Finally.
Sacramento’s four-game skid came to an end Wednesday night thanks to a huge run spearheaded by Malik Monk to end the game. Monk scored 11 of his 27 points in the 4th quarter, and scored or assisted (he also finished the night with 9 assists) on 24 of Sacramento’s final 27 points. The Kings finally emerged victorious over the Minnesota Timberwolves in their third attempt so far this season, winning 115-104 on the road. Domantas Sabonis added 27 points and 12 rebounds and De’Aaron Fox scored 26 points to go with 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Anthony Edwards led all scorers with 29 points but shot just 9-24 from the field and only scored 5 points total in the second half.
It wasn’t an easy victory even though it started off looking like it could have been. The Timberwolves have also been dealing with their own struggles of late and came into tonight’s game against Sacramento having lost their last three games, including an overtime loss the night before to the Houston Rockets. The Kings had talked about setting a tone early after several lackadaisical efforts in a row to start games and overall they did a pretty good job of that, coming in with a gameplan to attack the paint constantly. The Kings ended up scoring 69 points in the first half alone, with 42 of those coming in the paint. Domantas Sabonis in particular was really focused on attacking inside and set the tone by scoring 18 of his 27 points in the first half going right at Rudy Gobert. Isaac Jones also came in off the bench and gave the Kings some really solid minutes in that first half, scoring 8 points to go with 5 rebounds, showcasing some nice hustle on both ends. Jones could be in line for a bigger role with Trey Lyles set to miss an extended period of time and the Kings desperate for some size.
With the Kings leading 69-57, it was very important that they came out strong to start the second half to put the Timberwolves on the backfoot and hopefully blow the game open. But of course, the opposite happened. After the Kings opened up the scoring off a Jae Crowder layup to open up the lead to 14, the Wolves went on a 10-0 run to cut the lead to 4. The Kings managed to hold them off temporarily, building the lead back up to 7 with about 6:52 left in the quarter. From there though, the Kings and in particular, Kevin Huerter, had some disastrous possessions. At the 5:37 mark, Huerter threw a bad backwards pass to Domantas Sabonis that was picked off and resulted in Sabonis picking up his 5th foul as he attempted to try to get the ball away from Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The Kings were already in the penalty so Alexander-Walker went to the line and cut the lead to just three. On the other end, Huerter missed an open corner three point attempt (Ellis also missed one on this same possession after the Kings got the second chance, so it wasn’t just Huerter missing shots). A possession later, Huerter turned the ball over yet again and the Wolves were able to cut the lead to one at 77-76. Finally, Huerter took it down the lane on the other end but was stripped by Anthony Edwards with the ball going out of bounds and to Minnesota. You could argue that Edwards should have been called for a foul, but the Kings didn’t opt to challenge and Minnesota gained possession. After that stint, Huerter never re-entered the game, with Mike Brown even turning to Doug McDermott and Jordan McLaughlin in the 4th quarter (both of whom had not played in the game at all prior to that point) instead. Huerter’s struggles have been well documented at this point, and he hasn’t looked like the same player he was in his first year with the Kings for almost a year now and there’s no telling if that player is ever coming back at this point.
Huerter can’t be completely blamed for that 3rd quarter however. The Kings would end up scoring just 12 points in that 3rd quarter and Minnesota would go into the 4th up 86-81 after being down 12 coming into the period. It would have been worse if not for an amazing De’Aaron Fox steal and buzzer beating layup to end the quarter, but it’s something that’s occurred far too often this season. The Kings have already had four quarters with 15 or fewer points this season through 19 games. Last season they had just five such quarters throughout all 82. The Kings shot just 5-18 in that 3rd quarter, including 0-7 from three.
The Wolves opened up the 4th quarter with Nickeil Alexander-Walker hitting his fifth three pointer of the night to make it an 8 point game. Sacramento’s offensive struggles continued from there with the Kings only scoring 5 points in the first 5 minutes of the 4th. With 7:17 to go, Anthony Edwards scored a layup to make it 98-86 and it looked like the Kings were heading towards another painful finish.
But then Malik Monk happened.
Monk started pushing the pace and attacking the Wolves with the two-man game, first finding Keon Ellis and then Domantas Sabonis. Then Monk started scoring himself, getting to the line and following that up with two huge threes in a row to tie the game at 102 apiece.
Out of the timeout, Monk got the steal off of Mike Conley and found Jae Crowder, who missed the three point attempt, but there was Malik Monk again getting the offensive rebound and dishing it out to De’Aaron Fox who drained a three of his own to give the Kings the lead again at 105-102. After Anthony Edwards missed a heavily contested three of his own, Monk took it himself on the other end to give the Kings a five point lead. Anthony Edwards came back with a floater, but then it was De’Aaron Fox again from distance to put the Kings up 110-104. After a solid defensive possession that prevented a layup by Jaden McDaniels, Monk took it on the other end for a layup to put the Kings up 112-104 with 1:26 left and forced Chris Finch to call a timeout.
From there, the Wolves tried to get back into the game with some quick threes by Naz Reid, but they weren’t falling, although the Kings did turn the ball over a couple of times to give the Wolves some extra hope. But Malik finally put a capper on the game when he found Jae Crowder wide open in the corner for a three to seal the victory. In total, the Kings went on a 29-6 run over that final 7:17.
It was a much needed win for the Kings after several tough losses in a row. Every game is important, but games against fellow Western Conference teams even moreso, and the Kings now have vaulted themselves ahead of the Timberwolves in the standings but still have some room to make up. Hopefully tonight was the start of this team getting back on the right track.
The Kings are back in action on Friday in Portland where they’ll look to get back to .500 on the season.
Random Observations:
- With no DeMar DeRozan, Mike Brown and the Kings surprisingly (or not surprisingly if you have watched Mike Brown and the Kings for any length of time) started newcomer Jae Crowder in his place, fresh off free agency and without even a shootaround. For someone who came in cold like that, Crowder played pretty well throughout the game, making his open shots and providing some size and toughness. He definitely looked a little lost at times and had some miscommunications with his teammates, but that is to be expected for someone making their season debut with a new team. Crowder looked like a good fit.
- Keegan’s shot continues to be way off, although tonight he had a couple that just rimmed out After finishing 0-4 from three tonight, he’s now at just 28.4% for the season. The Kings desperately rely on Keegan as one of their shooters, and we know he’s better than this. One statistic that is giving me a little hope with regards to his shot is that he has always started off slow. In his rookie season, he shot just 27% from three in 13 November games, and last season he was at 26.2% in 10 November games. A Keegan that is a reliable outside shooter is a game changer for this team.
- I know I railed on Kevin Huerter earlier, but it is such a Mike Brown thing to do to put in someone completely cold in the 4th quarter like he did tonight with Jordan McLaughlin and Doug McDermott. I get he’s searching for options, but Keon only played 21 minutes. You could have afforded to play him a little more, or someone like Isaac Jones who had been playing well (and didn’t play at all in the 4th).
- After starting the season leading the league in free throw attempts, the Kings are down to 11th in attempts now. Yes, a big part of that is the games DeMar DeRozan is missing, but we really should be getting to the line more. There were several plays tonight where there was legitimate contact around the rim and the Kings didn’t get free throw opportunities. De’Aaron Fox in particular seems to have one of the worst whistles in the league. The real exasperating part is seeing the same contact get called on the other end. This isn’t the reason the Kings are in a rut but I’d like to see the officiating at least be consistent.
- I really like Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The guy is a knockdown shooter and a solid defender to boot. He was arguably Minnesota’s second best player tonight, although Julius Randle once again played well, scoring 21 points to go with 9 rebounds.
- I want to see aggressive attack-mode Sabonis more often. He’s a good scorer but doesn’t look for his own shot often enough.
Crowder to Randle:
This makes sense.
Happy Thanksgiving, y’all. Glad we could go in to the holiday with a W.
Indeed, Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Happy Thanksgiving, Klam!
Happy Thanksgiving Adamsite. Thanks for putting you on the spot a lot because I really appreciate your comments to all my questions.
PS Where are you murraytant? Did you change teams? Did you get traded? Happy Thanhsgiving to you also.
Good W but it drives me crazy watching Huerter still in the Kings when they should have traded or upgrade years ago. Obvious. He was always useless when needed. Now he’s just useless. Good luck trading him now.
And the fact that Keegan can’t shoot. What’s the point of Keegs if he can’t make the 3.
They need to just work on his shot and adjust the damn O if that’s what’s needed.
Again, getting DDR seemed counterintuitive.
Keegan’s shooting struggles are just so baffling. Not sure what happened.
Are we sure it’s not Kris?
Not sure either but they need to figure it out.
Seems like o er emphasis on Keegs as D stopper and an O that’s not geared to him.
They need to make his 3 a priority.
Thank goodness. We all needed a respite.
Great recap, Akis
This game is owed to the incredible 4th quarter performance of Monk and Fox. When those two are on like that late in the game, any game is winnable. “Clutch and 6th” were the men tonight.
Random thoughts:
1) Isaac Jones is worthy of some more minutes. I was getting some Kenneth Faried vibes from him tonight. He was all hustle and effort. That kind of play gets you bonus points and disruption on defense that leads to offensive opportunities.
2) Huerter is really struggling right now, and it’s not just his shot. He’s normally pretty reliable with the ball and makes up for poor shooting elsewhere. That was not the case tonight.
3) Crowder brought a mental aspect this team needs. He may not produce in the box score, but the chip on his shoulder is the biggest on the team. I still have my doubts, but time will tell.
4) Sabonis is still the glue that holds this team’s potential together. When he sat with 5 fouls in the 4th, the team really struggled. I was impressed with this 4th quarter performance while playing with 5 fouls because the team really needs him on the court.
5). I don’t know what to say about McDermott and McLaughlin coming in cold together. Glad that was short lived. At least there wasn’t a silly challenge by Brown tonight.
6) I still stand by my dislike of Brown giving Crowder the start over others. It just doesn’t set right for me, especially if it’s some passive-aggressive effort to light a fire under his bench. It just stinks of Brown not taking any blame for things and instead throwing a good chunk of his team under the bus. If Crowder ends up being some kind of revelation to this team, GREAT, bu why wasn’t he on the team when they worked him out before camp? It makes the McDermott signing all the more baffling.
7) I really liked the Wolves city edition jerseys and court design. I much prefer their key art and colors to the eye burning courts of the in-season tourney.
You struggled to write enough about things other than Crowder trying to hide your hatred for the positive change.
Crowder is good for this team. It is ok.
This team won. It is ok. Nothing purely positive in your seven points? This is good but….
But what? Putting two players in the game in the fourth quarter who were cold and had not played at all up to then was not a good play by Brown. One was McDermott who thankfully only played 1 minute which is 10 minutes too many, What Sabonis did in the fourth quarter was great helping Monk and Fox. And with 5 fouls. Huerter was terrible as noted above. I question your comment above. You must have been watching the radio.
It is all bad! Nobody is allowed to win here!
Did you watch the game and enjoy the comeback?
How was it seeing a new face perform well?
WTF? How do you not understand the point? The issue is not that Crowder came out and the team won. The point is that Brown starting Crowder over other folks who have been with the team since the beginning of training camp, folks who’ve put in a shit ton more work and dedication to the team, rode pine while Crowder got a start fresh off the couch.
And I fkn agree. Brown’s personnel decisions aren’t just head scratching, they’re downright infuriating, for lots and lots of reasons. Trolling and gaslighting doesn’t take away from Brown needing to dial in his rotations. Also, 8 pts and 4 rebounds is performing well? That’s pretty fkn pedestrian in my book, but cool, let’s anoint our new 47 year old savior.
My clear point is that this team has struggled. Our bench put up nine points the other night and that was only one player. For twenty games this has been a problem. Brown had an option for a starter other than our bench and he took it. Crowder did more than anyone else at his position on our bench has done. His effort was next level. His competitive nature and veteran presence was huge in this win.
In my opinion it was a good move by the GM and the coaching staff to start Crowder. The other players have been here for a long time and have not won games for a long time. These guys are all replaceable. The attitude of this team needs to change. Bringing in new players and taking minutes from other players is part of competition in the NBA.
I do not think that the team should remain the same. The length of time on a roster should not dictate playing time.
Appreciate hearing your opinion.
Glad you appreciate hearing my opinion. You can praise this plug and play approach that Coach Brown has employed going back to last season but its trash for so many reasons. Jae Crowder is a break glass in case of emergency starter. The fact that anyone thinks he’s some kind of savior for this team is laughably depressing.
He is most definitely needed. He is in no way a savior or a super star.
In an emergency should we stare at the glass in fear and not break it while the flames grow?
Got to change you from a Crowder doubter to a Crowder shouter!
Kings undefeated in the Jae Crowder era.
What a strange game though. The whistles were again, a problem. And did Domas rip the officials in Starting Five or something?
Along with #99 (Crowder) big hat tip to Isaac Jones. He was mostly in control, played his role well, didn’t try and over-do.
He passed up a couple of 3s but that was okay.
Nice to see the Kings pull together to snatch a win and not their opponent
Kings Win! Dance!
&ct=g
Happy Thanksgiving!
Jones was a shock to me. He did well. I did see him waving and calling for the ball while open in the corner. It was good to see but they did not pass it to him thankfully.
I have wanted to see I Jones get some more minutes. How good he ends up being I don’t know but he looks like he is not scared and can do some things. He offers some length and size which the Kings really need.
Lets see Brown play him a little more and find out.
He has been playing him. It has been pretty decent.
Need more data?
Why thankfully? He can miss a 3 just as well as all the others. Or maybe he could hit it? You and I will never know. With Lyles ot Brown might think to playing him more like last night. Was impressed.
Play Jones more when Lyles comes back as well . May prove to be more valuable .
Because they took the easy basket in the paint instead of the long shot. Smart basketball.
I’m thankful for Malik Monk.
Yes, the Jae Crowder era is upon us. I love his toughness and attitude, can see it rubbing off on his teammates.
He cares about winning. He will not simply roll over and whine about everything in the last five minutes.
Gotta agree with this. I can imagine some of the bench guys wondering just what they have to do to get minutes, then Crowder comes literally out of nowhere and gets inserted into the staring lineup. It’s a good way to squash your bench’s morale (unless Crowder actuality ends up being a significant difference-maker, time will tell…) and make them even less useful than they currently are.
The bench had 20 games and they did nothing to earn the playing time.
Our bench vs. Crowder and his well established career?
The other reality is that this team has sucked because of a lack of effort. The message to the starters was clear and poignant.
I agree.
Isaac Jones has done nothing to earn minutes? All he’s done is be what the Kings need when he’s on the floor. Sorry sample size, sure, but that’s Brown’s fault, not his.
Also, Shaq had a well established career. Should we sign him to back up Sabonis? Thanks for calling him old without calling him old.
Isaac Jones was playing wasn’t he?
He earned his spot on the floor.
100%
Seems Jones has earned minutes . Long athletic scrappy and productive .
I agree. Give him a chance and let’s see what happens.
Same with Orlando Robinson. I think with extended minute he can be more valuable than Len.
That could be true also.
Brown has been letting him on the floor and he has held his own.
Tell me how somebody like I Jones has not shown anything last night. To earn playing time he had to play. Up to now he hasn’t been giving enough time in a game to adjust. 2 or 3 minutes spot time doesn’t do it. Last night he was giving time and showed he can play. Maybe a fluke but IMO he can be a good part of the bench.
This goes back to a comment I made a couple threads back about Brown being overly stubborn and slow to adjust.
Especially when it has been obvious for a long time this team needs more size and length. Why not give Isaac Jones and/or Robinson some minutes? Unless they are given a real chance, nobody knows.
I am happy MB is finally making some adjustments even if they are due to injuries and desperation.
He only adequate adjustments last season when the injuries piled up too.
He did show up and played well. That is why he played in the game.
Are you going to keep repeating this point, while not addressing the larger arguments folks are making about Brown’s rotation? The Kings needs size and length and there’s size and length on the bench that Brown hasn’t even given a shot. So, technically your argument that the bench had a chance but didn’t show up so Brown had to start Crowder doesn’t really apply to Jones and O-Rob because they haven’t been given much of a shot. See how that works? O-Rob has played 18 minutes THIS season. Jones has played 56. Crowder has played 27.
Robinson needs to play more. I think Brown has not given him that opportunity. Lyles and Len have done nothing. They had their chance. The rest of the bench has failed. Only nine points the other night. Nobody has said anything good about this bench until Crowder showed up.
Maybe Robinson is not playing well in practice?
Maybe Robinson has some personality issues?
Maybe Robinson is hurt?
We don’t know. Brown and his staff see him every day. I agree that he did well in the limited minutes he got. I would like to see him play.
Isaac surprised me. I have said many times that anyone named Jones should be waived. I was wrong.
At any point in time given the opportunity to play Isaac, Len, Lyles, or Robinson I am going with the known opportunity Crowder brings.
This isn’t high school. I’m sure they are aware the key to finding minutes is improving.
They brought in a *better player. Deal with it Sally.
Yeah I agree to finding minutes is the key to improving but how do you improve without playing. I Jones got minutes and made the most of it. I really liked what he did last night. If he gets to play more and keeps improving maybe Monty found somebody. Time and playing will tell.
Kobe Bryant improved by obsessing over improving. He spent his free time improving. Playing time was his reward for obsessing over improving.
NBA teams need to employ cheap bench players to make the salaries work. When you’re looking for a great starting forward, these guys might not be the pool to draw from.
Personally I’ve been doing this “sports fan thing” long enough that I no longer expect players to transform. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, I’m saying I don’t fall into the trap of thinking, “Maybe Ben Simmons will have an outside shot this year.”
They are who they are.
Nobody on the bench was really making a difference, I dont see how putting crowder in to start could hurt. They are grown men making grown men money they should know they havent been getting the job done.
Brown used a nine player rotation and we did not die. I honestly thought that was not possible. Crowder brings an attitude and a determination to compete that this team has never seen in their locker room. When Haliburton left they lost that. Monk starting needs to be the next change. He brings so much that this team needs. Keegan is a fringe player at this point. Focus on the core of Derozan, Sabonis, Monk, and Fox.
Awesome win with some overdue changes to the roster and line ups. We did not win any major game but we did beat a team and put them below us in the rankings.
Eight is really the number he used looking at the minutes played. It did work out well. It was fun watching Crowder’s intensity.
Monk brings as much or even more than Hali which IMO didn’t bring that much. I like Crowder”s attitude also but if you want me to I’ll name quite a few that have over time.
Going back fifty years is not relevant. This team. The team currently playing in Sacramento. It is one of the softest teams in the NBA historically speaking. Haliburton was the last truly gritty competitor in recent history.
Just my opinion.
I believe Crowder being vocal and physical on the floor helped out with referees as well.
They won this game because of Monk. he will have evrey season a few games that he wins for the team (and a few where he shoots or throws them out of games). He never lacks confidence and tonight that helped a lot.
As others sad, i am not crazy about starting Crowder straiht away, but his toughness, physicality and willingness to get into a dogfight clearly helped.
It seems to me that Minnesota is in a somewhat similar situation as Sacramento; a great season, followed by some GM (Randle trade) and coaching decisions that makes you feel that they started believing in their own hype and suddenly that same team looks mortal and frail.
This time, the Kings (Malik) managed to exploit their opponent’s frailness and overcome their own (3rd quarter).
It was a much-needed win in a difficult situation. Kudo’s to the team for getting it done.
Well said.
Monk should be a starter. That energy is needed in that lineup. Doesn’t hold fox back. He actually helps sabonis by getting him easy baskets which opens up his play making more. So obvious he elevates fox play as well w his energy.
Wins like this make me want to believe again. Start monk!
Ha! This made me smile. Rec’d
I have always liked Monk’s energy off the bench. He can turn games around single handedly, like last night.
BUT I was thinking the same. Maybe it’s time to start him.
Just an idea….bring DDR off the bench and cut his minutes down, and maybe keep him healthier and maybe he can be the microwave guy. I do like the idea of him being iso’d on backup defenders.
Ellis starting helps Fox stay out of foul trouble.
Monk is the better player and therefore should start.
It is ok for this team to win with Ellis competing for minutes from the bench.
Manu Ginobli was a better player for the Spurs but he didn’t start … during a championship year
The team Manu played on had depth at every single position. You are comparing a rocket to a ceiling fan. Having a great sixth man is cool. Let Ellis or Huerter be that guy. Monk does so much more than any of them when he is on the floor.
The spark this team gets with Monk needs to happen at the beginning of games so we are not playing from behind all the time.
do you think it would be ideal to have Fox guarding the opponent’s best guard during the first minutes of the game and risk getting in early foul trouble?
Fox has to guard somebody.
How often is Fox in foul trouble? I do not think that has been an issue. Monk scores and brings an energy that the other team has to try to stop. Ellis plays defense and passes up on open shots.
This team is better with Monk and because of that I think Monk should start.
we also want to make it difficult for the other team to score, right?
Yeah. Keon can still play. Didn’t Fox lead the league in steals or something like that?
This whole team sucks defensively. Keon is great on this team defensively but average in the NBA. We have proven many times that one player playing defense is not winning games.
If you start Monk who then would you have come off the bench to upstart or when the starters are playing well keep it going? You need him as your 6th man to do that. He will still play the same and in some instances more that some starters. I agree we need him in the 4th quarter which he always is. IMO it’s not who starts but who finishes.
DDR. He can be the microwave off the bench. Reduce his minutes a bit and maybe keep him healthier. I like the idea of him hunting vs backups.
And play J Mac a little more as a backup ball handler.
Could work but it will require MB to, you know, actually coach.
yeah, Monk as a finisher. the next question is if Fox and Monk are on the court at the end, would the best complementary forwards be Keegan and Crowder?
What I have seen is that the offense seems to run much more smoothly when DDR is out. Ball and player movement improves, which makes more space for Monk and Fox.
How about rotating the trio of Fox, Monk and DeRozan so that two of them are on the court at all times, but usually not all three?
It’s difficult when Domas gets added to that as well, because Monk is at his best when he runs with Domas in the pick and roll. But Demar muddies up the spacing for that.
Same goes with fox, as he needs space to get to the paint. So if Fox and Demar are on the court, they need Demar on the right side so Fox can go left, but then Sabinis is usually out there as well.
It’s really a tricky thing to figure out, especially when the 3s aren’t dropping, which exacerbates all the issues with spacing.
I think DeMar can fit anywhere on offense. but if he’s a #3 option on offense, playing off the ball, it’s not playing to his strengths and when factoring his defense, it might actually be a net-negative. If he’s a top two option on the court, it should be a net-positive.
should be a good problem to have. there should never be a concern about bench scoring as long as all three are available.
It shouldn’t be a problem, I just don’t think he has been integrated well in to the larger scheme of the offense. It can be done, just hasn’t yet.
I like DDR but I agree.
A very underrated part of Monk’s game is his playmaking and 2 man game. He can create easy shots for himself and others.
He gets Domas going. Domas needs to be setup for easy buckets near the paint.
Let’s go back to 1999 and just stay there. Pretend we never changed and picked up another 30 ppg player. Put him on the bench.
Huh?
He is here. He scores the ball on a team built to score an immense number of points. Figure out how to use him.
Well, yeah. I have said that many times. Just making an observation that the offense has more movement when he isn’t in.
They will figure that out. I think it is more of a Fox problem than a Derozan problem. Fox needs to learn how to play as a leader on the floor and play without the ball.
30 is not a bad number. That’s where DeRozan is on the all-time nba career scoring list.
So he is a good player that should play here. We can figure it out. Sitting him on the bench to avoid the change is useless.
No-one is saying to sit him on the bench.
What some of us are considering here is whether the value of Fox, Monk and DeRozan would be optimized if two of them are on the court but usually not all three. 96 minutes divided three ways is plenty, even if Fox stays at 36-38 minutes
I honestly think we should let Derozan play without Fox more often.
Possibly. The big questions are how will Crowder hold up, was that game a fluke, can he hit open 3s?
I do like his toughness.
Who knows?
Who cares if he hits open threes?
He competes and creates problems for other teams because we actually have size where we need it.
Nothing can change! We must play the garbage game we have been playing until it works!
Fox, Monk, Crowder, Keegan, Sabonis
Fox, Monk, Derozan, Keegan, Sabonis
Fox, Derozan, Crowder, Keegan, Sabonis
Fox, Monk, Crowder, Keegan, Sabonis
The possibilities are endless. We have some size now.
Brown is embarrassing this team, and if he hasn’t lost them yet it’s not far off. Go off on the refs and terrible officiating, use your challenges (not 30 seconds in), CUT MCBUCKETS, play out of your pre-ordained lineup (like Isaac Jones in the 4th).
Also, while the Kings desperately need size, all the whining about “Why sign Monk, we need a PF” or “Play Ellis in crunch time over Monk” is dumb as hell, and he showed everyone why tonight. No Monk, No Beam. And this isn’t an isolated incident.
Finally, Jae Crowder contributing to a win that doesn’t happen without him, 5 years after Kings fans knew he was a fit for the team, is the most Kings thing I’ve ever seen.
I think all would agree Jae Crowder and Issac Jones should be giving playing time for the rest of the season, hope Mike Brown agree on that and play those guys…
Randle did not get his game going, it’s all because of the above tough and strong guys guarding him, Keegan is too soft and cannot stop Randle…..
This game is a great win, and we need this kind of intensity from Fox every game…
The Kings played well for 3 quarters, and the other quarter nearly cost them the game.
Monk and Fox came up big in the 4th, and Sabonis did what Sabonis is supposed to do in those final 10 minutes while playing with 5 fouls.
Crowder played hard, and started making a difference in that 4th quarter comeback with energy and toughness.
Isaac Jones gave solid minutes off the bench when the team needed a boost.
I don’t want to see McDermott on the court again. Huerter was almost equally bad this game.
I woke up in the middle of the night for a few hours of insomnia. Always fun. While up I saw we had multiple emails reporting trolling, particularly in the game thread.
There were too many comments that I took issue with, and not just from a single person. You all know who you were. Bickering like children, sniping at people without naming them, trying to goad people into continuing arguments. It was on both sides of the argument. For gods sake, you all kept acting like you won arguments based on three minute stretches of games.
Frankly, I’ve got better things to do with my Thanksgiving than go delete comments or email you all individual warnings, so I’m addressing it this way instead. Consider this your warning.
Search “threadiquette” and you’ll find my last post about site rules. Flag and move on. If see I see you all acting like children again I’ll start putting you all on timeout. Grow up.
Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Be safe.
Greg reading the game thread while preparing Thanksgiving dinner.
Thank you, Greg. I was going to send you another complaining email. So count me as endorsing what you just wrote. The rule should be: make your point, and then LEAVE IT ALONE! Let it go. You’ve said it already. If you find yourself repeating what you have said, STOP!
And I hope all off you enjoy some family time!
Appreciate that Greg.
Not saying he is going to move the needle overall but Crowder does give them something they really, really lack….toughness.
Yes, that why we need D. Green.
Ingoring his act on the court, he can be such a difference maker for this team, which lack toughness for over a century…
Donte Green? I’d take him over the other “Green”.. And please, for the love of all that’s sacred and right, a super “no” to that guy. He’s not welcome here.
Draymond competes and has rings. Why can’t he play here?
Isaac Jones showed a quiet toughness, too. He banged in there with Gobert, Randle, and Naz Reid. Much tougher and stronger than Lyles, who is more of a finesse style player.
Hope to see more Isaac Jones.
Totally agree! Not sure how good he can be but I want to see more.
He didn’t look scared, he has size and length, looks fairly athletic and hustles.
And like you said some toughness. The Kings have been very soft for a while.
Yup, he stepped up when called upon. He has an opportunity now that Lyles will be gone for a while. It would be fantastic if Monte found another undrafted producer.
It would really help.
Also ready for Colby to get time over Huerter. That’s how unproductive Huerter has been. See what Colby can do with consistent minutes for 5 games.
Possibly, it really is disappointing to see Huerter fall off a cliff. I can’t figure out what the issue is. It’s not just his 3pt shooting either. His numbers are down across the board. They are even worse than this rookie year. He may just need a change of scenery.
Maybe Huerter and Lyles can bring someone back, but their value is low, so I am not hopeful.
Probably would have to be a bloated/negative contract for a reclamation player.
Huerter and Lyles for Draymond Green was a somewhat far fetched and barely reasonable fantasy. At this point with both of them playing poorly it will never happen.
good
I still think Ainge will move John Collins at some point to continue Utah’s rebuild. He got Collins for pennies on the dollar and now can sell high. What I once thought was an overpay in Huerter and Lyles for Collins, now won’t get it done.
I figure some contenders out there will like Lyles’ historic production off the bench and will value is expiring deal. I also figure someone will recognize Huerter’s suppressed value and will come a knocking. Time will tell.
I,ve said this before but don’t like to harp but here goes. The Pistons want a shooter bad. It might not happen because Huerter’s value has dropped and they have enough big men. Trade: Huerter and a first for Isiah Stewart. Great motor can defend. At 250
lbs. can move. Good rim protector especially the weak side. Can defend on the perimeter. Really good foot movement. His salary is good for the next 4 years. Only 23 and has a lot of room to improve. Can play PF and center.
Why do we need an undrafted producer?
Why not just a good player?
$
Crowder is expensive?
Vivek’s wallet is of no concern to the fans. Why make excuses for losing?
Isaac played three games in Stockton and did very well. Awesome he is so far working out.
If this team needs a specific player why must that player be undrafted?
IMO there is a chance of that happening.
I think Isaac Jones was loudly tough. He had energy and was making his presence felt. More please.
He wasn’t flexing or yelling, which is what I was pointing out. Just went about his business.
I was thinking “loud” in terms of playing the game. He went about his business by being physical and playing with energy and intensity.
We agree that he played well, then?
He played awesome. He earned his minutes. I love the idea of playing the players that produce and therefore earn their minutes.
for 8 points and 5 rebounds. You’re infatuated with mediocrity.
I am infatuated with changing a losing team and getting a win. Isaac put up some solid minutes and surprised me with his presence on the floor. It is good to see that Brown has more than a warm body to go to on the bench.
In 17 minutes. Not bad.
21 but still surprisingly good.
I’m Thankful for Isaac Jones! The story of his ascension to the NBA – coupled with his growth as an “underdog” rookie – fills my flagging Kings spirits with newfound hope. If nothing else, he symbolizes the raw, brute, developing talent that this team needs at a time when half of the roster has passed their prime.
Your bench should contribute. Even down to the 13th man.
ME TOO!
Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for the Kings even though they drive me crazy.
Also, I am thankful for the Herald, the people who make it go, the articles and the comments, helps keep me sane.
what do you all think of that closing lineup? Fox, Monk, Keegan, Crowder, Sabonis.
Since they won I liked it.
Not sure it will work longer term but for one night at least it got the job done.
I think it was the only lineup Brown could have played last nigh, given the lack of production from everyone else. It defiantly worked, but I think that was more to Monk and Fox going supernova.
I will say this, I like it better than a Fox, Monk, DDR, Keegan, Sabonis closing lineup. I’m not a fan of having 3 ISO dominant players and not much defense in crunch time.
Brown should have the luxury of choosing one of either Monk or DDR for those final few minutes. Pick the hot hand, but balance it with defense, please.
Both can play together well when Fox needs a rest so that helps this team greatly.
And if you need defense in the fourth quarter and IMO you do Ellis is the man.
If we can ever get to a point where we are not consistently