections per 36. I would say more minutes for him is a good thing.

Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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Nostradumbass 14
January 28, 2025 10:21 am

I felt the game was a toss up until the first half of the 4th quarter. The Kings were up by 2 to start the period but then went on a 17-7 run over the first 7+ minutes of the period. That was the ballgame. During that span, the Nets sat at 85 points for 4 full minutes. The Kings lineup during that time, which has been consistently the best regular lineup they roll out was Monk, Ellis, DDR, Keegan and Sabonis.

Whenever Keon gets minutes in place of either Monk, Fox, or Huerter good things happen. It was very refreshing to see him get 30 minutes last night. FWIW, whenever Keon plays 24 minutes (half a game) or more, the Kings are 8-6. Granted many of those games in which Keon saw those kind of minutes, the Kings were missing Fox, Monk, Keegen, etc. Last night Keon got those minutes thanks to Huerter getting a DNP/CD. That’s a trend I’d like to see continue.

MichaelMack
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January 28, 2025 10:27 am
Reply to  Adamsite

I really wish there was a way for DC to deftly move Keon into the starting unit and have Monk come off the bench again. It seems like the best way to utilize talent in a combination that allows them to make the most impact.

With the added confidence that Monk has to really play closer to the limits of his talent, I would expect him to be even more devastating than before in his sixth man role, but I don’t know how that would not feel like a step backwards for a player who in his eighth season has found another level.

Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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Nostradumbass 14
January 28, 2025 10:34 am
Reply to  MichaelMack

I agree. I’d like to see Keon starting with Fox. The one drawback I see is that Keon needs to be out there with Fox or Monk. He needs scorers next to him, at least during this stage of his development.

I should also note that if you remove the outlier of Keons one 49 minute double overtime win against Miami, Keon is averaging under 24 MPG under Christie’s watch. Even though Doug has played him more than Brown, he still needs to be on the court more.

Hobby916
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January 28, 2025 11:02 am
Reply to  Adamsite

It seems that Keon plays the majority of his minutes in the 2nd half, at least from my eye test. Christie has been trying to get a few minutes here and there from Carter, KH, McD to limp the team to halftime.

2nd half, the rotation tightens significantly. Mainly playing 7 guys.

Ruben
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January 28, 2025 1:10 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

I feel like we sometimes overlook that most opposing teams put a ton of effort into containing Fox and taking the ball out of his hands or keeping him from finding a lane to the basket.

Right now Monk can exploit that a lot better than Keon can and I´m a little worried that the offensive output could suffer more than we think if opposing teams are punished less frequently for doubling Fox.

However, with 96 total backcourt minutes and maybe a little extra here and there because we´re not exactely stacked in the C and PF department, I would absolutely want Ellis to get 30 minutes consistently, he more than earned that at this point.

MichaelMack
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January 28, 2025 1:39 pm
Reply to  Ruben

That is a fair point. It is why I worry about trading Fox thinking that Monk can be Fox-ish. Fox is the King that is game-planned against, and Monk profits the most from that.

Ruben
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January 28, 2025 1:49 pm
Reply to  MichaelMack

Agreed

BuiltToSpill
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January 28, 2025 10:44 am
Reply to  MichaelMack

I agree that MB set the Kings up for failure by capitulating and throwing Monk into the starting lineup despite the poor fit with Fox. But at this time, that ship has sailed. I don’t see Monk going back to the bench, even though that would likely benefit the team as a whole.

At this point, I would just like Doug to have a quicker trigger on inserting Keon if the Kings falter early. Keon doesn’t have to be a starter to have a big impact – just get him his minutes early and often. This isn’t rocket surgery.

Kfan
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January 28, 2025 11:28 am
Reply to  BuiltToSpill

But is it Brain Science?

This isn’t rocket surgery.

BuiltToSpill
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January 28, 2025 12:47 pm
Reply to  Kfan

It’s not that, either. It’s not even Weird Science!

MichaelMack
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January 28, 2025 2:28 pm
Reply to  BuiltToSpill

I do not know how purposeful it was, but your posts are typically pretty clever, but “This isn’t rocket surgery” deserves to be bandied about along with “Rise the hot hand!” as all time KingsHerald aphorisms.

Last edited 20 days ago by MichaelMack
BuiltToSpill
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January 28, 2025 4:51 pm
Reply to  MichaelMack

Thanks, brother!

RikSmits
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January 28, 2025 10:33 am
Reply to  Adamsite

I think it was more due to Keegan’s foul trouble than Huerter’s DNP. I could be wrong.

RealMaKoi
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January 28, 2025 1:42 pm
Reply to  RikSmits

I don’t think you’re wrong. I think McBuckets got most of Huerter’s ~12 minutes and Keon took the rest.

UpgradedToQuestionable
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January 28, 2025 10:27 am

Alex Len sets good screens and passes out of the post well – but lately on defense and the rest of his offense, has been flat footed Duane Causwell-esque, IMO.

Doug McDermott is a spark plug if he shoots. That he is in the game and doesn’t get touches or screened for openings, or he doesn’t do the constant movement to get himself open (see Reggie Miller, Steph Curry, even Buddy Hield) is a bit of the problem. And yes – he got the Huerter minutes, but Keon and Devin Carter could/should gobble those up anyways.

But the bench continues to be a worry at best, a problem at worst. Domas, Keegan or Lyles get injury or foul trouble and … it’s small line up time.

For the first time this season (I believe), the Kings are over .500 at home and >.500 on the road as well. (Home 13-12 Road 11-10).

Teams 7-10 in the Western Conf. are within 1 (one) game from each other. The Clippers are six games above .500, the Lakers 8 games. There is some separation happening and I must remind myself that there are another 36 games left in the season. Trades will be active this deadline it seems. Will Sacramento be winners, losers, buyers, sellers or on the sideline once again?

BuiltToSpill
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January 28, 2025 10:51 am

The Lakers are the only top 6 team in either conference with a negative point diff (-1.1). The Kings, with a +2.3 sit alone in 10th. It’s f’ing infuriating. Of course, the Kings have only themselves to blame. Split the series with LAL and they’d be 26-20 right now, tied for 5th. Woulda, coulda, shoulda…

SomedayKing
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January 28, 2025 11:27 am

Is Doug McD only good when its the 4th quarter and the team is down 15-20 points? Or maybe because the other team isn’t guarding him then? Which means he isn’t getting open 3’s otherwise.

KangzofLeon
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January 28, 2025 12:09 pm

So, I admittedly only watched about half the game, but from what I saw when Fox played, I was surprised he had scored so many points because they seemed to be falling behind when he was on the floor. I saw him miss a few defensive assignments or overcommit on his man. He did have a few decent passes but it seemed like Monk was a more effective all around player and playmaker last night. Definitely not trying to hate on fox here, but curious what you all saw? I’m asking because some people seem to be praising his performance, but was it just scoring?

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