After continuing their weird trend of struggling at home in an embarrassing loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the Kings hit the road for their final back to back of the season. With hopes of a Pacific Division title and 50-win season still within reach, tonight’s game was an important one for the Kings. But Brandon Ingram and the New Orleans Pelicans still have goals of their own, fighting in this final stretch for solid play-in position. The Kings needed a strong performance tonight to beat this motivated Pelicans team. Let’s see how they did:
Quick Stats
Outcome: Kings win, 121-103
Sacramento Kings: 121 pts, 50.5% fg, 40.5% 3 pt, 80.0% ft, 35 ast, 43 reb, 12 to
New Orleans Pelicans: 103 pts, 44.0% fg, 35.0% 3 pt, 81.5% ft, 20 ast, 37 reb, 14 to
For whatever reason, the Kings seem to play their best basketball on the road and tonight was no different. A slow start by the Kings and a hot one by Brandon Ingram put the Kings down by 10 points early in the 1st quarter. Things were quickly reversed once the Kings found their rhythm and they never looked back.
The Good, The Better, & The Best
The Good
- Offense: The Kings started out ice cold in their shooting, scoring just 25 points in the 1st quarter on 2-14 from deep. They were settling for 3-point looks that weren’t falling instead of pushing their way into the paint. Once they made a concerted effort in their off-ball movement, things started opening up, the ball found its way into the key, shots started falling, and their offense was quickly rolling. Kevin Huerter started things off for them with a handful of great off-ball cuts that Domantas Sabonis loved to see and made sure to reward Huerter with threaded dimes towards the hoop. Huerter scored eight points in the 1st quarter from these actions. Harrison Barnes followed Huerter’s lead in the 2nd quarter and scored nine of his 16 points with some efficient baseline cuts while Sabonis was at the high post. Malik Monk was the best version of himself, leading the bench with 17 points, three assists, and zero turnovers. De’Aaron Fox struggled from the field to start, but stayed engaged by dishing out nine total assists. When he got rolling in the 2nd quarter, he used his signature euro step to score 23 points. And because it’s a day that ends in y, Domantas Sabonis was a central force to all of the offensive efficiency, finishing with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists.
The better
- Defense: Even better than their offense tonight was the Kings’ defense. Brandon Ingram got off to a hot start, scoring 11 of his 22 points in the 1st quarter. The Kings quickly adjusted to the heat coming off of Ingram by sending doubles his way and assigning Kessler Edwards to him. Edwards had some great defensive possessions on Ingram, utilizing his length to contest Ingram’s shots. Davion Mitchell set the defensive tone as he always does, highlighted by his one on one defense on Dyson Daniels in the backcourt that was so suffocating it forced an 8-second violation. De’Aaron Fox completed his defensive assignment tonight by containing CJ McCollum, holding him to just 12 points on 6-19 from the field. Alex Len also gave the Kings some great minutes off the bench with his activity on the defensive end by blocking, altering, and contesting shots. The Kings played a refreshing brand of defense tonight that included physicality and discipline. It was what kept them in the game when they struggled offensively to start and what won them the game down the stretch.
The best
- Ending Another Drought: With tonight’s win, the Kings have officially become this season’s Pacific Division champions. Aside from potential tie breaking implications and bragging rights, this title doesn’t really affect much. However, it has been 20 years since the Kings have been able to hang a division banner in their rafters. The historic rain continues to fall as the Beam Team adds yet another thing to celebrate in this incredible season.
The King of Kings
Keegan Murray had his most impressive shooting performance tonight in the 3rd quarter. Murray hit 5-7 from the 3-point line in the 3rd, and finished 7-10 overall for 21 points. I hope to one day do anything half as well as Keegan Murray shoots the ball.
Up Next
Wednesday, April 5th @ Dallas Mavericks – 5:30 P.M. (PT)
PACIFIC DIVISION CHAMPS!
Think about that. Kings are better than the combined Lebron, AD, Kawhi, PG13, Curry, Thompson, Durant, Booker, and CP3 teams.
Pacific Division Victory Crowned!
&ct=g
https://twitter.com/ggerould/status/1643499828804976641?s=21
Division Champs! I didn’t predict that. Congrats Kings! you deserve it….. Also it looks like every single person in the NBA world and beyond are giving the Kings ZERO chance of making it out of the first round regardless of the matchup….
Candace Parker can pound sand. Dismissing the Kings like she did tonight.
They’re likely to play the Warriors, Lakers, TWolves, or Pels in the first round. Warriors are defending champs for a reason, Lakers have gotten hot, and the TWolves are just a terrible matchup… and the Kings are a collective turnstile on defense, individual heroics from Davion and Kess notwithstanding. I don’t blame the media for its skepticism one bit; this season has been a dream, but I’m skeptical of the playoffs chances, too.
Listen Nerd…. with all due respect. Pels are broken and will be until Williamson is purged for a basketball player. Lakers are just broken and old and wish they had NO players. Warriors aren’t Warriors (see below)…. The Timberwolves are the dream shake… that keeps me up at night……… Is this how you talk smack? Am I doing it right?
I was like…oh man where the hell is he coming from. Good job. If the Kings can learn to win you can learn to talk smack..I think
I’m coming from Rancho Cordova.
for future reference… Blue John… ironic…. I might not be a he.
Well considering that I’d say you be talking some serious smack. I had no idea you were from Rancho Cordova. We played………uh……..sister?
Hey oh!
You’re no Shoresy.
hella
And the Kings beat all of them this season.
How dare she have takes that garners attention! She’s acting like the national sports media is some biased, profit-driven institution instead of an objective, unbiased think-tank that doesn’t pander to the biggest markets. It’s an outrage!
Forget about division titles, conference championships and the Larry O,Brian trophy. It is the respect from the National media that we should be vying for! Our fragile ego’s crave it, nay, need it. And we have earned it!
We should put all our collective effort in demanding accountability from people like Paker, Perk, Skip Bayless, Colin Cowherd, Barkley, Windhorst, Stephen A. Smith and all these other pundits and sharp basketball minds.
How do they not see what we know, deep in our hearts, and can only be shaken by their continued denial or even mockery of our great achievements! It’s sickening and a prime example of what is wrong in this world.
Hear, hear.
you are so right!
Whew! For a moment I thought you were only kidding.
Sometimes you have to read the words
I absolutely hate Steven A Smith and wish he would go away… forever! Just retire and never ever speak or write about sports.. I cannot begin to try and explain how much I detest him. The Heierachy of hatred is Child Molestors, Murderers and Rapists then Steven A Smith.. yup worse than the lakers
Exactly. Well done Rik. I would toast that post with a pour of Beerenburg.
Denver lost, 124-103, to the last-place Rockets last night in a game where the Nuggets could have clinched first place in the Western Conference. Denver will obviously not win a single game in the playoffs!
Solid, solid win. Great defense. I didn’t recognize them after the layup line two nights ago. Tonight’s kings can do serious damage in the playoffs. With the 2 seed nearly out of reach, 50 wins sure would be nice. Pels announcers very complementary about the Kings tonight. Said Coach Brown is a lock for COTY.
Road Warriors!
The team is more defensively focused and locked in on the road. The crowd excitement may be causing them to lose focus at home.
The Pacific Division will be 35 games over .500 if the Dubs hold on. And the Kings – the 250-1 to win the Division Kings – will take the WC’s toughest crown.
The Dubs just moved into the 5th spot after beating OKC tonight. Crazy year this has been all around.
Nevermind. The Lakers didn’t lose. I read that score wrong.
I understand this is kind of a pathetic question…..but…..do we get a division banner to hang in G1C? Asking for a friend.
If 2002-2003 is up there this year should be as well. Fuck it, we deserve a banner.
This season should get a banner.
Luka: “Dammit, Vlade. Why??????!!!!”
!!
For NOLA, every game is a playoff game from here on out so it was good to see the Kings rise to their intensity even without the same stakes.
Any banners this year (including this one) should always bathe in the light of a beam.
It’s a bit of a remote chance, but 137 ppg in the last 3 will give the Kings 10000 points on the season
Off Topic: Jazz almost beat the Fakers…………..and push them further down in the standing……
I would said if not THT, the Jazz would have already won the game….
That was a fun game to watch. The Kings offense is an absolute delight, and there was some moxy on defense tonight. Did the Kings win every quarter? Really good work reeling in Brandom Ingram when it looked like he was on a heater.
My goodness. Amazing how Domas can dominate a game whilst scoring 16 points. He is the third best center in the NBA this season, by margin.
This Kings offense. Wow. The Pelicans have plenty of length to stop teams, and the Kings just shredded them. This team is so thorough. Shots at the rim, three point threats, mid range mastery, cutters and dribble hand offs, multiple shot creators. I still think it is a very small handful of teams that are going to be shut this team down enough to win four times in seven games.
Um, does K-Von have a ceiling? How loud was his eleven points in twenty two minutes? ATL screwed up trading him for spare parts. His ability to convert close to the basket has been a revelation, and that mofo is only 24! He will get better! His contract is a b-a-r-g-a-i-n. Wow.
Speaking of loud, I still marvel at Davion’s ability to impact a game defensively. Only 16 minutes, but it seemed like he was out there a lot. The fact that he is confidently shooting that middy is a plus.
Another plus? ALEX LEN. Who knew that size and motor, and excellent screen setting, would fit this team so well. IT SEEMS SO OBVIOUS NOW. I love Metu, like legit love him, but come playoff time a bruiser like Len is going to have considerable value. Good for him, I have always liked him.
KEEGAN MURRAY. Even with how much love he is getting, I still feel like his initial season is a bit underrated. He obliterated the record for most 3’s in a rookie season, with remarkable efficiency. His IQ is considerable, he has been given some tough tasks defensively, he has quick hands, moves really well on the court, and shown great instincts on defense. Would anyone be shocked if he was the best player on the team in three years? I love that kid.
This team is so young! McNair has it set up for sustained success, and a locked in coach ready for the task. I am so excited for the playoffs. Here we go.
Excellent summary Michael, an exciting team to watch play team ball.
If the Kings play defense with the intensity and focus they showed last night (after the first few minutes (🙁)), they are very, very good and will be tough to beat in playoffs. If they don’t, well, see the San Antonio game.
You have hit a lot of nails on the head from your comments in above post. I loved the King’s defense last night. If this now be a trend and not a fluke the Sacramento Kings will go a long ways in this years playoffs. Defense along with what the Kings do on offense will create a lot of damage. A complete game. Love those double teams. I used it a lot when I coached. A lot of players last night played defense instead of Mitchell and Edwards. As an old coach I love to see those two work on defense. After the first quarter Ingram was not a factor. Davion is one tough dude. The only thing I have an issue is we almost always start off games getting behind. In the playoffs we need to be careful and not get to far behind. Other than that I am a very happy camper. Last did McNair not draft a great young talent this year?
Well said Jack
Yes, just a pity that he traded away Jaden Hardy.
Beam wasn’t lit but I’ll take this instead!!
100% accurate about Edwards changing the entire nature of the game. Ingram was running roughshod over the Kings, and Edwards made him work. BI had ten quick points, and finished with only twenty-two. The team defense was outstanding, but there was little sign of it before Kess checked in. You don’t often see first-quarter moments where such a profound shift impacts the outcome, but I believe that’s what I saw Tuesday night.
I’m watching the post-game show, with the sun glare of my west-facing house reflecting off the television, when the sponsored light-the-beam moment shows the laser blasting from G1C, in the dark. I’m a few miles out of downtown, but not so far that it could be dark there while I still have an hour-and-a-half of daylight. It felt really cheap, to be honest.
The Kings have won 25 games on the road for the 2nd time in franchise history (2001-02 being the 1st time). This makes a 23-17 record at home easier for me to swallow.
League average rating (points per 100 possessions) is 114.1.
Home OffRtg: 122.2 (1) DefRtg: 118.2 (29) Net Rtg: 4.0 (13)
Road OffRtg: 116.0 (2) DefRtg: 113.6 (8) Net Rtg: 2.4 (4)
For context, there are 6 teams with a positive Net Rtg on the road: Philadelphia (3.3), Boston (3.3), Sac (2.4), Cleveland (2.2), New York (1.5), Milwaukee (1.2). Chicago (-0.2) and Phoenix (-0.3) are slightly below as well.
Team 4 Factors At Home:
Offense
eFG% 59% (1) (league average is 54.5%)
TOV% 12.9% (7) (league average is 13.1%)
ORB% 26.4% (22) (league average is 28%)
FT/FG (FT rate) 29.5% (7) (league average is 26.8%)
Defense
eFG% 57.5% (30) (league average is 54.5%)
TOV% 13.4% (21) (league average is 13.1%)
DRB% 73.5% (5) (league average is 72%)
FT/FG (FT rate) 25.1% (7) (league average is 26.8%)
Team 4 Factors On the Road:
Offense
eFG% 56.1% (4) (league average is 54.5%)
TOV% 13.7% (10) (league average is 13.1%)
ORB% 26% (25) (league average is 28%)
FT/FG (FT rate) 28.2% (9) (league average is 26.8%)
Defense
eFG% 54.8% (14) (league average is 54.5%)
TOV% 14.2% (13) (league average is 13.1%)
DRB% 73.2% (4) (league average is 72%)
FT/FG (FT rate) 26.5% (12) (league average is 26.8%)
Argue about the home/road all you want, but this team has better energy on the road than at home for some reason. Many of their signature wins have come on the road as well, IMO. (Nov 22 in Memphis, Dec 14th in Toronto (first road rest disadvantage SEGABABA win), Feb 24th in LA aka the 351 total point game, the playoff clinch in PDX on 3/29, the Pacific clinch on 4/4 in New Orleans to name a few.)
Am I concerned about whom the Kings play in the playoffs? No. They are playing with house money. I don’t think anyone should feel comforable playing anyone, everyone is way too flawed. And Denver is the only team that I would pick, despite recent issues, as anything near a lock to make it out of the 1st round…..unless they draw the Lakers. I’d still pick the Nuggets, but not nearly as comfortably.
It is what it is. Good win, hopefully they don’t kill Fox, Sabonis and Barnes in the ideal of 50 W’s. You ned those guys for a long playoff run. This team has been pretty close to that number regardless, nobody really gives a damn in the long run if you win 48, 49 or 50 W’s. And yes, they’ll have some days off, but so will the Clippers, Warriors or Lakers (or whomever you face at 6). The Kings might have a shot at the 2 seed, but I wouldn’t bet on the Grizzlies in their 1st rd matchup either. They are a very uneven all over the place type of team. Really have been since Steven Adams went down. Missing Brandon Clarke doesn’t help matters either.
The Kings are a solid, solid team. While I wouldn’t say they are a lock to advance, I wouldn’t necessarily give them a 50/50 chance either. I would say it’s more 60-40 depending on the matchup….and nobody really scares me that much (even the Lakers or Warriors with Wiggins back in the fold) outside of Denver…whom you won’t see until the WCF anyway.
Here’s some more facts for you. The Kings have won 7 games in a row once (November), 6 games in a row once (January), 5 games in a row (first 5 games post ASB) once, 3 game winning streaks 3 times (Nov 30th-Dec 4th; Mar 6th-11th; Mar 15th-18th).
They’ve also lost 4 games in a row once (the season opening 4 game losing streak), and 3 games in a row once (Nov 23rd to Nov 28th; @Atlanta rest disadvantage SEGABABA, @Boston 2 days later, home vs Phoenix when they were healthy and rolling in the early part of the season). That’s it. Those are your two major losing streaks all season. The second losing streak was due in part to scheduling where you woke up in 3 different time zones in 4 days. That will kick your ass however you slice it.
During the 7 game win streak? 5 of those were at home. During the 6 game win streak? 4 of those were at home. The 5 game win streak? Only 2 of those were at home and both were the front half of b2b’s. One was the Clippers who were on a SEGABABA themselves and without Kawhi Leonard as they have been for 3 of the 4 matchup’s against the Kings this year. (And Ivica Zubac missed the 351 point affair.)
It’s gonna be a long ride kiddos. Hang onto your hat, this is gonna be a long, rough ride. Welcome to the NBA playoffs. And I wouldn’t be spending that much time worrying about home/road splits, records and such in the playoffs. Worry about the matchup’s….and how this team is going to be able to produce their very high level of offense in a playoff matchup. And produce their better energetic defense in a series (or multiple series possibly).
See ya on the flip side.
I think if the Kings can play defense like last night if I were their match up I definitely would be worried. If their offense in hitting on all cylinders then lights out. If they struggle some then defense like last night will keep them in the game. When it comes down to the playoffs offense will win games but combine that with defense just like last night and you truly have a chance to win a championship. This is what Monty and Mike have been preaching.
Badge Legend