The Kings have embarked on their final long road trip of the season. The first stop of four: the Windy City. On the momentum of winning their last two, including a 21-point victory over the Denver Nuggets, the Chicago Bulls hosted the Kings with fresh legs, having not played since Saturday. Meanwhile, the Kings looked to bounce back from a physical fight they put up against the Milwaukee Bucks just two days ago. Let's see how they did:
Quick Stats
Outcome: Kings win, 117-114
Sacramento Kings: 117 pts, 48.7% fg, 42.9% 3 pt, 79.3% ft, 26 ast, 45 reb, 20 to
Chicago Bulls: 114 pts, 39.2% fg, 38.1% 3 pt, 88.0% ft, 28 ast, 48 reb, 15 to
It's the Cardiac Kings, baby. After a rough 1st half performance by the Kangz, the Kings decided to finally show up in the 3rd quarter, but not without putting on a dramatic ending. Leading by five points with 20 seconds remaining, I started to hear the distant echoes of "Light the Beam" chants from the Twitterverse. But missed free throws and an insane and-one 3-point make by DeMar DeRozan tied the game up with 12 seconds left. How did the Kings come out with the win? I'll give you three guesses, but you'll probably only need one: the Clutch King happened. In an eerily similar play to his game winner in Orlando earlier this season, De'Aaron Fox pulled up for a nothing but net 3-pointer to lift the Kings to a secured .500 on the season.
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
The Good
- 3rd Quarter Jets: The Kings trailed by 10 at the half after only scoring 48 points and committing 10 turnovers. It felt like the setting of a Kings' loss that would be racked up to a combination of fatigue, complacency, and just a general off night. But the difference with this Beam Team is that, even when they trailed by as many as 16 points, I still had a strong belief that they could easily turn things around and win this game. And after what I am assuming was a very passionate halftime speech from Mike Brown, they did just that. The 3rd quarter was their best of the night, outscoring the Bulls 37-22. The defense got turned up and the offense finally found its rhythm. The Kings shot 6-10 from deep and a perfect 11-11 from the line. It was this 3rd quarter effort that put the Kings in a position to be successful. Malik Monk found success in this offense, finishing with 19 points on 5-8 from deep.
- Domas Triple Double: Because it's so consistent, it's easy to take for granted the production of Domantas Sabonis. But not tonight. Tonight we celebrate another triple double from our dominant big man. Sabonis finished with 14 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists. On offense, Sabonis helped Kevin Huerter find a handful of open looks on their lethal dribble hand off action, helping Huerter finish with 15 points on 4-7 from the 3-point line. His playmaking on the offensive end and defensive rebounding gave the Kings the push they needed to re-center and find their best play again.
- Keegan on the Boards: Keegan Murray got to play in front of his father tonight and I'm sure he made him proud. Where he lacked in his offensive production tonight, he made up for in his defensive rebounding. Murray just missed a double double with nine points and 10 rebounds. It's great to see him continue to rise up to the challenge of getting physical and being more than an offensive threat.
The Bad
- Dull Start: The 1st half was rough. The Kings looked like a completely different team. Their defense resembled that of a slice of Swiss cheese, filled with holes and open pockets that the Bulls took advantage of. DeMar DeRozan enjoyed finding open spots in the midrange and scored 17 of his 33 points in the 1st half, while Nikola Vucevic enjoyed more open shots and scored 11 of his 20 points. Sacramento's offense was especially worrisome, as it lacked all the movement and quick decision making that we are used to seeing. There was a lot of one on one actions, pull up 3-pointers, and one and done possessions. During their rough stretches, Harrison Barnes kept them afloat with his extra efforts to get to the line. Barnes finished with 17 points on 9-10 from the stripe.
The Ugly
- Turnovers: The Kings committed 20 turnovers tonight, all evenly distributed throughout the four quarters. Early on, they stood out as especially egregious since many of them occurred on the Bulls' offensive half - on an outlet pass or an inbound on a made basket. A handful of them were from poor decision making, where guards would get caught in the air and make a panic pass into the stands or into the hands of a Chicago player. Others included telegraphed lateral passes that the Bulls easily read and intercepted for layups. So, to sum it up, the Kings committed just about every type of turnover possible, and it was ugly to watch.
The King of Kings
It couldn't be anyone else. I knew in my bones that De'Aaron Fox was going to win this game when he had the ball in his hands with 12 seconds remaining. I wasn't sure exactly how - he could have gotten all the way to the rim to finish or possibly get fouled, he could have blown by and pumped the brakes for a pull up middy, or he could have done exactly what he did tonight, which was pull up for a 3-pointer, just to make the win a little bit more dramatic. No matter how he chose to do it, I knew he was going to do it. That's how good he is. Scoring 15 of his 32 points in the 4th quarter, Fox added yet another tally on his candidacy for Clutch Player of the Year.
Up Next
Thursday, March 16th @ Brooklyn Nets - 4:30 P.M. (PT)
This is just an amazing team. In Mcnair I Trust
I just can’t recall a player making this kind of leap in year 6. Amazing what can happen when you furnish a player with better talent around him, legit coaching, and purpose. De’Aaron Fucking Fox, man!
Seriously. I can’t recall this kind of growth by any player in year 6. Just goes to show you what quality coaching and teammates can do for you.
Kyle Lowry is a recent example of ‘late bloomers.’ And yes, I say recent because it isn’t common for an NBA player to breakout this late.
Lowry came into the league in 2006, didn’t really become a household name until 2012-ish, and made his first All-Star in 2014 with the Raptors.
It also took him multiple teams, coaches, and teammates to get there.
And? Your point? The only difference is that De’Aaron didn’t have to rent new domiciles in different cities. A franchise with multiple personality disorders isn’t alot different than playing for different franchises.
The only thing in common these 6 seasons De’Aaron has in Sac is that, technically, Sac has been on the front of the jersey.
I don’t even know what to say about Fox at this point. It is almost unreal. Is this the best season a Sacramento King has ever had? Not only is the the most obvious Clutch POY, but he is making serious noise for an All-NBA team and probably making a few MVP ballots as well.
I will say, as dull and lifeless as the Kings were in the first half, you know this team is going to play all 48. I tweeted after the first quarter that the Bulls were going to regret not padding the lead when the Kings were so out of it. It has become inevitable that this team will rope-a-dope an opponent and figure out a way to get the game close enough for whoever, wether it be Fox, K-Von, or Monk, to go nuclear and snatch the spine out of opponent.
One note about Red Velvet, as much as praise as we can heap upon his three point shooting, his playmaking that was kept under wraps in the Trae-centric ATL offense, his synchronicity with Domas, one thing I freaking love his how he competes underneath. While he is not a physical specimen, I love how he hits the boards and blocks out. Game after game. He might not get the rebound, but he makes someone put a body on him, and he has good hands and tips the ball often.
Kudos to Murray as well. Ten board in a game like this is big. Do we give HB his flowers enough? What a fascinating career he has had. A pure 3-D guy as a young player for the Dubs, miscast as a jump shooting first option in Dallas, he comes to the Kings and has to adjust his game again. The way he is able to abuse when a guard switches on to him, or when a young player is on him and he does that funky shoot off the wrong foot runner high off the glass that is almost always a foul, what a smart smart smart player.
This team. This season. They are going to hurt a teams feelings in the playoffs. They might cause permanent damage.
Chris Webber 2000-2001 is probably the best season a King has ever had. He was a legit MVP candidate that year. You could point to a number of seasons that those early 2000s teams had. Bibby, Peja, and Vlade all had some pretty incredible years as well.
But Fox is making a name for himself.
Domas and Huerter need to be in the game together all night long.
Fox has definitely developed his game. But the roster is perfectly constructed around him too. Having that extra shooter and a center that facilitates makes a huge difference. McNair and Brown deserve some recognition too.
Last year, after the trade, Fox definitely flashed this potential. His mid range game became elite and you literally couldn’t stop him from driving the paint. It was like a flip switched when hali left. This season though he’s taken it to another level though it is honestly a beautiful thing to see
My personal point of comparison is probably Booker. Booker has always put up numbers, he’s slowly grown under-the-radar, but was considered an empty stats guy. Then suddenly things clicked and now his stats are more impactful and he’s a superstar.
Fox had the Bulls spinning!
Foxxy win!
All road wins are pretty even when they are not . Next game up .
So this is how rooting for a .500 team feels like in an era where iPhones exist.
Never doubted Foxy in this one, LTB!
Chicago was a little slow getting their hands up on that Fox 3-pointer!
The Windy City got blown away by the Kings!
&ct=g
Look at that call on Harrison Barnes and remember back to the start of the season and the non calls on Heurter and Fox
41 wins = non-losing season!
For the road – one more win (20+1) and the Kings secure a winning road record.
Amazeballs.
Watch out Denver we comin for ya spot! 💪💯
Such a great win that I bought another Beam Team jersey.
two-ply!
LET’S EFFING GO DE’AARON FOX!!!!!
When Barnes “fouled” and the three point shot went in, I was so afraid we wouldn’t be able to clutch it out. I got so scared as the clock was winding down and Fox waited until the last few seconds to take the three. When it went in I literally stomped on my floor so hard I’m sure the tenant below my apartment unit heard me. What. A. Game.
If this was the Kings of the old, they probably would’ve missed the clutch shot, and would’ve lost in OT. It’s so crazy seeing a complete 180 after years of losing basketball. I expected at best this team would maybe compete for a play-in, but holy hell, the quick turnaround is so great to see, and you know what, we Kings fans DESERVE IT. LIGHT THE BEAM!
Oh, and Denver lost for the fourth time in a row. 😉
The first time I read this, my brain got “It’s so crazy seeing them compete after 180 years of bad basketball.”
There’s a real possibility that the Kings play the Thunder in round 1. Raise your hand if you had that possibility at the season’s beginning.
It’s better for us if we get the Mavs and Thunder in the first round than the Lakers. They have a legit starting five and you know who the refs will favor in that series.
Clutch game by Fox! Absolutely incredible!
Totally random, but why did the game stop with 0.7 seconds in the game after Fox hit the game winner? Bulls didn’t have a timeout, but the game stopped for a good 30 seconds and allowed the Bulls to set a play.
I am sure conspiracy theorists have an idea behind the why am I!
They were confirming the time on the game clock.
A rare game where you get out scored in 3 of 4 quarters but win one quarter by a big enough tally to carry over for the win. Is there an actual Clutch player of the year award?
This is the first season they are going to award one!
Looks like there’s a random detached right hand on Sabonis’ shoulder. Must be Huerter’s.
Freaky! Looks like Thing from the Addam’s Family.
Delly looks like the equipment manager getting in on the picture
Delly is basically Rudy. I want a “DELLY DELLY DELLY” chant if he comes on during the playoffs. Big time.
Quality win against a decent team. Now 20-13 on the road. Never would have imagined…
Such a great photo.
Just casually frustrating the Bulls!
Funny story, in the 1Q I could hear the sound of people having sex through the walls of my hotel in San Diego.
Thanks to Fox, I returned the favor at the end of regulation. 🙂
The whole first quarter? Must not have been a married couple…or at least a couple married a long time cause you just would have heard the wife yelling to hurry up and finish..
You had sex through the walls at the end of regulation?
No, he just made the sound of having sex through the walls.
“I’m fuckin’ nice!“
Fox is …
Great gif for this occasion!
I don’t understand the NBA sometimes. The shooter definitely steps forward into Barnes, and HB gets called for a friggin foul. Explain it to me like I’m four.
More than any other game I wanted that one, crushing their dreams in the 4Q in front of a wild home crowd feels good.
And the Chicago broadcast did have some moments of bewilderment in the stretch, hints of “this shouldn’t be happening, not the Kings.” There were some moments of mild disrespect, like the Kings just aren’t there yet.
I just don’t think it’s a stretch to think this team can go far. There is nothing flukey about them. They just make shit work, time and time again.
I agree. They find ways in real time to beat you. That’s something I can’t remember any Kings team outside of the Adelman teams ever doing.
Talent + coaching = wins.
Wah-lah!
This team keeps surprising the league (and me), so why not in the playoffs?
They can hang with any team out there.
Who in the West can’t they beat? Is there a dominant team out there? I’d argue Denver….and they’re scuffling.
Yup.
A healthy Durant with the Suns would be my biggest concern.
I’ll believe KD is healthy when I see it. Dude got injured twisting his ankle running in a layup line. An absolute non contact injury. That looked like a alot of wear and tear from over the years on that one.
This is where I’m at too. He seems to have the ability to miss a month at the drop of a hat.
Agreed. The thing is timing; it may only takes 4 to 7 games.
Minnesota has been a pain in the neck for the Kings this season. Both Ant-Man and Gobert especially.
But hopefully Coach Brown can strategize a way to play them in the playoffs if it comes to that matchup.
Minnesota has the Kings number this season. I don’t want them in the first round, they’re a bad matchup for us.
Yet, I think you’re only remembering recent history Gonzo. Minny hasn’t dominated the matchup, just won 2 of 3.
We’ll find out alot in the next go around the next time the Wolves are in town (week and half-ish).
The Wolves are a challenging matchup, but I don’t think it’s that bad.
In retrospect that seems so obvious. Until this current season it didn’t seem possible. It just goes to prove the point that simple doesn’t mean easy.
“they just make shit work, time and time again”
Exactly. Crack coaching staff. Mentally tough players. Ton of shooters. Multiple bench guys that can light up a quarter. The NBA’s first clutch player of the year. It is quite the elixir.
And your boy Domas a walking triple double every other game it feels like. LOL
How he gets 23-17-15 against Giannis, Lopez, and Portis then can hit the road and triple up again is just beyond explanation.
His motor and conditioning are absolutely top tier.
It’s the thumb. Since it broke in the Wizards loss we’ve been 24-8 since. It’s like a reverse Achilles, a Sabonis thumb: once you break it, you unleash your potential.
Haha. Great.
Especially considering the beating he often takes under the hoop. It´s astonishing to me that he simply won´t break.
I hear that a lot regarding the Kings and “not being there yet”. It’s a that lame media echo chamber that trickles down to those people that watch ESPN, etc.
I have friends that tell me the Kings will lose in the 1st round because they don’t play defense, yet their not acknowledging the record or numbers the Kings have posted this season. Just waiting until they get to the WCF Soni can throw that shit back in their face.
Given the Kings scoring average per game for the entire year it’s the teams the Kings are playing that aren’t playing defense.
I don’t get it either when Harrison did not come straight at him it was at an angle and the shooter doesn’t naturally jump that far forward. At least I don’t recall seeing him jump that far forward unless he is trying to draw a contact when closely defended. I think it’s a bad call when they jump that far forward, I certainly understand if the shooter is taking more of a natural jump shooting motion and the defender gets in the landing zone
Exactly. Is each defender suppose to study the trajectory that every shooter takes now?
”The shooter definitely steps forward into Barnes, and HB gets called for a friggin foul. Explain that to me like I’m four.”
I raised the same question too late on the game thread. The shot we are talking about is where DeRozan jumps into Barnes on a three from the left side. Barnes did jump, but he seemed to land in the same spot. How is that a foul on him if DeRozan jumps forward into him?
Suppose a defender stands just inside the three point line and doesn’t jump, but the shooter jumps into him (he doesn’t move). Is that a defensive foul? The only difference in HB’s “foul” (as I saw it) is that HB jumped.
I agree on the 1st 4 point play. The second time at the end HB clearly got him on the elbow though.
Clearly? The only possible contact might have been when DeRozan raised up to shoot. There MAY have been a brush on his elbow. That was a weak call overall.
That 4 point play would have broke a lot of teams. Instead Fox did Fox.
Fox broke the fans in attendance, if you look at the photos of the people’s reactions in the stands after his game-winner.
De’Aaron Fox, first of his name, clutch of the fourth, breaker of fans’ hearts, all of the star, demon of speed, king of the mid range, father of Reign and Kai, is fucking nice.
Wow!
Just wow.
Man, the contrast between the Warriors’ home record versus road record is crazy.
They lost! 😀
Road Warriors, they are not!
One of the worst teams on the road this year and one of the best teams at home as well. It’s gotta be in their heads.
Maybe it’s changed since I last looked at it like a week ago, but the kings are the only team in the west with an above .500 record on the road! Two teams were .500 and everyone else was under. That’s another insane stat in an insane year
Fox Monk is HUGE!
Even nba.com (aka the L*kers official home page) acknowledges it:
FOX-MONK BOND CARRIES OVER FROM COLLEGE TO NBA
Love it!
Fox and Malik reunited is a great basketball story.
Let me know when the Kings hit 50 because…..
PUT IT IN THE DICTIONARY, AND LIGHT THE BEAM or something like that.
What’s left to say? Just wild. At this point it just feels like Fox is going to make every shot in the final few minutes.
Did I have a stroke or did Barnes not touch Derozan on the 4 point play? What am I missing? I paused my TV 5 times and I still couldn’t actually see where he made contact. Bizarre.
It’s crazy to say but we’ve almost assuredly locked a top-3 seed. If we beat Phoenix one more time it’s definitely done. This team just keeps blowing my mind.
I guess the refs think if Barnes’ hand hadn’t hit Derozan’s elbow then his shot would have sailed over the backboard or something.
Fortunately Barnes hit Derozan’s elbow at the right spot and it changed the trajectory into a perfect swish.
It actually did hit the elbow tbh.
Just something about those game winning 3s vs the Bulls..
Expected the win coming in. There was great, good, bad, and everything in between this game. Coach can’t be happy about the 4th quarter play but we got the W. When you have Mr Clutch, you get clutch wins.
Confident De’Aaron is a bad man. He’s seeing that shot go in alot more in different ways and you can tell he’s getting comfortable letting it fly.
OT- Sasha definitely has to be coming over next season after seeing us at this level right?
I do not follow Euro at all but from the highlights I have seen, looks like a really fun addition to this team if he finally makes the jump across the world.