Finally, we have reached the end of the road trip from hell. The Kings wrapped up this six-game east coast stay by making one final stop in Detroit to take on the Pistons. After a hard-fought win in Toronto just a few days ago, the Kings needed to find one last final push to send themselves home on a high note. Let’s see how they did:
Quick Stats
Outcome: Kings win, 122-113
Sacramento Kings: 122 pts, 52.4% fg, 38.7% 3 pt, 82.8% ft, 30 ast, 33 reb, 14 to
Detroit Pistons: 113 pts, 45.9% fg, 34.5% 3 pt, 80.6% ft, 22 ast, 45 reb, 16 to
After a slow start and grueling 1st half, the Kings finally turned the jets on in the 2nd half and took care of business. They found that last reserve in the tank to end their long road trip with a win and send themselves back home with nothing but purple beams and good vibes.
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
the good
- Finding the Fuel: The Kings entered halftime trailing by eight points after struggling on both sides of the ball. The Pistons were shooting unusually well again, because of course they were, hitting 6-15 from the 3-point line, while the Kings were only able to convert on 4-14 of their own. It felt like the long road trip had caught up to the Kings as we saw young Detroit jerseys flying across the court and Kings’ legs looking a little heavy from their long travels. But come the 2nd half, the Kings were able to find that last bit of fuel in the tank to engage the jets and take over. It started on the defensive end, as the Kings strung some stops together by securing rebounds and quickly transitioning the other way. It’s funny how shots start falling once defensive stops start happening, but that’s the magic of basketball, and the Kings leaned all the way in. Sacramento quickly regained the lead by going on a 17-2 run in just under four minutes to give themselves a seven-point advantage. From there, the Pistons managed to put some runs together here and there, cutting the lead down to as close as three points in the 4th, but the Kings maintained their control for the remainder of the game. It was great to see this team find a way to win together after a long and tiring stand.
- Stars Being Stars: De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 24 points and nine assists. Right behind him in point total was Domantas Sabonis, who logged his seventh straight double-double with 23 points and 13 rebounds to go along with seven assists. Fox, imbued with the magical powers of the beamer band-aid, looked much like himself as he scored his nine field goals by getting to his sweet spots at the rim and in the midrange. Sabonis enjoyed some excellent two-man work with Malik Monk, who had six assists off the bench, as they picked the Pistons’ defense apart for easy baskets. When the Kings’ stars are playing like stars, they’re hard to beat.
- Konsistent Keegan: Keegan Murray was the most consistent King tonight, finishing with 20 points on four made 3-pointers. His presence and timely shot making were felt through the entirety of the game and it was encouraging to see his confidence and impact for this team’s win.
The Bad
- Slow Start: As mentioned earlier, the 1st half was kind of butt. Detroit made a lot of their shots and the Kings didn’t. That’s all you really need to know.
The Ugly
- Glass Game: In what is becoming a recurring theme, the Kings got killed on the glass again as Detroit out rebounded them 46-33. Jalen Duren enjoyed the battle on the boards as he grabbed 14 rebounds and turned many of these into his 15 points for the night.
The King of Kings
The stars were stars and Keegan was consistent, but tonight’s crown goes to Harrison Barnes for his electric sequence in the 4th quarter to create the separation the Kings needed to seal this game. After hitting two free throws from one of his many aggressive drives to the paint, Barnes took it upon himself to make a huge 3-pointer with a defender draped on him on the very next play. This gave the Kings a nine-point lead with six minutes remaining. This felt like the conclusion of a great sequence from HB to give the Kings a nice cushion, but he wasn’t done. The very next play, Barnes stole the ball from Bojan Bogdanovic and laid it in for another two points and suddenly the Kings had a very comfortable lead. The icing on the cake came a few plays later when Barnes had a deep baseline drive that he turned into a sweet dime to De’Aaron Fox for this exclamation point:
https://twitter.com/sacramentokings/status/1603939698065301504?s=61&t=0uhdv6OkoUMeZ-IZ3rVHEg
Up Next
Monday, December 19th vs. Charlotte Hornets – 7:00 P.M. (PT)
Vivek just posted that they made the beam brighter
I was on my way home from dinner with my wife and daughter last night and I was looking forward watching the game on my DVR when my daughter asked me, “What’s that purple light over downtown”.
Vivek will soon announce that the Beam can carry Kings fans to the moon for a short weekend vacation, if Kings fans like the challenge of freezing to death without oxygen at Vivek Suites on the Moon.
But the game was workmanlike and entertaining.
That would be only slightly less cheesy than a Trump Superman NFT
Each dead visitor to Vivek Suites on the Moon gets a Trump Superman NFT, redeemable immediately back to the gifting organization upon the death of the recipient.
You misspelled “grifting.”
3 and 3 is a good result for this road trip
I like how you stay in character; that is good.
Also happy that they ended the road trip on a positive note. Going 2-4 wouldn’t be the end of the world, but losing to the lowly Pistons would have left a bitter taste.
Now time for some home cooking!
Jaden Whovey?
Jalen Duran was a great selection for them.
Definitely! I knew what he could do, but what really surprised me was how smooth and consistent his shot was when he was taking free throws. Seems like he’s got a decent chance to extend his range, and then the league is screwed. Duren is a fun watch.
Which should remind us that great players are to be found at places outside or at the edge of the lottery: Giannis is the most obvious example, Domas another. But there are many others.
The Kings are not yet a contender. The next steps are likely to come from drafting another star—outside the lottery.
takes a bit more time to develop players at edge of lottery. or outside lottery but there is value there.
speaks to holding onto most of the current players (HB) to give time for future draftee development.
The last 3 MVP winners were not lottery picks .
got Duren in draft day trade.
Ivey looked good in Sac- bad at home.
So the Kings are a very good basketball team…. Who knew?
Time to dance!
Needs a purple beam.
Did you give V Bot cocaine again?
I always thought V Bot looked like a Dalek.
♫ This purple heart of mine been broke a thousand times
Each time you play away, I fear you’re going to get slayed
Beamless nights that come, memories that flow, bringing you back again
Huerting me more and more
Maybe it’s my mistake to show this Sacramento Pride
‘Cause each game that passes by you got me
Never knowing if to the playoffs we’re going, but I, I love you
This purple heart Kings, is weak for you
I love you, yes, I do
I love you, yes I do, Kings is weak for you ♫
“And that’s what we call…the…Hammer Time!”
Great road trip. Follow the beam home.
Wow! Solid win and handled the Pistons like a better team handles a lesser one. Like what we have been seeing all to often in Sacramento (on the wrong side of the contest) for the last 16 seasons.
I looked at last season’s schedule:
The Kings won their 8th away game on February 28th (against OKC)!
Sac is .500 on the road! That is a HUGE improvement.
LIGHT THE BEAM!
The road wins are just so incredibly important – “good” tier teams win 20 on the road, actual contenders win more like 30. I think we’re all pretty aware that the Kings aren’t the latter, but being on track for “good” is a huge step forward.
Agreed, we all know this team is gonna win a bunch of games at home. It’s the road games that are going to be grindy
I looked up road wins, to see how many good or contending teams typically do. Only 18 teams have won 30 games on the road in league history. I didn’t think there would be a ton, but I thought there would have been more than 18. Only 30 teams have won 28 or more road games.
Since that 11-5 start many years ago, what’s the latest the Kings have been 4 games over .500? I can’t remember it. Very nice win. One you expected but good to get nonetheless
2018-2019 season they were 30-26 before everything fell apart
16-12 is there best start since 04-05, all you need to know
Well, in point of fact, I prefer to know more.
That was oddly succinct
I have my moments.
….and coherent.
Was not able to watch the game but I was at G1 center shortly after to witness the Beam for the first time. What seems like a gimmick is actually pretty damn fun.
Checking the box scores it looks like Sabonis once again carried us to victory.
Also it looks like Bagley is putting up some half decent numbers for his minutes in Detroit. Didn’t watch the game….is he still ultimately an insanely stupid over all negative when his defense is factored in? Maybe Bagley finally has found his footing and a team to start moving forward with?
Detroit’s commentators said that their fans appreciate him.
Going into a team without any real expectations is best for him. Hopefully his jackass dad keeps himself out of it all.
Bagley is an NBA player and will stick for some time. He has major deficiencies which will keep him from big impact but no real consistent skill (except a potential to score)
I doubt he is ever a long term starter.
He did, however, have a higher ppg average than Keegan in his first year.
He did in fact but in mostly losing games .
He’s had some solid games – and he was staring for a while. Moved back to the bench in the last week or so, and has had some really down games mixed in with efficient games like tonight.
I think he ends up as bench player with the occasional situational start. His floor was set way too high on draft day. Glad he has a chance to establish himself in his actual reality.
Now that things have played out.. I’m so glad Doncic isn’t on my favorite team… He is horrible to watch.
That roster is a mess, though – they’re like the Harden Rockets (they even have Christian Wood!). The pieces make some degree of sense for the Luka show, but the Luka show incredibly boring ball for pretty much the same reasons the Harden show was. If Doncic were to miss a season they would be lucky to win 20 games.
Harden played reasonably fun ball both before and after his experiment in dribbling a morse-code novel into the hardwood on every possession and Luka could quite possibly do the same if he were in a different system. For now, though, I agree: blech.
That’s a lot of words to say Texas sucks but I agree.
Seriously? Except for the ball dominance, Luka is not like Harden at all.
there are indeed parts of the floor in Dallas and still in Houston where the hardwood is worn down to the subfloor due to all that dribbling.
Yes ,all true but last season led team to West finals and 51 wins . Kings still hope to be that good .
Is this sarcasm, or undigested sour grapes?
Gladly take him. He is pretty good.
I didn’t say I wouldn’t take him.
he has a lot of trade value.
that’s his value- trade
Luka is a talent for sure but IMO not at all fun to watch or root for.
In Dallas everything is built around him- this is risky of course but not fun.
In retrospect- Kings draft Luka, let him play for a bit to get other teams to salivate then trade his ass.
I like the Kings team approach.
And in other news, despite recent hype the Lakers remain hot, steaming garbage.
And in more bad news, Anthony Davis leaves tonight’s game with a foot injury.
Figured it was only a matter of time before he got hurt. Lakers have had to rely on him carrying them all season. That kind of workload takes a toll, especially on someone with the myriad of injuries he’s had over the years.
He seems kinda soft or has lots of trouble playing with pain. He missed games because he was sick, and it was non covid
no ! really ? and he was set to establish a new personal record for consecutive games played. (5)
They’re up by 11 right now. As disgusting as this sounds, they’re actually doing us a solid by hanging a loss on the Nuggets
I love the “Light the Beam” header that appears on the front page of this website whenever they win a game. 🙂
In the end, this team went 3-3 on this road trip, which is what I had hoped they would go for me to be satisfied. Now we have a lot of winnable games coming up, many of which are at home, so I hope this team can REALLY take advantage of that and pick up steam in the win column.
This team feels like they want it: like they’re hungry for wins. I can say I’ve felt that way about the past iterations of the team over the last 10+ years.
*I can’t.
Wow. Typo really changes the sentiment if that statement…
If you click the little gear at the bottom right of your post, you can make edits (but I think there is a timeout)
Thanks. I just missed it.
Also just noticed Davion was out with an illness.
It’s a conspiracy to give other players the chance to win the DPOG medal and chain.
Harrison is the reigning DPOG. Back-to-back.
My spirit animal is a pimp!
I think HB is in shape.
3-3 is fine for a tough trip. Greedy me would have liked 4-2 and been heartbroken at 2-4.
NY game was one of maybe two games Kings “could have” won. But Knicks are tough at home.
That whooshing sound you hear is another eastern conference team getting season-swept…
The other whooshing sound you hear is the BEAM being released!
I wasn’t concerned about being down by 8 at halftime but when Kayte started talking about lighting the beam up 9 with a minute to go, I was sweating. Everyone needs to chill on that until the game is either completely out of hand or the clock says 0:00.
That said, LIGHT THE BEAM
The superstitious versus the non.
I like calling a win at tipoff myself.
But it sure was a solid win.
I thought the game was unofficially out of hand at that point.
The next month: CHA, LAL, WAS, DEN, DEN, UTA, @MEM, @UTA, ATL, LAL, ORL, HOU, HOU, @SAS, @LAL, OKC
That’s 16 games, with 8 of them against Brick for Vic contenders and 3 against the L*kers. The 5 game stretch in the middle is going to be tough, but if the initial homestand goes well, @MEM or @UTA might be an opportunity for a load-management game (when has that EVER happened for this team?). It’s the doldrums of the season but if these guys lock in this is where they can position themselves for a top-4 seed.
Trap games could be CHA, OKC, ORL, WAS, one of the HOU game and possibly losing both the DEN and UTA game. I can see LAL winning a game but if Davis is legit injured and not available in those games then it’s ours to lose.
I was going to do season ORtg and DRtg after the NY game…..but I figured it would be better to hold off until tonight. I’m glad I did, although the ORtg is actually worse than when the Kings started the trip in Milwaukee. Which, realistically, isnt that much of a surprise since you faced top 10 defenses in Milwaukee, Cleveland, New York, and Philadelphia. In the case of Cleveland, Milwaukee and Philly, they are all top 3. The NBA’s median rating is 112.2, offensively the Kings are slightly more than 2 1/2 points better than that. After tonight’s game against Detroit. Defensively, they are 112.6 which is slightly less than a half point below average. ORtg is 5th in the NBA at 114.8, DRtg is 18th in the NBA at 112.6. The Net Rtg is currently 9th in the NBA at 2.1. (If Denver wins the Kings drop to 10th.)
The Kings have played 16 road games and are currently 8-8. The teams with better road records out West? The 9-7 Nuggets and Trail Blazers and 8-7 Clippers. In the East that’s Boston, Milwaukee, Brooklyn and New York. Last season there were 13 teams with 20 or more W’s away from their home floor.
But….no team has played 10 games in the opposing conference’s gyms….except Sacramento. For that 11 games the Kings have played in Eastern Conference road games, they now play 15 of the next 19 at home. The road games? @Memphis Jan 1st(who will be on a home b2b; they play New Orleans on Dec 31st), @Utah the 3rd (front half of a b2b for Sac; they play Atlanta again on a b2b at a rest disadvantage on the 4th). They also play @ San Antonio and @Lakers in the middle of January.
If you look at the splits, you’ll see an interesting story. In December, have a Net Rtg of over 1 with 7 of the 8 games on the road. On the season, the Kings Net Rtg is just a bit better than -1 1/2 on the road. At home, the Net Rtg is a bit better than +9.
I’ve mentioned this 13 game stretch starting back in Memphis Nov 22nd and concluding tonight in Detroit. That’s a 10 of 13 game stretch on the road. The Kingswent 7-6. The W’s include: @Memphis, Indiana, @LA Clippers, Chicago, @Cleveland, @Toronto, @Detroit. The L’s: @Atlanta, @Boston, Phoenix (the only home L since the 0-4 start), @Milwaukee, @NY Knicks, and @Philadelphia.
In short, the Kings have survived. They got to this point intact, and, frankly, better than I expected. I was hoping for .500 (14-14) at this point, they are 16-12. Optimistic, pessimist, at this point, it just simply no longer matters. What this team is is simply good, or really good if their home record, and underlying peripherals, is to be taken at face value.
At this point, I’m feeling like this team is ready to cement itself in the top 6 in the West. Other teams aren’t running away with anything, at least not yet, and the schedule eases up. I’m not sure what I want to predict the record at the ASB so far down the road (and without knowing availability), but I think I wouldnt be surprised if the Kings went 18-11 in these next 29 games. That would put the Kings at 34-23 with 25 games to go. So I’m going with that.
Good W tonight againt Detroit, but more importantly, IMO, you got your road record back to 8-8. Now take advantage in the comfy confines of the G Spot. Mighty good beam, boys. Keep ‘er goin’.
So many words…
But a lot of good content!
Don’t encourage him!
What fake Dutchman said: No encouragement is necessary.
It’s all relative. Back in 07/08 this would have been his first paragraph except he didn’t use paragraphs
But great points and content. The opposite of Kayte .
In summary Ellis5 was not wrong but just needing transference to themselves.
thanks.
Kings have been “lucky” to play some opponents missing a key player and have not lost too many games to injury. That said- so what? W is a W. I can hear the duds whining from here- oh, our little prancer is out- the next 3 weeks of the season don’t count. Adam- suspend the season until we get healthy.
I believe that Miami listed all players as “out”- is that right? I know it is a gimmick and a stupid protest, but I would like them on the schedule today.
This game proves Keegan was a better pick than Ivey
one game. But true for this game. In the long run? Ivey has talent and Keegan has talent- I like our guy.
Slamson > Detroit Lions
There’s a video in this article about Lion mascots that shows Slamson destroying the competition…
https://flashbak.com/booze-shame-and-tripping-out-a-sporting-history-of-lion-mascots-36734/
Not sure if it’s the same person playing Slamson that’s mentioned in this article, since this is from 2013, but if anyone is curious:
http://www.valcomnews.com/east-sacramento-resident-discusses-life-as-slamson/
…Ok, i went down the rabbit hole (lion hole?) and found out what the human under the Slamson costume looks like.
Our Lion is the Goat and it’s well documented.
nahhhhh….
ESPN saying the Kings are not the flashiest team in their synopsis of the game and then Fox dunks hard and the same person saying the Kings are boring are excited about the slam… WTF? ESPN seems almost as corrupt as the NBA officials…. Are they in cahoots?
!
The lakers win two games in a row and the nba.com does a homepage story about them. it is infuriating to see the disparity of news coverage for small market teams, particularly those without perennial all-stars. the kings have had some traction in major outlets of late. but generally the press reflect very obvious bias of coverage. having said that, sacramento is the mid-west of california.
It’s all about the clicks. There are 20M potential clicks coming from greater LA area compared to around 2M from the Sacramento region. Now multiply that to a global audience of Laker fans. It’s not about dislike or disinterest in the Kings, it’s about the bottom line.
Exactly right.
If anyone knows about clicks, it’s Greg! 😛
Fakers win 2 in a row and it is” They are Back!
duds can’t win on the road and have an injury or two and it is: “they will pull it together!”
Both of those teams will struggle to get into the play in- make the edges of the play in.
East coast media mafia
Let them all sleep on the Kings- better that IMO than overhype.
Barnes has been a solid and durable NBA pro. He has filled various roles for various rosters here, as well as in Oakland & Dallas. And through all of it, he’s never really been a problem…or a solution.
But on this team, under Mike Brown, he is allowed to be the absolute best version of himself. A contributor, and a guy that fills the team’s holes on any given night. He doesn’t carry a team, but he can turn a game and/or provide the final nail in the opponent’s coffin.
De’Aaron Fox may be the most talented player on this team. Domantas Sabonis is the most irreplaceable. Malik Monk is the bench heart & soul. But Harrison Barnes is the absolute “beaming” example of what Brown and his staff have installed as it pertains to trust, selflessness, and applying importance to every bit of real estate from baseline to baseline.
Keegan Murray may be the future, but in the here & now it is Harrison Barnes that is providing all of the little things that are crucial in winning NBA games. His game does not merit a parade, but it sure has earned more than a little admiration and appreciation from this Kings fan.
Thanks, Harrison Beams!
Hell, I will attend a Harrison Barnes parade.
BLACK FALCON!!
I really haven’t liked him for most of his Kings tenure. But this year he is impressing me. He does what is needed to keep us either in the game or at a comfortable distance of the other team. Is it too late in his career to get ‘Most Improved Player’? Keep it up Mr. Barnes. I like what I see.
To your point Yogi, Harrison Barnes has had one year better than this season (so far) of WS/48 than his current mark of .125. I’ll let you take a guess which year that is. It might be easier than you think!
It’s interesting you mention this, because I think that applies to multiple guys on the team, basically all the regular rotation guys and is a key reason for our success so far.
Clearly, guys like Sabonis and Fox were already good players, but it seems like there’s next level stuff going on and not just with them.
Talent reigns when it comes to winning a title, but stuff like team chemistry and the system of basketball being played are almost as important. Basically, getting the right bunch of guys together and installing a system that maximizes strengths and minimizes weaknesses. We’re definitely trending in the right direction here.
While I’m at it, I have to give kudos to a couple of guys in particular, even though the whole team/staff deserves one. I was skeptical of the Brown hire, mostly because I thought he was in that giant middle section of NBA coaches- not elite, but not awful and not a real difference maker. Well, he’s clearly had an impact and most importanly, the players respect him and are buying into his philosophies and systems, so fantastic job coach!
My other kudos guy is Sabonis. This guy straps it on every night and delivers, while literally being pummeled inside every night while the only whistles he gets are on him on the defensive side for some soft/bullshit call. Just a warrior every night!
Great job so far by the whole team/staff. Keep lighting that beam!
LTB
Agree about Sabonis and his superior effort and talent . Would point out that most in the league would say he is dishing out some solid physicality on a regular basis . Most other Broadcast teams point to this regularly .
There’s a play from the Milwaukee game where Sabonis is posting up against Brook Lopez. and just moves him out of the way. Lopez is huge and strong as an ox, but Domas moved him like he was on ball bearings.
agree totally.
When the Kings need a bucket, when they need to stop a run- there is HB, slow rolling to the hoop for bucket or foul
About time for that Barnes extension? How about Monte while we are at it?
What if Barnes doesn’t want to sign an extension until June?
Very clever how the game and recap thread pictures feature three Pistons, Bagley, Burks, and Cory Joseph. All former Kings.
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