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Kings 123, Pelicans 128: Career night from Fox not enough to overcome Kings defense

A career-high 43 points from Fox wasn't enough to beat a team coming off a five-game losing streak and ranked 28th in the league in points per game.
By | 98 Comments | Jan 17, 2021

The New Orleans Pelicans snapped a five-game losing streak Sunday night in Sacramento despite a career-high 43 points from De’Aaron Fox. Fox added 13 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals, but it wasn’t enough as the Pelicans won 128-123.

The Pelicans were effective early on by attacking the basket and playing fast. Fox, and a strong game from Marvin Bagley (26 points and 10 rebounds) offset some of the disruption this caused on both sides of the ball, but it ultimately wasn’t enough. The Kings made it close at the end of the game, but couldn’t close it out.

First Half

The Kings came out with stronger intensity at the beginning of the first quarter on defense as it appeared early on they had received the message that you have to play defense to win in the NBA. That quickly subsided as the Pelicans showed they were there to attack the basket. This played right into Zion Williamson’s game, who had 10 points in the first quarter. New Orleans finished the quarter as a team with a series of baskets and tallied 34 points after the first 12 minutes. With De’Aaron Fox on the bench, things only got worse at the start of the second quarter as the onslaught continued (the largest lead of the half for New Orleans was 19).

When opponents bring speed and force it continues to cause havoc for the Kings.

Fox re-entered the game and settled things down a little. Like he does, he put pressure on the Pelicans defense by attacking in the open court. He helped pull the Kings to within 6 with 5:30 left in the half.

Fox was pretty incredible in the second quarter, playing good defense and making impressive passes. He had 15 points in the quarter. He stopped the bleeding, but the Pelicans were still up 67-58 at halftime.

The Kings got out-rebounded 23-10 and let the Pelicans shoot 61 percent from the field. Zion finished the half with 18 points, while Fox finished with 17 points, 6 assists and 3 steals. Bagley had a strong half with 15 points and 6 rebounds.

Second Half  

The Kings started the second half by pressuring with full-court defense, but they continued to be unable to stop the Pelicans with any sort of consistency.

I’m going to track some of these defensive possessions live as they happen:

  • Ingram long jumper, good.
  • Ingram missed shot, Steven Adams rebound, foul on Kings. Adams make one.
  • Ingram three-pointer, good.
  • Zion pass out to Nickeil Alexander-Walker for three, good.
  • Alexander Walker fouled, misses both, Adams rebound, out to Eric Bledsoe three, good.

Ok I can’t do it anymore, this defense is bad.

The Kings were making decent plays on offense throughout this sequence though so the game wasn’t completely out of reach.

  • Wait one more: Buddy Hield just completely lost Bledsoe on a screen for a layup.

The Kings found themselves down 14 with 2:42 left in the third quarter. This was Ingram’s quarter as the Kings had no answer for him, and then Fox happened€¦again.

Fox continued his strong game and finished the quarter with a series of nice passes and baskets to pull the Kings to within 4.

Zion continued to show his incredible skill in the fourth quarter, bullying Bagley around the basket. With Fox out of the game, the Pelicans increased the lead back up to 10. Fox re-entered the game, but the defense continued to prevent the Kings from making more progress, until the last four minutes or so of the fourth quarter.

Bagley knocked down a three with 3:45 left in the fourth to pull the Kings to within three points. The next possession Fox got a clear-path dunk to cut the lead to one.

New ballgame.

Luke Walton went with a Hack-A-Adams strategy right after that and the big man hit both free throws. Zion was fouled on the following Pelicans possession and knocked down his two free throws. The Kings were down 5. A drive to the lane by Holmes with a little over a minute left cut the Pelicans lead to 122-119. A foul on Adams with 17 seconds left sent him to the line and he made both of them. The Pelicans led by five. Then, Fox knocked down a shot for his 41st point to pull the Kings to within three again with 13 seconds left, but JJ Reddick knocked down two free throws to push the Pelicans back up by 5. Fox hit another two to pull within three again. Alexander-Walker hit both of his free throws.

Ball game.

Ultimately, the Kings dug themselves too much of a hole without being able to stop a team that doesn’t have much of a potent offense with any consistency. There were flashes of defensive awareness, but not often enough.

The Pelicans rank 28th in points per game and dropped 128.

Player of the Game

🦊

Other Notes

  • Richaun Holmes had 16 points and 7 rebounds and was able to stay on the floor with 5 fouls, an accomplishment since he was guarding Zion and Adams.
  • Haliburton had a quiet night offensively (2 points and 2 assists), but had some incredible defensive plays €“ he had 2 blocks.
  • Zion finished with 31 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists.
  • The Pelicans had six players finish in double digits in scoring.
  • The Kings got out-rebounded 48-33.

What’s Next

 The Kings get the Los Angeles Clippers again on Jan. 20 at 7 p.m.

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Kangz_Landing
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January 17, 2021 9:01 pm

Just my observation.

A big flaw with our half court defense is the fact that our bigs do not hedge hard on the pick and roll ball handler. Instead Holmes and Bagley glide sideways with the ball handler and the big trying to defend both, allowing the ball handler to either have a free driving lane, leading to a simple dump off to the big, or a kick out to the corner three, then swing, boom our “defense” is now scrambling, open 3. Rinse repeat. 

I was watching the Knicks, yes THE KNICKS, and the Pacers and they made Nerlens Noel/Sabonis hedge hard on the opposing ball handler either to trap him or to make him change direction to allow the screened defender to recover. There’s not enough disruption. The other teams can do whatever they want at will. The tank is alive and well!

Socalpurplecurse
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January 17, 2021 11:03 pm
Reply to  Kangz_Landing

A few weeks ago I was afraid we were out of the running for a top wing scottie Barnes or Chuminga now I feel like we right in the thick of a possible tip 4 pick baby Cade is a possibility good Job Walton!!!

TheBufferZone
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January 17, 2021 9:02 pm

So, we get within 1 point, just over 3 minutes left in the game, and the play calling from the bench is:

1.) Intentionally foul Adams at the other end of the court. And then…
2.) Designed play for Holmes to shoot a 3.

Come on.  Walton is just awful. 

Kui
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Kui
January 17, 2021 9:24 pm
Reply to  TheBufferZone

That intentional foul was just dumb, it killed the momentum and you don’t gamble such things when you’re only down by 1.

Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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January 17, 2021 9:53 pm
Reply to  Kui

What is even worse, is they did it just once.

How do you intentionally foul someone then abandon it the very next possession?

1951
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January 18, 2021 9:19 am
Reply to  Adamsite

Yeah. I was puzzled by both the game situation use and the one off.

Didn’t make much sense at all.

RowJimmy
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January 17, 2021 10:02 pm
Reply to  Kui

I don’t have an issue with that strategy if you stick to it. They did not and should have until the 2 minute mark if that is the strategy. Just plain awful. When can Dumars fire Walton? What an outfit. Go Kangz!

Mephariel
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January 17, 2021 10:03 pm
Reply to  Kui

I agree. If were down like 10 points maybe. But we were playing well and we could have just gotten a defensive stop.

wilbur10
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January 17, 2021 9:55 pm
Reply to  TheBufferZone

To start the 4th he also basically subbed out the entire lineup that went on a run to end the third. He couldn’t afford to take Fox out then and he did exactly that. I believe the deficit went from 3 at the qtr to 9 when Fox checked back in and he couldn’t quite bring us back.

ImJoeKing
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January 17, 2021 11:36 pm
Reply to  TheBufferZone

Don’t mind either of those strategies, but the timing of it — after storming back to bring the game within one point and you have all the momentum — just seems odd.

kings4ever
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January 18, 2021 8:06 am
Reply to  TheBufferZone

Agree!

Klam
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Nostradumbass 18
Nostradumbass 19
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January 17, 2021 9:03 pm

Dammit, I slipped again on my predictions! I was going to predict the Pellies would score above 120 but changed last second. 🙁

Dirkula
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January 17, 2021 9:39 pm
Reply to  Klam

Predicting this team is damn near impossible.
I thought for sure they’d win tonight and show that they aren’t the worst team in the league. Something needs to change…Either embrace the tank, play the young fellas and see what we’ve got, or blow it up and trade for the future. I’m cool either way, but what we have now is 💩

ZillersCat
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January 18, 2021 11:37 am
Reply to  Klam

I did not want to predict holding a team under 120 would be a thing. I also didn’t predict a loss. Mainly I didn’t want to see this outcome, nor gain points in the calamidy. Winning the NostraDum is hard in a lot of ways!

Marty
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January 17, 2021 9:08 pm

Proof that you can put up 26 and still look absolutely terrible.

Mephariel
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January 17, 2021 9:15 pm
Reply to  Marty

Bagley played well tonight. He had 26 and 10 and made some key plays. His defense wasn’t great, but honestly, I would complain about Buddy Hield’s defense before Bagley’s. Did Hield even try to play defense? Then you have Barnes who played like garbage. Imagine if we have Cade instead of Barnes.

TheEffortPolice
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January 17, 2021 9:34 pm
Reply to  Marty

I wouldn’t say “terrible” but say you can put up 26 and still look completely unfit for today’s game.

You can try and fit Marvin Bagley in every role a big can do in today’s NBA and find a failing for why it wouldn’t work.

Mephariel
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January 17, 2021 9:38 pm

Julius Randle is putting up 26 and 10 every night and plays bad defense most of his career and people are saying he should be considered for MVP. I don’t agree with it, but I have a hard time believing the NBA doesn’t have a place for a guy putting up 26 and 10. Again, I understand Bagley defense needs a lot of work, but there are a lot of bad defenders in the NBA that doesn’t put up 26 and 10 and still plays.

TheEffortPolice
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January 17, 2021 9:58 pm
Reply to  Mephariel

Well, it doesn’t. Randle by the way, this is coming five years after being the poster boy for empty stats. And those people are fooling themselves if they think the Knicks are going anywhere with him even now.

There are a few roles you can play in today’s NBA as a traditional big.

You can be the lone elite role-player big playing second banana AT BEST to your more dynamic guard/wing(s) holding down the middle with modest usage (Gobert, Turner, Nurkic). Bagley doesn’t fit here because of A. Defense/Physicality and B. It was an expectation when he was drafted for him to have first option usage. His dad expects that, he himself expects that, Vlade when he drafted him expected that, and his current usage and how often the ball gets dumped into him expects that.

Or you could be the franchise big, who these days you’ve gotta be an absolute sensation if you wanna get away with that and not defend. We’re talking best big man passer in NBA history (Jokic) or best shooting big man in NBA history (KAT). And even then, some franchise bigs these days at elite at both ends (Davis, Embiid). Again, this isn’t Bagley.

It isn’t just his bad defense either, you could easily make the argument they’re better off relegating him to garbage man putting up 10/7 with sub 15% usage rather than give him 25+% usage to put up 20/10 or whatever. Because he’s not creating for others, and he’s getting his production mainly from face-ups and postups.

Mephariel
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January 17, 2021 10:10 pm

I don’t think the Knicks are going anywhere with him, but Randle definitely has a place in the NBA. Also, I think your first role described Bagley perfectly for now. He is an elite role player playing second fiddle to Fox. He just needs to improve his defense. If he develops his shot, he can be a much better stretch player than some one like Gobert. Also, he gets you rebounds. We need someone that grabs rebounds. Your point about expectations is irrelevant. I don’t care what Bagley’s dad thinks he should be. I would use Bagley as what he is. Bagley is playing within the flow of the offense and had some great passes. Let him continue to do that.

Marty
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January 17, 2021 10:30 pm
Reply to  Mephariel

Wow

He is an elite role player

Last edited 3 years ago by Marty Marty
Mephariel
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January 17, 2021 10:31 pm
Reply to  Marty

That is the role he should strive to be if he is not now.

Marty
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January 17, 2021 11:03 pm
Reply to  Mephariel

Can’t defend the perimeter. Too soft to bang with bigs. Stretch 4s abuse him both inside and out. Can’t pass, can’t run the break, poor dribbler, sets the worst picks on the team, looking lost on both offense and defense is the norm.

There is nothing elite about Marvin Bagley.

Mephariel
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January 17, 2021 11:31 pm
Reply to  Marty

Bagley is just 21 years old. He is averaging 12 and 8 and 18 and 11 in 36 minutes. He absolutely can pass. There is a difference between passing and getting assists. Bagley has already made tremendous improvements in passing. He shot is getting better. He is on the right track.

MillersCornrows
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January 17, 2021 11:38 pm
Reply to  Mephariel

Bagley needs to improve his defense and he has the chance to do so. Let’s hope he does!

Otis
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January 18, 2021 4:18 am
Reply to  Mephariel

Come on now, Bagley is a terrible passer.

Marty’s kind of unable to pick his spots when it comes to the Bagley criticism, but he’s not wrong on his high level overview. There’s still a lot to improve on for Bagley.

Marty
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January 18, 2021 9:20 am
Reply to  Otis

He does excel at making one pass at the perimeter and then heading for the corner, he’s definitely got that one nailed down.

HongKongKingsFan
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January 18, 2021 5:28 am
Reply to  Mephariel

“Team Bagley” Burner account found

WizsSox
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January 17, 2021 11:54 pm
Reply to  Marty

Jesus…of all the nights this year to bang the Bagley drum. He got 26 and 10 at reasonably efficiently level tonight. Did he make mistakes. Hell yes. Lots of areas to improve. Of course.

But he has shown better over the last 6-7 games. He is not as much a black hole, the defense has been some better (taking charges etc), he has shot from 3 at 40+ percent, shooting high 50’s from the field.

Point is he is showing signs of progress, even if he isn’t a great/good player overall right now. People were begging for him to show some promise and improvement after the dreadful start he had. Can’t see how he hasn’t at least done that.

He’s on this team for the next 140 or so games (unless you want to trade him at lowest value right now) Let’s see if the baby steps can continue to becoming a solid player.

Mephariel
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January 18, 2021 7:33 am
Reply to  WizsSox

Exactly. If Harry Giles put up 26 and 10, people would be all over him. But you know, he is stuck averaging 2.6 points a game on the Blazers. But Giles can pass!! He has count vision!! Maybe in a alternative universe where he doesn’t average as many fouls as points.

eddie41
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January 18, 2021 8:19 am
Reply to  Mephariel

He’s a UFA after this season. I’d love to bring him back.

eddie41
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January 18, 2021 8:17 am
Reply to  WizsSox

progress? Not really. He played like this rookie year (after a sobering wake up call in summer league). But yeah, I agree with your overall point and I’ll take the 26 and 10 and not complain (I was predicting 25 and 12 this year). What concerns me most about Bagley is the possible nightmare where the Kings overpay him on a second contract based on misleading stats.

WizsSox
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January 18, 2021 10:10 am
Reply to  eddie41

Progress from the start of this season which I referred to…absolutely. Considering he pretty much missed last season and a third of rookie year, I wouldn’t expect him to be that much farther along that his rookie year, especially with the decline in coaching acumen.

Bagley also is more often playing against opposing starters, rather than rookie year he was playing more against second unit guys. Progress shouldn’t expected to be linear, especially as variables change.

Again I have no flipping clue if he will turn out into something decent…but the ability of some here to just have Bagley blinders and not notice progress when it’s evident seems like poor evaluation.

rc50cal
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January 18, 2021 9:58 am
Reply to  Marty

There is not, but one could be forgiven for looking at his offensive performance last night and having some optimism.

TheEffortPolice
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January 17, 2021 10:46 pm
Reply to  Mephariel

Bagley can’t be a role-player because Bagley doesn’t do role-player things. He doesn’t defend, or pass, or do the things that don’t show in the box score in support of someone else.

The idea of a Bagley is to give him the usage for the production, which my point is that because of his status in today’s NBA is wasted effort. There’s no in-between.

Take Demarcus Cousins for example. When he was here, the idea was to give him the usage so he gives you the production. That was the plan with him when he was on the Kings. Injury has sapped his ability and his stops of trying to fit in as a role-player have been failures. Same thing with Carmelo Anthony, at least as far as his OKC/HOU days go.

Mephariel
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January 17, 2021 11:44 pm

Carmelo Anthony played in the NBA for 18 seasons without learning defense at all. He is still contributing in Portland and getting major minutes. Anthony was once an all-star. Surely Bagley can find a place in the NBA if he average 20+ and 10+. Lou Williams is still in the NBA as a role player. What does Lou Williams do well? Scoring and not much else. Is Kevin Love a great defender? He played for years and years. Hell, you mentioned Cousins? He still has a major spot on a roster with 2 major injuries. Bagley is shooting above 40% and is getting 12 points and 8 rebounds and he is 21 years old, still improving.

I would actually say that Bagley needs to show he can be an elite offensive player. Trae Young can’t play defense at all, but he is an elite scoring and playmaker. Bagley needs to be an an elite scorer and rebounder. Can he? I am not sure. Again, if Randle can stay in the NBA for this long so can Bagley.

RikSmits
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January 18, 2021 12:33 am
Reply to  Mephariel

Why should I care how long he can stay in the NBA?

I care if he can be a significant contributor to winning basketball. Hint: putting up raw stats does not tell you much in that regard.

Mephariel
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January 18, 2021 7:28 am
Reply to  RikSmits

Grading a 21 years old who is showing signs of improvement doesn’t tell you that much in that regard either.

RikSmits
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January 18, 2021 8:41 am
Reply to  Mephariel

It’s improvement over being an absolute tire fire. But I see he’s making up ground…

Last edited 3 years ago by RikSmits
WizsSox
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January 18, 2021 1:10 pm
Reply to  RikSmits

Snark aside, is anyone arguing that he had been good this year? This chart proves as a whole this year he has been very bad. Nobody questions that. The first 6-7 games until the Daddy Bagley blowout he was absolutely horrendous. The argument being made is he has been improving the last 6-7 games and we are only 14 games into a sample for the season.

For a team not going anywhere and with not a ton of overall talent, it would make sense to see how it plays out.

deepshot22
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January 17, 2021 10:22 pm
Reply to  Mephariel

There are people saying Julius Randle should be MVP?

Mephariel
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January 17, 2021 10:25 pm
Reply to  deepshot22

Yep. Just listen to the Sirius XM channel. One of the hosts put Randle as a top 5 candidate.

deepshot22
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January 17, 2021 11:38 pm
Reply to  Mephariel

That’s probably reason enough not to listen.

MillersCornrows
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January 17, 2021 11:34 pm
Reply to  Mephariel

If Enes Kanter played for 36 minutes and took 19 shots like Bagley, he’d put up the same numbers but there’s a reason he’s bounced around and not been allowed to do that on normal NBA teams.

Mephariel
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January 18, 2021 12:08 am

Except Bagley is averaging 25 minute per game and 11 shots per game. Even at 36 mins, he average less than 19 shot attempts a game. Bagley isn’t as efficient as he can be on offense but he is not inefficient either. He is also just 21 years old and is a far better shooter than Kanter ever will be. I bet you all 29 other teams would agree that Bagley has more potential than Kanter.

ForKingsandCountry
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January 17, 2021 10:59 pm
Reply to  Marty

I didn’t think he looked terrible tonight. I’ve actually seen some positive signs from Bagley the last few games. His defense has looked a bit better and his three point shooting is improving. Plus less one one basketball. He still isn’t very good but I thought he did some good things tonight.

Marty
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January 18, 2021 9:29 am

He still isn’t very good.

I agree, the old eye test doesn’t lie. I’m sure garbage minutes against one of the worst teams in the NBA has nothing to do with his sudden improvement.

rockbottom
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January 17, 2021 9:19 pm

Good things fans are not allowed in the building as it will be far from full ! May need to keep the cardboard pictures !

Kui
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Kui
January 17, 2021 9:29 pm

On a positive note, we saw a great games from Fox and Bags but the D is still atrocious. We’ll be easily down by 20 if Fox didn’t have a great game.

What happened to Hali? He’s making good plays on D but he’s passive on offense during the last 2 games. Other teams are adjusting to him? Rookie wall?

Mephariel
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January 17, 2021 9:45 pm
Reply to  Kui

Teams are definitely not letting him shoot that long 3 anymore. He needs to be aggressive and adjust. I would like him to go harder to the rim and make more plays.

King4life
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January 17, 2021 9:49 pm
Reply to  Kui

From my perspective, it looks like teams are playing the passing lanes on Haliburton. They know he’s always looking to pass and taking away all of his passing options. He needs to adjust and be more aggressive in looking for his own shot.

And stop passing the ball to Corey Joseph, he’s complete garbage.

SelecaoKOJ
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January 17, 2021 9:55 pm
Reply to  King4life

Teams have now figured out Haliburton. They know he needs time to get his shot off. They are no longer giving him those open looks he was getting earlier in the season. Hali can still be effective in other ways. But, you’re now seeing he needs time or space to get a shot off. Herro and Robinson looked great for the Heat last year. Until, teams started studying their tendencies. Now, neither one is as effective as they were last season.

Last edited 3 years ago by SelecaoKOJ
9sac8
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January 18, 2021 8:06 am
Reply to  SelecaoKOJ

I said the exact same thing on Hali yesterday. There is film on him. This is the NBA. If you don’t continue to get better, you will get exposed.

On a lighter note, I have some positivity here. This is the first time I’ve seen some dog in Fox (twist it however lol). Last night was the player I know Fox is. That kid may have hit the corner last night. It might come down to Fox really being able to carry this team with the appropriate players surrounding him. Some said he looked like AI last night. He looked like AI on PEDs because the kid showed out.

This is the Fox I knew we drafted. Fox looked mean and intimidating. We need that from a few other players. This team cannot be soft like Walton. Walton needs to go ASAP. We need a dog for a coach as well. I hope the next coach can either bring that unsatisfying hunger to win to this group, or bring in players that have that will.

Kui
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January 17, 2021 10:58 pm
Reply to  King4life

With his high bball IQ, I hope Hali will be fine.

As for CoJo, whatever happened to him? He was this defensive stud and a decent playmaker during his days with the Raps. He’s a bit slow now on D, and usually fumbles or overdribbles on offense.

Otis
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January 18, 2021 12:56 pm
Reply to  Kui

It’s weird how role players on good basketball teams are often not as good on bad teams!

This likely would have been an issue with DiVincenzo as well.

RikSmits
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January 18, 2021 12:35 am
Reply to  Kui

Haliburton understands that his chances for ROY are slim, so he’s holding back to get a high draft pick this year and the MIP award next season.
That’s the BBIQ and the long term view we need!

Kingsguru21
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January 18, 2021 6:22 am
Reply to  RikSmits

This is the Dunking Dutchman snark I am here for!

deepshot22
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January 18, 2021 10:05 am
Reply to  RikSmits

Epic.

TheGrantNapear
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January 18, 2021 7:00 am
Reply to  Kui

He’s a rookie.

Mephariel
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January 17, 2021 9:53 pm

If you can move just one guy, would you rather trade Buddy Hield or Harrison Barnes?

Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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January 17, 2021 9:56 pm
Reply to  Mephariel

Buddy. His is unique skill is replaceable on a cheaper contract. More importantly, Hali has made him even more replaceable.

Kui
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Kui
January 17, 2021 11:04 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

I would trade Buddy too. Aside from on-court, I believe HB is a great locker presence too.

reydarly
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January 17, 2021 9:56 pm
Reply to  Mephariel

Buddy. End Vivek’s “next Curry” fantasy.

Inthestarz
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January 17, 2021 10:10 pm
Reply to  Mephariel

Since the team at this point should be losing for the benefit of the long term, Barnes

deepshot22
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January 17, 2021 10:23 pm
Reply to  Mephariel

C. Both

reydarly
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January 17, 2021 10:51 pm
Reply to  deepshot22

This too. I believe they are dead ends on our roster. Along with CoJo. This roster is too streaky and we need more sure things. This is part of the reason Haliburton looks like the best player on the roster. We know what to expect from him because he performs in a consistent manner.

keith_kar
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January 18, 2021 8:00 am
Reply to  Mephariel

Barnes, hands down. Kings never should have signed him.

1951
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January 18, 2021 9:27 am
Reply to  Mephariel

Which one results in the better asset return?

eddie41
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January 18, 2021 9:40 am
Reply to  Mephariel

Hield. Longer contract. Haliburton can take his starting spot. Easier to find playmakers at the guard position.

reydarly
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January 17, 2021 9:55 pm

Fox and Bagley need to play like that every game. Especially Fox. I liked Doug’s breakdown of Bagley’s flaws on defense. Bagley should hit him up.

Mephariel
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January 17, 2021 10:01 pm
Reply to  reydarly

Obviously they are not going to get 40+ and 25+ every night. BUT, I think Fox needs to get 24+ points and 7+ assists every night and Bagley needs to get 17+ points and 10+ rebounds every night. With good efficiency of course for both. Fox needs to be alpha all the time and Bagley needs to justify his starting spot since his defense isn’t where it needs to be now.

reydarly
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January 17, 2021 10:46 pm
Reply to  Mephariel

I agree I moreso meant play with that attitude. That was a max contract type of performance from him.

WizsSox
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January 18, 2021 12:05 am
Reply to  Mephariel

I agree with Fox being a bit passive at times and learning to pick his alpha moments. If you take out the Chicago game he got injured in the first 5 minutes though, he is at 22 and 6 for the season. So close.

JoeEnzyme
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January 17, 2021 10:11 pm

I have a question. I am retired from pick up hoops at age 64, and am left handed. I notice not infrequently, that defenders like Holmes go for the block on a right hander with their right hand and either miss or foul. Why don’t they get taught to go up on defense with the left hand, as it is several inches closer to the ball, the defender faces up and does not hit the shooter with the body, and perhaps the defender can get to the ball a couple tenths of a second faster? Most of y’all know hoops much better than me, even though I have been a fan since Lew was a rookie. I look forward to and hope y’all have some feedback.

MidtownMike
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January 17, 2021 11:58 pm
Reply to  JoeEnzyme

It’s simply hard to get players to do things like that with their non dominant hand. I teach it to my hs players and not many ever get comfortable enough to do it in games.

I read an interview with a great nba defender who talked about this, I forget who it was though.

RikSmits
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January 18, 2021 12:42 am
Reply to  JoeEnzyme

“Why don’t they get taught”
There’s your answer.

Many of today’s players have a clear lack of fundamental skills because they play less organized basketball with structured training and/or get taught less.

Many players today focus mainly on their handles, shot, fakes and dunks, not on positioning, boxing out, setting screens, defense in general etc.

Otis
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January 18, 2021 12:59 pm
Reply to  RikSmits

I mean, maybe this is true, but I doubt these guys haven’t been taught all of these fundamentals.

The reality is, some people are just flat better at certain things and not everyone is capable of improving their weakness to a high level. It’s not always a matter of effort, sometimes it’s just a lack of talent/ability.

RikSmits
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January 18, 2021 9:59 pm
Reply to  Otis

There’s a difference with being taught these things a dozen times and being taught until it becomes ingrained, automatic behavior.

rockbottom
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January 18, 2021 6:31 am
Reply to  JoeEnzyme

Bill Russell once stated he blocked most shots with his right hand ! He was left handed !

ForKingsandCountry
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January 17, 2021 11:08 pm

Just keep rolling with the tank! The defense is still horrendous but Fox and Bagley both played pretty well on offense at least. The more I watch some of the dudes that are going to be in the draft next year the more excited I get.

Corey Joseph should never play again. He is absolutely awful and it’s just brutal watching him miss every outside shot while also taking some terrible fouls and getting blown by every time down the floor. At least Kyle Guy can probably make a few open 3’s and his defense can’t be worse than what Joseph is doing right now. Every second he’s on the floor is a waste of time. Bjelly got put out to pasture for a lot less.

Last edited 3 years ago by ForKingsandCountry
Sir_tajj
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January 17, 2021 11:10 pm

Does anyone have the numbers on how many of Hali’s baskets are assisted? He seems open every time fox drives but the ball never makes it to him like it use to. Also, no ones moving on his PnR except for the roll man.

ImJoeKing
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January 17, 2021 11:50 pm

Fox was +18 in 39 minutes. That means the team was -23 in the 9 minutes he was on the bench. The 2nd unit was atrocious.

But still, good to see a dominant performance out of Fox.

And Bagley looks like he’s getting a little more comfortable and making some improvements. Defensive is still bad, and screens are terrible, but his shooting and touch seem like they’re coming back, his passing and court awareness seems to be improving, and his defensive rotations are a little better.

eddie41
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January 18, 2021 8:23 am
Reply to  ImJoeKing

Fox is the real story of last night’s game. Wow! If he brings it like that every night, the Kings are a good show, win or lose, and others will be inspired to play better.

MidtownMike
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January 18, 2021 12:54 am

Bags is increasing his trade value just by showing the offense.

A team with a solid center that can shoot could be very interested in pairing him there, ala vucevic or KAT

MidtownMike
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January 18, 2021 12:58 am

Very very soon I hope that walton starts giving cojo minutes to guy.

Cojo is NOT playing even adequate defense and guy is definitely a better offensive playmaker and shooter.

Zero reason for cojo to get any burn right now

HongKongKingsFan
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January 18, 2021 5:33 am
Reply to  MidtownMike

I agree.
Walton is dumb, but at least he played Metu, and also he seems playing less CoJo…which is a good sign……..

Ralph_Furleys_Tailor
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January 18, 2021 1:51 am

Kangz!

BabalooMagoo
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January 18, 2021 6:16 am

What a shit show.

kings4ever
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January 18, 2021 7:56 am

CoJoSlo follows up his 0 minute 0 assist in 15 minutes with -23 in 9 minutes, ha-ha!!!!

-23 in 9 minutes is quite the feat in the context of this game, when this loser was on the floor killing every offensive possession, we were basically outscored 28-5, wasting the brilliance of D-Fox.

We win this game if this sorry excuse for a coach plays Kyle Guy over the Grim Reaper of PGs.

There was one play Joseph had a wide open side to make a play. But he cannot make a play because he has no game. So he drives the middle, obviously going nowhere, and kicks it out to Bagley for a three. Trash possession, trash decision and emblematic by the Grim Reaper of PGs deferring to teammates because of his own inadequacies.

And yet almost every fan gives this washed up bum a pass and picks on 26/10 instead?!

Joseph willingly gets out of the way on offense, he’s a fraudulent bloated player running on fumes, so we are playing 4 on 5, then the coach stands like a mannequin befuddled why we suck and why he sucks the life and energy out of the team?

Joseph was on the floor to check JJ Reddick. I get it. How did that work out, coach?

And how can that work out favorably when Joseph switches every pick?

What is the point of an “ace defender” who quits his assignment at first sign of a screener?

Now I want to make a positive point.

I noticed Buddy was not squaring up his man as much, trying to be Curry. He was not doing as much “hero ball” trying to create on his own. I think this was a conscious effort with prodding from the coaches.

He took 12 shots, 6 fewer than 18 FGA per game average. 11 three pointers, raising his percentage of of shots from behind the line (75%). So nothing spectacular about his stat line, far from it, but he was +13 and deference into more of a traditional SG role coincided with a career night from Fox and season high in assists.

Here is the thing. This effort and desire to turn Buddy into Curry has failed miserably. It is killed our season more than any other factor. Memo to Buddy: You don’t have the lift, the moves, the awareness, the shake and bake, the savvy, the left hand, the toughness, the guile, the resilience. Going one-on-one like you are the second coming of Jordan needs to be shelved before your career is shelved.

There is precedence and template for success. Buddy got the 90 million contract off his 2018-2019 season in which he played 82 games and made 59% TS% . Half his shots were threes. He was focused on taking high percentage shots off set up from Fox and others. He was not focused on shoot as many threes as you can and create as many shots for yourself as if the PG does not exist. So there needs to be a revival back to the past. Lets see if last night is a precursor, remembering what got you here, who you are and who you are not.

1951
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January 18, 2021 9:17 am

Hey y’all. This may be hard to hear/read, but I have to say it, so here goes a serious hot take:

It is possible that the Kings are not very good at the defense.

Dirkula
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January 18, 2021 9:26 am

The only thing positive I can see…

BD806AE6-DA4F-4AB3-9366-C3865E0B0B8A.jpeg
deepshot22
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January 18, 2021 10:04 am
Reply to  Dirkula

I’m excited to see the G-League dudes play soon. Its like adding more food to the breakfast table.

rc50cal
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January 18, 2021 10:06 am
Reply to  Dirkula

There are at least 7 players on that list I’d love to have in Kings jerseys.

SMF-PDXConnection
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January 18, 2021 9:29 am

Walton’s gotta go.

If we want a tank commander who can actually instill a defense and some fundamentals, let’s get Brett Brown. The Sixers’ defensive rating in the worst year of The Process was 109.2. We’re currently at 121.8.

rc50cal
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January 18, 2021 9:56 am

We held a team to less than 130. Were a defensive juggernaut!

deepshot22
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January 18, 2021 10:03 am

When does the fund start for the “Bring Back Dave Joeger” billboard?

Gregoryl
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January 18, 2021 1:16 pm

Wow, Doug continues to be a tough listen on the broadcast… the over-enthusiasm and forced catchphrases (€œif I say enough of them, something will stick!€) are brutal.

Marty
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January 18, 2021 2:41 pm
Reply to  Gregoryl

I was able to sync the broadcast with radio quite easily. It’s around a 20 second delay. Start the tv and the radio (KHTK app) when the game starts, pause tv for 15 seconds and then unpause. After that I paused tv for two seconds until it matched up. Best to not stop either or you’ll have to do it again. No more Doug.

Last edited 3 years ago by Marty Marty

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