Wow, what a game from the Sacramento Kings.
With 9.1 seconds left and trailing by just a point, the Kings once again found themselves in a clutch situation. De’Aaron Fox, who had a monster second half to help put the Kings in this position, got the ball and got a good look from one of his favorite spots at the elbow, but missed back rim. Domantas Sabonis, the NBA’s rebound leader for two straight seasons, crashed the glass and got the ball between multiple Miami Heat players and lofted up a soft floater while falling away that went through the basket with just 0.7 seconds left to give the Kings a 1 point lead. Miami called timeout, but the best look they were able to generate was a 30 foot heave from Terry Rozier, who missed wide and left the Kings standing victorious.
Just two quarters before, I would have been very skeptical of this outcome. The Kings played the Miami Heat tough for most part of the first half, but the Heat got a bit of momentum going at the end of the second, going on a 12-1 run to end the half. The Kings looked tired, as they should have been, having played 3 games in 4 nights, each in different cities and even countries. Domantas Sabonis was getting beat up so bad he even had to come out of the game one point for a bloody nose (no foul was called on the play, naturally). Sacramento was also once again struggling to hit their three pointers (3-14 in the first half) while the Heat got off to a blistering 11-20 (55%) start from distance. It wouldn’t have surprised me to see Miami continue to extend their lead coming out of the half and put this one to bed early. It’s a story we’ve seen many times before.
But these Kings didn’t have any quit in them, even after Miami opened up the scoring to extend the lead to 15. De’Aaron Fox, maligned for his poor shooting night the other day in Toronto, came out with a vengeance in the second half. Fox was relentless, and hitting from all distances. Fox scored 16 of his game-high 28 points in the third quarter alone, and meanwhile, the Kings finally started slowing down the Heat as Miami went into a bit of a shooting slump, but also started turning the ball over. Keon Ellis, who got his first start of the season as Kevin Huerter missed another game due to illness, was particularly disruptive in that 3rd quarter, picking up 2 of his 3 steals in that quarter alone. The Kings ended up taking the lead back from Miami on a three pointer from Keegan Murray with 3:27 to go in the 3rd, giving the Kings a 77-76 lead. It didn’t stop there either, as the Heat went ice cold, not even scoring a field goal for the rest of the quarter. The only Miami points for the rest of 3rd came on two Jimmy Butler Free Throws, and the Kings went from being down double-digits coming into the half to up by 7 heading into the 4th at 85-78. Sacramento ended up outscoring Miami 37 to 17 in that quarter, making 15 of their 22 shot attempts and holding Miami to just 6-20 from the field themselves. It was not only the best quarter of the Kings season, but one of the best I’ve ever seen from a Kings team.
Miami obviously wasn’t going to go away quietly, especially on their home floor and with Jimmy Butler at the helm. Butler got going almost immediately, scoring Miami’s first 10 points of the quarter, personally outscoring the Kings 10-4 during that span. The Kings were also getting a bit frustrated with a lack of consistency on both ends as to what constituted a foul. By the halfway mark of the 4th quarter, Miami was firmly back in the driver’s seat and had tied the game up. Tyler Herro, who had started off the game so well for the Heat, got back involved and hit a few shots to give Miami the lead back at 95-94. The game went back and forth for a bit when Terry Rozier, a noted Kings Killer but who had been quiet for most of the night, hit a huge three pointer to give the Heat a 99-96 lead. But Domantas Sabonis and his newfound three point shot (his second of the game) answered right back to tie the game at 99.
DeMar DeRozan’s time was yet to come. After Miami took a 102-99 lead with 2:21 left, DeMar took the reins for the Kings. First he hit one of his patented step backs. Then, after Jimmy Butler hit a three on the other end, DeMar faked a three of his own and instead found a cutting Domantas Sabonis for an easy layup. Rozier hit another three to put Miami up 5 with 1:11 left, a seeming dagger to the heart, but DeMar was not done. DeMar came down, pulled up from three and sank it as he also drew a foul and got to the line.
FOURTH-QUARTER DEMAR >>> pic.twitter.com/48ki6pW4Y7
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 5, 2024
The Kings also followed that up with a stop, and it made sense to go right back to DeMar, who had it going. But Tyler Herro made an excellent defensive play and stripped DeMar and was subsequently fouled. After hitting both free throws, Miami was once again up three. Mike Brown and the Kings called timeout, seemingly drawing up another play for DeMar, but Miami’s defense forced the ball out of his hands. Thankfully, DeRozan found Malik Monk for a thunderous driving dunk to cut the lead to one with just over 32 second left.
i know a rim hates to see malik monk coming. pic.twitter.com/XGN5Hhu5b6
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) November 5, 2024
On the other end, the ball was almost certainly going to Jimmy Butler, and Miami did exactly that. Butler, who had scored 15 of his 27 points in the 4th quarter, got the ball with Keegan Murray draped all over him. Butler rose up, Keegan had a great contest, and the shot missed off the rim and out of bounds, giving the Kings a chance to win the game, and well, let’s just see what happened one more time:
Saaaaaabonisssss is so strong yeaaaaaaaaahhhh ? pic.twitter.com/F7jdAka9Vg
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) November 5, 2024
Rozier’s shot out of the timeout on the other end was wide of the hoop and the Kings came away victorious in Miami for the first time since 2018. It was a gritty, gutsy effort by the Kings in a game nobody would have been surprised at if they lost, but instead they were rewarded for their effort and came away victorious to finish the road trip 3-1 and get back above .500. We saw last season how tantalizingly close the playoffs were where every game matters, so this potentially means a lot down the road. Hopefully the Kings don’t make a habit of making these games always so anxiety inducing for the sake of Kings fans everywhere.
The Kings will return home now to try to get some revenge on a Toronto Raptors squad that beat them a couple of days ago, this time on home turf on Wednesday.
Random Observations:
- How often did we see free throws costing us the game last season? Miami will be asking those same questions tonight after they went 7 of 12 from the line in the deciding 4th quarter. In a one point loss, that’s brutal. As a team, the Heat were 21 of 30, while the Kings were 13 of 15. Sacramento obviously would have liked to get to the line a bit more, but at least they made the most of their opportunities while they were there.
- The Heat are very annoying in how they keep finding these guys out of nowhere to contribute. Tonight it was Pelle Larsson, a 2nd rounder, who scored 13 points including 3 of 5 from distance.
- I was already afraid of Miami simply because they had Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier, both guys who have traditionally cooked the Kings, but I was terrified to learn they also had Alec Burks, who never seems to pass up an opportunity to have random All-Star caliber games against us. But tonight Burks was actually held in check, only scoring two points and both coming at the line rather than from the field.
- It was nice to see Trey Lyles first shot go in. He still didn’t score much, only 5 points in 16:27, but hopefully he starts getting back to the Trey we’re used to.
- I like seeing Keegan be more aggressive and strong when attacking the basket, going for dunks rather than trying to lay it up. Now if only his three point shot could return.
- I applaud the Kings for not picking up any technical fouls when the calls weren’t going their way, particularly in that 4th quarter. Fox and Sabonis in particular were clearly frustrated at the lack of an equal whistle, and it was understandable, but at least they kept their frustration in check to where it didn’t hurt the team. And hey, ball don’t lie.
- I thought Jordan McLaughlin gave the Kings some good minutes in limited action off the bench. He hit an open three pointer, moved the ball well and played some solid defense. The Kings need their bench to be more productive than it has been.
- Keon Ellis was a +22 in a 1 point game. No more getting cute and starting anyone over him at Shooting Guard if Kevin Huerter is out, ok Coach? The only thing I would say that Keon needs to do better is be more confident in his shot. He gets more open looks than he takes advantage of, and if he starts taking and making those shots, he’d likely be the full time starter already. He’s still a young player, so there’s time to work on that.
- Just again, a great win. Feels much better to be coming back home 3-1 rather than 2-2, and hopefully the team can ride this momentum through these upcoming home games.
Only the 6th win @Miami in franchise history. That’s bonkers.
Sure does make up for the Toronto loss. 3-1 on the road. Oh yeah, take that every time.
Not good, not very good – great win! for the Beam Team.
Overcoming adversity and willing themselves the win.
Fantastic recap and analysis Aykis. Wow.
4-3. The three losses by a combined nine points. DeMar doing DeMar things. Kevin looking healthy.
Idk. Feeling pretty good about the start to the season.
But keeping it real. They haven’t really beat any one that would be called a contender. They lost against Minny. A loss is a loss. 9 pts or 1100. No one is going to remember how many points you lost by come playoff time. W-L is all that matters. Other than Minny. They have played pretty much all teams mediocre or bad.
They are extremely fortunate to have a super soft schedule. Thus far.
They have played the 2 bad teams in the Blazers and Jazz.
Beat a decimated Hawks team.
Lost to a Raptors team missing their 3 best players.
Lost to a 40
year old man.
Beat the Heat team tonight without Jacques.
While the suns and Dubs are already running away with the division. Winning at a much higher clip. And doing it every game. And in early returns watching both of those teams. They are better.
Your positivity is great though.
You’re actually wrong about the point differential. Over the season, point differential is a better indicator of sustained success than straight up wins and losses. In the NFL they use formulas that show a 7 point game is essentially a toss up historically. That’s the logic behind the Elam ending as well.
I also think it’s hilarious that you’re calling out the Kings schedule while promoting the fact that the dubs have played absolutely no one good.
Feel free to be anxious, but I’m really impressed with what I’m seeing this season.
Yeah, to my eye, they are only just figuring out how to best incorporate DeMar into an offense already full of weapons. Get those three balls to start falling and this team may be onto something. They’re 4-3 while shooting 33.1% from three. It’s pretty remarkable to overcome such horrible distance shooting.
I think that is a great point. 4-3, close losses, with five of the seven games on the road, and they haven’t even played particularly well yet.
There are quarters where you see them put it all together and it can be pretty devastating.
and then you proceed to list all the reasons to undermine the wins.
LOL man you need to be more consistent.
Keeping it real, the Dubs have wins against Portland, Jazz, Wizards, and two against the injury depleted Pelicans. I admire your commitment to character, but the logic in your post seems to be lurching from one side to the next. Either it is about Wins and Losses, or it is about not proving anything against inferior competition.
Actually the 2 dubs wins against the Pels were full lineup. Only injury was Mccolllum in second game. Kings lost 7! Straight against the. Pels.I don’t think it’s a stretch to say the Pels own the Kings.
Point is.Suns and Dubs playing better than the Kings. Those are just facts. Can that change next week.’Sure.
Just stating the obvious.
No you are incorrect . Murray, Murphy and McCallum out . 3 of top 6 .
Yep. Murray has missed basically the whole season so far.
Also keeping it real, they have already pulled off a couple of wins they had no business winning. Winning in Miami is no small feat. The Miami defense was aggressive and swarming all night and the refs rewarded them by swallowing their whistles all evening.
The Kings, for their part, did it in a much different fashion than they did last year. Sure, they gave up another 40+% game from three. But they also held Miami to 44.8% from two – which is remarkable against a team with Bam and Butler.
The Kings have yet to show any consistent three point shooting. They’re down a net 4.1% vs their opponents in threes but they’re up 3.2% in FG percentage overall and up 4.8% in FT percentage.
For all the crying about our lack of a dominant PF, we’re kicking the shit out of teams in the paint. That lack of length is oddly showing up at the 3P line, probably because we’re focusing team defensive effort on collapsing in the paint. Either way, once the team’s 3 point shooting stabilizes, they should be able to string together some wins against good teams.
Games we have won the stats show we have dominated in the paint.
Sabonis is thriving with Derozan. Derozan is getting high percentage shots up.
I hear what you’re saying here and agree. However, you’re still on the “we’re getting killed in the frontcourt” train daily. It feels incongruous to me.
Sabonis is not getting killed in basketball terms. He and Keegan are getting killed physically because they do not have anyone to play when they need rest. We are killed at the wing because we are small there as a whole.
The fact that we have been winning games in the paint with a roster that is dominated by guards is interesting. I think Derozan has brought that to this team.
Explained from that standpoint, that makes sense to me. I actually think that Lyles and Len should be getting a few more minutes per game but I guess I understand Brown’s hesitation in close games.
This:
The team is defending the best in the paint than they have in years, not to mention they are scoring well there as well. Is the focus on preventing points in the paint costing them from the 3pt line? I have my theories.
If they can start hitting at an average clip from deep and improve their 3pt defense, they are a playoff lock, IMO. This team is just an average bench 3 and D wing away from making serious waves.
Agreed. Plus, incorporating a guy like DeRozan into the lineup is a lot more difficult than plugging in a role player. Fox and Monk need the ball in their hands and the offense has historically run through Domas.
Trying to add DeRozan to the mix isn’t easy. And I don’t think it’s something Brown can do much about. Sure, he can draw up some plays, but the players are going to need 20 games or more to figure out how to get him into the flow of the offense. Surprisingly, the defense has looked solid, aside from the parade of three pointers they’re giving up.
My hope is that this team starts to really hum around Christmas and then maybe Monte can find that 3 & D player we’d all love to see added.
That said, I was cursing at the team from start to finish last night. I need a Xanax prescription just to watch these guys!
Adam has recently argued that Brown is sacrificing perimeter defense in order to contest players inside the arch and the paint. I think he may be right.
And I wonder if that is a viable strategy in today’s NBA.
Yeah, it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out through the course of the season. Hopefully, Brown is flexible in his approach. It’s one thing to stuff the paint when you’re facing Butler and Bam. It’s another when you’re facing Steph and Buddy.
In fairness, teams have been making shots even when we’ve got a hand in their face. The defensive rotations have mostly been pretty good. It’s just painful during those big moments where a Garrison Matthews-type is shooting from beyond the arc with nary a soul within 6 feet.
I think that Adam’s theory is largely correct, we all thought the same thing last year.
I do think that DeMar is a better team defender than he has been given credit for, because of the focus on on-ball defense in NBA writers twitter critiques. He has great hands and knows where to be on the court.
I do think that Domas has played the best defense I have ever seen him play this year. His ability to guard in space is very good, and in my eyes, as important as shot blocking, as it keeps guards and wings out of the key.
Big and much needed win against a solid team. I disagree that the Kings didn’t show fight last year, they have shown consistent fight and ability to stay in games all the way through the last 2 years. It has been the turning point and main difference but the only remaining thing is ability to close out and consistently win close games. DeMar looks to be helping and I already trust him more than Fox. We need more wins like this if we want to get near top of West.
I still don’t know how they pulled that off (other than Miami suddenly missing wide open 3’s and clanking free throws in the second half) but what a fantastic win!
So happy for Domas, the ultimate warrior King.
I am thoroughly impressed w Sabs. His improvement (thus far) is huge… 3ball and Freethrows. That’s a recipe for playoff winning hoops.
Sabonis has addressed the issues holding him back from playoff success. We will see how it sticks but I love that he’s changing/getting better-gaining a playoff winning type game.
I agree with you above but for me it’s the free throws. He has always have had good shooting technique but getting to the free throw line and making them is what I like best.
I usually don’t point out referees as how bad they are but last night they were definitely bias. Does Sabonis have to be decapitated before he can shoot a free throw.
I’m so used to the Kings being f’d by the refs at this point. But last night was truly gross. It’s a game the Kings normally lose. Keep pulling out wins like that and maybe our “luck” with the refs will magically improve.
good observation, my friend Trader Jack-
Heat tried and tried to separate DS from his head, his face and eyes. I think he likes it.
Sabonis and Fox are the two most-disrespected players in the league when it comes to getting foul calls.
Lakers still paying the referees?
No one (or two or maybe even three players) take more non-call contact to the head and face than Sabonis. It is remarkable.
Sabonis has the drive to win and the athletic gifts to do it.
He is just so g-damn strong. Watching the replay over and over last night, Bam was trying so hard to move him to get position and Domas did not budge one centimeter. I thought Domas got away with a foul, but it likely was because Bam was already flailing about trying to block him out.
The refs were letting both of them play the game.
Great win despite an all-star level performance by the referees – felt like they hadn’t refereed a basketball game before this.
Coach Brown-Duggy McBuckets and a dnp over Ellis. Why? You know what/who Ellis is and how he plays. And yet….
At least Brown figured it out but just the fact that he pulled those shenanigans is irritating and might be why they lost a couple games.
and good W fir the kings this time.
In the pregame show it showed McDermott starting again. At that time I was truly frustrated with Brown’s decision. Then just before the start of the game it showed Ellis starting. I thought maybe Brown got his head straight for once.
Or he got a call from Monte.
Monte probably said “if you keep starting McDermott, I’m going to waive him and pull decision making out of your hands by default”. Brown’s lineup decisions have been almost indefensible.
Personally, I feel the McDermott starting was less about more Doug, and more about keeping what he liked with Ellis and Monk coming off the bench together. McDermott was the poor man’s Huerter in role only.
I think he simply wanted the spark of Keon and Monk off the bench. Keep some sort of consistency in the system.
What lineup has been indefensible?
He only has seven to pick from. McDermott was not a starter but trying to keep Keon as a spark off the bench is at least logical to a point.
Starting Doug is a cardinal sin. Keon’s DNP is a cardinal sin. I personally think that starting Huerter over Keon is highly suspect. In fairness, Huerter has a great rapport with Domas. But giving lip service to a defense-first philosophy while starting 1 top notch defender (Keegan) and 1 solid defender (Fox) runs fully counter to his stated strategy.
You have ceaseless praise for Sabonis and have finally come around to very muted praise for Keon. Dude was a +22 last night. I simply don’t understand how Brown continues to limit his minutes unless forced to play him. That’s what I mean by indefensible (pun intended).
Sabonis is this team. Keon is a young stud that is learning to score. I have always said that and have never “come around” to anything because that has never changed for me.
Is the plus minus the definitive stat? How do you explain the plus minus stat?
Two games that Keon either didn’t play or Dougie started over Keon make all of Brown’s lineup decision indefensible. That is an interesting take.
If Keon learns how to score and incorporate himself into the team offense he can and should start. He is at that point in his career where we will find out.
It’s A stat, I wouldn’t characterize it as the definitive stat. But a +22 in a game where they won by a point and the next closest player was a +8 (Sabonis) and 6 of 9 players were negative is impressive. It speaks to his ability to contribute in ways that aren’t simply measured by points, rebounds, or assists. Brown needs to prioritize finding minutes for him.
My comment about Brown’s lineup decisions goes further than the 2024/25 season. Call it two games, sure. Call it 29% of the short season, if you will. His decisions are suspect going back more than a year.
There was some interesting stuff shared by Greg and others on the plus minus stat and how useless it is especially in a single game. You just popped up here so I was curious what your take is on it.
So you think Brown is a bad coach?
Brown is such a mixed bag for me. I have complaints but I also keep the perspective that Brown is one of only 2 coaches in 40 years of Kings history with a winning record for an entire season.
I wouldn’t argue that plus/minus is “useless”. It’s definitely not the be-all, end-all, either. In a game where the Kings win with only three players in the positive, I think it’s an indicator to take a closer look at the positive contributions of those plus players.
A big minus can and has won many NBA games.
This is a good example of what’s called a specious argument.
We are in an argument?
Google is your friend. The word argument has multiple meanings. I mean it in the logical discussion context.
Obligatory.
John Salmons approves.
I meant it logically as well. A player can be a big negative and be the reason a team wins. Check out the box scores some time.
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is Kings coach.
I have so much trouble accepting this argument. IMO you don’t grade your coach (or GM or team) against the epically bad predecessors of the previous 16 years or so. You grade him/them against the rest of the league.
Brown had one above average season, one season on the edge of average and mediocre and this season is TBD.
This organization gets an easy pass far too often.
Haha, that’s why I’m saying he’s a mixed bag for me. Bad coach? No. Good coach? Not exactly. Being better than Luke Walton doesn’t say much. But so many coaches have been unable to get this moribund franchise to .500.
Brown gets at least a little credit from that standpoint, but only a little. This roster is underperforming, in my opinion.
Who on the roster is underperforming?
What is prime efficiency for this roster?
It’s pretty early to tell, which is why I clearly noted that it is my opinion.
Based on 2023/24, this team has three top 50 (#8, 17, & 45) scorers from 2023-24, the league’s best rebounder, three top 35 assist leaders (#6, 25, & 31), and the rightful 6MOTY. There’s no reason not to be a top 5 Western Conference team, even in a strong conference.
There are some roster construction issues but they’re not showing up in the ways people expected. Suffice it to say that MM did leave MB with some holes. Good coaches game plan for those deficiencies.
This team is underperforming as a whole by not putting away 18 point leads against inferior teams like ATL.
Right now, they are playing worse than the sum of their parts. Minute allocations are an absolute mess. They need to figure out how to defend well in the paint without leaving guys wide open on the perimeter. Things need to improve drastically for me to be confident in the Kings. And my lack of confidence isn’t about pointing fingers at individual players.
You clearly said “This roster is underperforming, in my opinion.”. I do agree that it is too early to tell.
In my opinion the seven player rotation is essentially maxed out in order to win. That is the roster problem. What happens when they get tired or someone rolls an ankle?
Brown is squeezing 120 plus points a game from six players. That is efficient to an unhealthy extreme. He has no choice though.
In a nod to the abstract and the perspective and limitations that words provide – when it comes to the Sacramento Kings franchise –
There is more to coaching, than coaching.
Mike Brown, has done something beyond the Xs and Os. He has been a big part of the changed, lifted, winning team that takes the floor today. Kings culture isn’t Heat culture, but Mike Brown should recieve credit where credit is due. He was unanimous Coach of the Year as a Kings coach, and despite the curse associated with that honor, replacing him with someone comparable and bringing them to this/dis organization isn’t as simple as seeing who’s available. Has never been, will never be.
That’s just my opinion.
I share your opinion. Mike might only be a good coach when it comes to juggling lineups and game management, rather than a great one, but good coaches are not exactly the norm. He is certainly above replacement level.
He might likely be a great guy though, and be able to motivate people, establish a culture, and it seems like he has taken a cue from Pop, and involves himself in a lot during the offseason, and established himself as a talent collector amongst coaches. I have a feeling his bench of assistants is always going to have a lot of talent on it.
Brown is doing a lot with very little depth.
Right now you start Ellis. He makes a difference with this team. We all want him to score more but it’s his defense that makes this team go.
Because Huerter is out again Ellis starts. Three days ago everyone was ok with Huerter starting. Now it is not cool again.
I wasn’t everyone. Not only me but quite a few others. Don’t catagorize.
or a call from the basketball whisperer. Good decision, coach
MB definitely makes weird lineup decisions at times. His hesitancy with Ellis is at the top of my list.
Nice to see the Kings come out in the 2rd quarter and dominate. Last season it was the opposite. Kings really struggled in 3rd quarters.
Coaches seem to be making adjustments at halftime, so that’s a good sign.
3rd quarter defense was damn good. Steals, deflections, denying entry passes, making the Heat take a long time to get in to their offense. Just wonderful to see. The 3pt defense was bad again, especially losing shooters off screens.
Good win, now get revenge on the Raptors.
Thank you Aykis.
Excellent!
Love the Random Observations.
Rec for you and your writing.
JP! Hope all is well.
Doing well Michael, thank you. Enjoyed your comments as always.
What a finish last night, no? Down by 5 with a little over a minute left on the game clock. Domasanity!
A Domasterpiece!
It was enough to make a person want to Domastur…you know what, never mind…
You had a Saboner?
Glad the Kings won but McNair has a lot to answer for this awful roster construction. This team is so damn small, lacks shooting, and only one playable wing in Keegan. You can’t keep over relying on a 6 man rotation the entire season. It’s just not sustainable.
Would’ve been nice if McNair actually made moves the last couple of years instead of continuing to run it back with an obviously flawed roster.
It takes talent to get talent: it took Hali to get Domas. Considering the roster Monte inherited, it’s hard to see who he could trade to get a lot better.
Had you criticized draft selections, you might have been on better ground. They need to find a Jokic-level talent in the 2nd round.
but to so that need to quit trading all the second round picks. Tilman, Jaden Hardy. Gary Trent, KJ Martin, etc.
this team SHOULD have shooting but the shooters are under performing- some, at least.
The team doesn’t lack shooting. What you have is a few guys who are pretty reliable making threes 37-40% of the time, and who are just not hitting them so far. Huge difference.
The GM signs the talent. It’s on the talent to perform to their capabilities.
So right now the team lacks shooting.
Very happy for the win, as the Heat seems always owned us…
And really like to see Keegan being so aggressive, drive into the lane, and dunk the ball, to block the shots, and to crush the broads….
Maybe we can now get the monkey off our backs. Played hard to keep in the game in the 4th. Got us a chance to win the game. IMO I have one positive and one negative. The negative if you call it that is when the rubber meats the road IMO Fox should have won the game with his shot. I know it’s just one time but that is what he is supposed to do. Sabonis bailed him out. Mr. Clutch. The positive IMO was their defense last night. The best I have seen this year. If you don’t think defense wins games look at what Murray did on Butler the last time the Heat came down the floor. If Butler makes this shot the outcome would be completely different. Murray may not be scoring a lot right now but his defense really kept us in the game and a chance to win which we did.
I just saw on twitter that Rory aka Roardawg has passed away, a regular and frequent commenter since way back in the Sactown Royalty days. I never got to meet him in person, but I imagine some of your here have.
RIP, Rory.
I always loved joking around with him that he was secretly Mike Bratz’s burner account, and he even changed his profile picture to Mike Bratz wearing the Groucho Marx glasses disguise. I never met him in person, but I enjoyed commenting on his Twitter posts every now and then.
RIP. 🙁
Oh I forgot about that bit Klam, it was very funny, thanks for bringing it up.
I really enjoyed Rory over the years; very smart guy, really friendly, and had a very interesting perspective. Very funny too, his twitter posts about him and his cat always made me laugh. It is very sad he did not get more years on this earth.
Appreciate you making a comment Rik. Rory really did make a lot of contributions to this community of Kings fans that have been commiserating for a very long time now. Remarkably long time, really.
Oh shoot I remember Roardawg from STR during the dark days. That sucks. RIP King
I just saw the tweet. Terrible tragic news. RIP Rory.
Well, that’s awful, and I’m very sorry to hear it. Never met the man, but he was a Kings lifer, and generally a lot of fun in the comments.
I hope that he went easy.
Very Sad Day. We are all better for having shared our Kings fandom with him. What a really funny fella. Many sitting by myself chuckles reading his posts.
Dave Carmichael mentioned his passing this morning and the passion of his posts.
Godspeed Rory.
That was nice of Dave.
Massive difference between 3-4 and 4-3. Kings could’ve spent this homestand trying to get their heads above water, but instead they’ll (hopefully) improve to 6-3. Gotta take care of business these next two games before a tough 4-game stretch.
Just checked the standings. If the Kings played in the East they’d be in sole possession of 3rd. Instead, they’re in a 6-way tie for 4th. The Eastern Conference isn’t real.
As long as we keep losing to Eastern Conference teams, it’s real enough.
As real as a donut.
Makes that Toronto even worse, because we all know Western Conference play is going to be tough, and the margin for error is slim.
1) That was a gut check win. Last year’s Kings would have collapsed and left with another L in South Beach. Hopefully they bring that vibe for their rematch against Toronto at home.
2) My god this team needs another wing. Keegan can’t be expected to play 40 minutes every night, especially in all these close games.
3) Anyone else think Sabonis got away with a offensive foul on the rebound and shot to win it. I thought he clearly shoved Bam in the back. Thankfully the refs swallowed their whistles.
4) As Akis mentioned in the piece, how does Miami keep finding all these diamonds? I had never heard of Larsson until last night.
If find Domas did foul Bam, that’s not usually a can the refs will make at that point in the game and that would help make up for about 5-6 clearly missed calls against the Kings.
100%
It was a make up non-call for the bloody nose
L2M report says CNC on that one (“marginal”). I don’t agree, but am ok with it given the punches to Domas’ face and head that weren’t called.
The refs were just making up for all the no-calls they gave the Kings that game. 😉
I knew Larrson’s name from the draft last year, but didn’t look too much in to him because the Kings rarely use a 2nd round pick.
Sabonis did push off a bit on Bam, but Bam whacked Sabonis earlier, amd if that was pushoff was called, then an investigation would need to be opened for corruption.
I am going to say it, never thought I would…this team is missing Kessler Edwards. At least he can play a few minutes and be a decent defender. Keegan will be worn out by Thanskgiving at this rate.
The guy I keep thinking about is Jae Crowder. He may not have much in the tank, but he’s a tough dude and proven winner that play spot minutes at the 3/4. He’s still a free agent who may take a pro-rated vet minimum.
That is a good idea. Put him on the bench instead of the Jones crew and whoever else will never touch the floor.
IMO Monty can go 2 ways. Either trade for someone like Cam Johnson who can definitely shoot the 3 or go after a PF who plays defense can rebound can stretch the floor and at times shoot the 3. We are as of last year and this year not a good 3 point shooting team. Trading say Huerter Lyles and probably a first for Cam Johnson and Day Ron Sharpe could be good or for a PF everyone knows I personally like Tari Eason but there are others out there also.
I have been a fan of Crowder in the past, but a couple of things give me pause.
He pouted his way out of PHX two seasons ago over playing time. He has also looked pretty rough the last couple of years guarding on the perimeter, I don’t know if he has the lateral quickness or mobility to really guard wings any more.
I guess the last thing that would make me think the league knows he is likely washed, is the last two years for the Bucks, he only played in 8 of their 11 playoff games, for 82 minutes, and shot 6-25, including 1-13 from three.
Yeah, you may be totally right. There are likely multiple reasons why he’s not on an NBA roster right now.
like foot speed, attitude and lateral quickness?
This could be a really weird NBA season.
-This draft class looks weak with regard to players contributing immediately.
-Bucks, Sixers, Pelicans, and Nuggets look a little funky so far, and have age/injury/contract issues.
-The East has some relentlessly mediocre teams who might be in sell mode
There might be some moves Monte can make that are not obvious now.
I definitely think teams in the apron(s) that don’t look like deep playoff teams will be sellers by the deadline.
8 of 11 is a good percentage. He is probably washed or broken but he is better than what we have on the bench.
Kings do need another wing- let Marshall and D, Jones slide on by while waiting for DDR. Then looked at Covington, Crowder, N. Little etc. and settled on Doug- not much help so far.
Who realistically, did he miss? and what are the current options? Fire sale at deadline.
One of the things I like about the early games is that my 8 year old can set the end of the games. That was probably the best ending to a game he’s seen so far, what a win!
Now if the Kings can defend home court better than they did last year, this could be a good season.
Great win in a playoff type game!
I am loving the addition of DDR. He gives the Kings something they severely lacked; a player who can create a good shot without relying on speed, dribbling or athleticism and I mean that in a good way. He gets good shots with BBIQ, fundamentals and calmness.
Not always a huge fan of the TV crew but Mark Jones said it at some point ‘DeRozan is the adult in the room’
Man this has been such a weird season already. I mean we’re three and three, which considering the teams we have played honestly doesn’t feel that promising. But our point differential is one of the best in the league, and we’ve been competitive in every game, which we haven’t been before.
Seeing how dangerous we are on offense is super exciting. But man there are some huge red flags. Like how consistently bad we are are at giving up 3pts shots. How weak our bench play has been beyond Monk and Ellis. How bad our 3pt shooting has been. It’s literally like you can see this team as a serious playoff threat or a lottery team, depending on which stats you focus on.
Pros
Majorly dangerous starting 5-7.
Great foul shooting.
Impossible to double team.
Staying in every game.
Murray and Ellis both have the skills to be amazing young players on offense and defense on any given night.
Cons
Terrible at defending the 3, no matter who the team is.
Not consistently hitting the three ourselves.
Very limited depth.
Unbalanced roster.
No obvious fix for the above. Trade Huerter for a big and you damage our already sketchy three point shooting. Start Ellis and you unbalance the bench even more with Monk and Kevin being your only reliable non-starting players.
Hopefully Brown, has realized that Ellis needs to start when Kevin is hurt. But at least we have an option there. If Fox, DD, Sabonis, or even Keegan goes down for any length of time, we literally have no bench depth at all. Brown keeps saying he doesn’t want to play the starters as much. But honestly, what choice does he have? One of the questions I asked the mailbag post before the season started as about our bench depth for this very reason.
Hopefully Lyles get healthy fast because it feels like we are one injury away from losing a lot of games fast.
Hahaha. Yeah. I mean the election will be over tonight. But we could have months of debating whether the Kings are actually bad or good. Willy would be pleased.
Well. If they turn out to be good, which seems likely, then we will have to debate HOW good.
Which actually sounds delightful.
If you package Huerter for a John Collins / Jerami Grant type, I don’t see how it hurts your 3-pt shooting. They are all 37-38% career guys.
It does kill your future cap flexibility, but bolsters the wing (since Keegan slots down a spot) and front court depth.
It would likely take Huerter and Lyles to get either one of those guys due to salary matching. I’m not sure giving up that much depth for one guy is worth it, not to mention both Grant and Collins are way overpaid.
Let’s be honest, unless we see a turnaround, Lyles isn’t providing any depth right now.
This is outside the box but with Milwaukee struggling why not make a call on Lopez? I have not seen them play this year so maybe his play is dropping, I don’t know. And maybe the numbers don’t work, I don’t know.
I know he is older but I have always thought he could be the perfect front court mate with Sabonis. Lopez could play the 5 defensively and stretch 4 offensively. It is basically how they play him with Giannis. He is a decent 3pt shooter. And Sabonis could avoid guarding the bigger centers he struggles with.
I would vote to go after Bobby Portis if the Bucks become sellers. He’s everything we’d want Trey Lyles to be as a backup 4/5.
Yes, please.
Part of the reason the Bucks are getting killed is because Lopez doesn’t have nearly the mobility he had a few years ago. He’s still a useful NBA player, but maybe not a starter, and Milwaukee would insist on far too much in trade.
Well, that and Doc Rivers.
Fair but fair.
Doc is a lot to over come, but the also have one of the oddest rosters in the league.
Starting two players in Trent Jr. & Taurean Prince, when they really are 7/8 men in a rotation is tough.
Also, whilst this might not be a popular opinion here, maybe Portis isn’t that good? He is very Olden Polynice to me, and not that I don’t have love for OP, but there are some limitations. Portis gets his shots, and gets some rebounds, but he is a bad defensive player overall, and is not a rim protector at all. He has a block rate of 1.2% for his career, by comparison a man whose name means King in Arabic has a block rate of 1.4%.
My simple take on Portis is that I think that he is an upgrade over Lyles, and he is a player with a reputation of not being much fun to go up against, a physical presence. The Kings could use one of those guys.
My gut is that he might be one of those players who gets to Sac and forgets how to play. Not that the atmosphere is anywhere near what it was back when that was a common refrain in the comment section, but I worry of his reputation exceeding his efficacy at this stage.
Since you are as old as me, without being El Ron-ian in age, I know you will get this comp: I feel like this team is missing their Bobby Jones. Someone off the bench that is versatile defensively, their motor runs non-stop, and can get out on the break and keep the ball moving in half court. With Fox and Keon, I feel like they will always be able to have a competent POA defender, and Keegan is certainly talented, I feel like that is the missing piece and would take pressure off of Trey.
Is DFS a better target? Makes 2.5m more, and would likely be in more demand. What about dollar-store DFS in Torey Craig? He might not be good enough to make a difference, a sip of sherry when a shot of bourbon is needed. Perhaps a Thybulle, DJJ, or Kenrich Williams shakes loose as the season progresses and teams under/over perform and make roster changes.