The Kings and Raptors spent the first three quarters trading leads, unable to gain any distance from one another. The Raptors were thriving off points in the paint, getting out in transition and shooting efficiently from the field. The Kings remained close largely thanks to excellent free throw shooting, finishing 28-32 from the line. The Kings? 28-32 from the line? They are showing some nice efficiency from the free throw line so far this season – good for first in that category in the whole league. What??
It took until the 5:35 mark in the fourth quarter for the Kings to gain some distance at 111-102. DeMar DeRozan’s midrange game was the offense for the most part with the Raptors unable to stop him from his office. On the other end of the floor, the Kings defense stifled a Raptors offense that had been really efficient in the first three quarters. By the time the Kings extended the lead to 113-102 with 5:01 left, the Golden 1 Center was rocking, Domantas Sabonis had his triple double and a moment later De’Aaron Fox hit a shot-clock beating three. It was all she wrote for Toronto.
Really strong team performance down the stretch with Fox, Keegan Murray, Keon Ellis, DeRozan and Sabonis on the floor.
The Kings are now 5-3 and 6th in the Western Conference.
The Good
Star Power and Balance: DeRozan finished with 27 points and his midrange mastery was on full display. (I can’t wait to see this down the key stretch of the season.) Murray’s strong scoring first quarter from the field was impressive and he finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Fox overcame some shooting struggles (5-17) to finish with 21 points. Sabonis finished with 17 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds, another day another amazing performance from this guy. The Kings had 6 players in double digits, including Kevin Huerter who returned to the lineup with 11 points.
Battle of the Numbers: The Raptors played well through three quarters and were really giving the Kings all they could handle with efficient shooting and attacking the paint. Davion Mitchell had a nice game in his return to Sacramento: 20 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds. The Kings were able to counter with winning rebounds 47-34, the free throw shooting, and closing the points in the paint gap to a 58-50 deficit. And then of course, the fourth quarter execution and overall talent on the roster prevailed.
Closing Power: It really was an impressive fourth after it seemed neither team was going to be able to pull ahead. Ellis’ defense was key in this stretch, as was the Kings taking advantage of matchups with DeRozan. The crowd was great down the stretch also.
The Bad
Early Turnovers: The Kings had 7 turnovers at half that resulted in 12 Raptors points. The Raptors speed seemed to bother the Kings offense early. It also resulted in the Raptors having an 8-0 early fast break lead. It continued early in the fourth quarter with that number jumping up to 20 points for the Raptors off Kings turnovers. This was preventing the Kings from pulling away despite the great free throw shooting.
Paint Defense Early: By half the Raptors had a 36-20 lead in points in the paint. This helped propel the Raptors to 54% from the field and around 50% for much of the game.
The Ugly
Bench Scoring: The Raptors bench outscored the Kings bench 35-24, but that gap was much larger until Malik Monk and Ellis picked up some buckets late. It was 33-15 at one point. Monk finished with 13 points and 5 rebounds. Ellis finished with 8 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals.
Kings of Kings:
You have to give this to DeRozan who was unstoppable down the stretch and a key catalyst for the 4th quarter run that got the win. He also was a +15 on the night. It’s hard not to mention Sabonis in the same breath though with another triple double.
Up Next:
The Kings will take on the Los Angeles Clippers Friday at 7 p.m. at home.
Alex Len needs a big shout-out. He played 14 min and went off. Got the DPOG. A super fun game to see live. Was worried through 3 but the fourth was all Kings. Demar is a gift from the Basketball Gods. Lots of love to Davion but the beam was lit and all was right for a while.
100%. Len had a rough start but he was fantastic in the second half.
I thought the same. At one point early on I was thinking yank him but he turned it around nicely.
He doesn’t get to play too much so I chalk that up to first tee box jitters. He settled nicely. He still almost gets stripped a lot when he’s looking to feed the ball downcourt after a DEF board.
Len sometimes possesses the hands (or are they claws) of Mikki Moore, but he is more than cromulent as a bench big with size. And he’s not JaVale McGee!
Heh, I remember feeling good about the McGee signing and thought he’d be a better backup than Len. It didn’t take long for me to never want to see him on the floor unless it was for garbage time.
I think there was one possession where, instead of grabbing the rebound, Len swatted it towards a King but it was intercepted, a la Vlade.
I think there should be a clause in each King’s player’s contract that states:
DO NOT SWAT A REBOUND. GRAB IT.
Domas basically pitched a perfect game. 13 assists with no turnovers, didn’t miss a shot on his way to 17 points, and 11 boards. He and Murray do so much good stuff that doesn’t show up in the box scores. They are a true joy to watch.
DDR – holy crap. I consider myself to be a bit of an NBA fan, and I was happy that the Kings added him, but I severely underestimated him – I thought he just did this sort of stuff when we played against him.
Monk can be frustrating to watch at times, but I will give him credit for bringing much-needed energy at a critical point in the game.
Has Davion Mitchell found a system that works for his talents, or was last night a tease?
Teams attack Trey Lyles. Flat attack him. I wish that the Kings had a better answer for minutes behind Murray. And if Mike Brown would grant me one wish, it would be to never have Len and Lyles on the floor together. Either Sabonis or Murray has to be on the floor up front.
Also, 73% true shooting for Sabonis through 10% of the season. Jeebus.
Completely agree on DDR. I knew he was good and had obviously seen him play before (admittedly not a ton) but I did not realize he was this good. Much like when Sabonis was traded here.
Monk rides that line between good, chaotic energy and out of control, bone head plays. I think he needs to be able to do that, it is a positive most of the time.
Yes. DDR is better than expected. I can easily see he and Domas both getting All-Star nods.
Did you know that Malik means Chaos, And Not Always in a Good Way in Arabic?
I get the engaging athletic swagger that Monk brings but the volatility of a 26.5 year old in his eighth season baffles me. The Kelly Obre, Jr./Terrence Ross comps are there. I see the reason for the love, but he is the epitome of a “No, No, No….Yes!” player to me.
Sparkplug player that sometimes catches fire, or just provides coughing and smoke. Pizza Guy – that sometimes stays frozen and other times fresh delivery.
Domas with the quiet amazing game (history without the histrionics). Murray with the subdued strong game.
The Free Throw shooting has been one of the best improvements I’ve seen this season. DeMarvelous is THE best. I have a crick in my neck from shaking my head seeing him make mid-range magic time and again. I appreciate his teammates, including De’Aaron, feeding him in crunch time and slow scoring time.
I would be remiss to not give a big shout out to Coach Darko and the tough, scrappy squad he’s managing. When they get Scottie Barnes, Quickly, and a strong draft player in this upcoming 2025, they are going to be very good.
That’s some intense coaching on the sidelines. Coach Darko is the Sabonis of coaches. He doesn’t take plays off.
I was chatting with someone during the game about Darko. Toronto’s roster looked a little funky in preseason, but he really is doing a terrific job of coaching, and they are all on the same page. They are gonna win some games playing that hard with Scottie and IQ back.
Mal-EEEK! Monk.
Teams attacking Lyles – Is this new? or he’s just slower now after coming back from injury. I do hope the 22-23 version comes back at some point.
Nice win! I am absolutely loving DDR and his fit on this team. His ability to get a quality shot or distribute effectively is key.
Sabonis is so underrated. It was a triple double with perfect shooting and zero turnovers no misses from the field or the stripe.
I thought it was interesting in crunch time they had Keon bringing the ball up. Must be due to Fox’s finger issue but could be a useful option going forward.
Just saw this…
Special player.
At times his accomplishments go under the radar and it seems they’ve altered the radar keep him there.
And he still won’t get the recognition he deserves. Dude brings it every night, even when getting smashed in the face multiple times. Just an easy player to root for.
!
Fun game to be at, real fun. They may not be the best or the biggest in the west, but their pieces fit together nicely.
We remind ourselves that Heurter has a bigness to his game and he showed us that last night for sure.
Watching the Kings run that same spin fadeaway for DeRozan brought great joy to the fans around me. Really great. You could see it coming and I yelled out HERE IT COMES in 102. Last night the energy and quality of the game just slowly grew.
Monk. Bro. At what point in his career does he realize when he drives into three defenders there is a teammate standing there for the easy pass? It’s a real weakness in his game. It reminds me of NFL quarterbacks maybe in their third year where you ask; “Dude, the game should have slowed down for you by now, you should see the field.” We counted FIVE times he did that last night. The one time he finally figures it out he passed to Len who missed a layup but was fouled. Believe me I love Monk but they left points on the board with his tunnel vision. Is this something he’s just not going to figure out?
We got it going on in Sacramento. New light rail cars filled with purple jerseys. Restaurants spilled out on K St. Kids slipping around on an ice rink. Lots of people hanging out outside the arena. We are blessed.
Last night was probably the worst game he’s played as a King. Totally out of control. He made so many bad decisions and plays that made me ask if his head was even in the game tonight. Glad Brown went with Keon in that pivotal 4th quarter stretch.
Hope Monk can get out his early season start. The bench is awful right now.
Did Davion get applause from the fans?
I finally returned to my seat during Kings introductions so I missed that.
Saw online he got a nice ovation.
It was a …short… ovation
(ducks, runs)
Yes. I was there. A good hearty applause. No video tribute but still got the love.
Said this earlier: Monk rides that line between good, chaotic energy and out of control, bone head plays. I think he needs to be able to do that, it is a positive most of the time.
He can and has won games with his chaos but also costs the Kings at times. I think it is a net positive but I think we all have to accept there will be some ugly play sometimes.
With Keon becoming more of a staple in the rotation and Huerter back and playing well again it gives MB the option to sit Monk if he is drifting out of control. He was not in there for most of crunch time last night.
The 1 on 4 fast break with 3 defenders standing in the paint right in front of him, and he decides to crash in to them and go for a layup, was just mind boggling. He gets that tunnel vision/hard headedness at times that is detrimental.
Nice to see you posting Marty.
I have really loved how Kevin has looked so far. He is a very dynamic offensive player, and his ability shoot on the move is pretty valuable. Has done a nice job of playing team defense as well
This team will be very tough to beat if we can start hitting our open shots.
caught the 2nd half when i got home last night and watched the 1st half on my way to work this morning… I don’t post often. 10 years ago I could rattle off stats like it was my job. 10 years, 2 kids, and a divorce later, I watch every game but am stuck in a Kings vacuum and don’t know the NBA nearly as well as I used to.
That being said..
I like this team.. a lot. I love what DDR does. I am absolutely pumped at the trajectory keegan is on. I love that Fox has this nasty side to him that can activate a ridiculous run (and sometimes, a cold streak he cant stop himself from trying to shoot out of), Sabonis is not human. Huerter is back and I’m here for it. Monk stayed and I would give anything to have the mal**fs mow his lawn, just because, F**K THE MALOOFS! Ellis is an amazing G-league find, and I feel fortunate that I got to watch him here in stockton before he started to show he was a legit NBA player and deserved a permanent seat on the bench…
I would hate to see any of these guys be gone.
But our bench needs a lot of help, right? It feels like outside of Monk and Ellis, our bench just doesn’t hold up consistently. Am I so removed from paying close attention that I am super wrong, or does anybody see any significant moves ahead, that would drastically improve this team?
Anyway… light the beam, go kings, bring back thomas robinson and quincey douby so this team can finally have a fighting chance.
This team’s bench does give off a “just hold on” vibe for sure. Last night I think they went down 9 with big bench minutes and to be honest I wasn’t worried at all.
A great end to a not so great day.
DeRozan is just automatic. Man, he’s just so much fun to watch.
Box Score says starters got 35 min or less which is progress for MB. There is no need to play guys more than 35 min but maybe if it was closer at very end he would have. Our bench is solid IMO, Keon and Malik could be getting more min but the 20 they got last night should be the minimum. Lyles and Len should also be in the 10-15 range and I think McLaughlin is solid enough to be getting 10 min per night.
Love the FT shooting, having DeRozan and an improved Fox at the line (if he can sustain it) will be huge for us down the stretch of games.
First 3 quarters had me a bit worried and then 4th was like a whole nother level, not sure why we can’t just start like that and build an insurmountable lead that is sustained for the whole game but that wouldn’t be Kangz Brand Ball.
Lyles looks really bad, and it seems to be a struggle to justify his 15 minutes per game this season. But the Kings really have no other options at that spot right now, so Lyles gets the minutes.
How many times a day do I have to prove I’m not a robot?
😉
Sorry about that. But hey, real quick, would you mind looking at these pictures and telling me which ones contain a bus?
This one contains a buss
Sometimes they’ll show photos of motorcycles and ask, “Pick out all the bicycles”, and the cyclist in me yells out, “There aren’t any photos of bicycles dumbass!” 🙂
DeRozan in the lineup vs Barnes is 6-7 more wins over the season and a lot less pressure on Fox. Now if we can get a competent back up C.
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