In a promising performance on both sides of the ball the Sacramento Kings defeated a very talented and experienced Denver Nuggets team 124-122 in overtime of Wednesday’s season opener.
The Kings won it at the buzzer on a Buddy Hield tip in off a rebound. Hield led the team in scoring with 22 points, and he added 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal. De’Aaron Fox finished with 21 points, 7 assists 4 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block. Harrison Barnes added 21 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 block.
First Half
The Kings showed flashes of promise in the first half. They played decent defense and shared the ball well (14 assists) and took care of it (only 4 turnovers). Surprisingly, Cory Joseph led the team in scoring in the first half with 12 points off the bench (and he was the first player off the bench for Luke Walton). Not long after he entered the game, Tyrese Haliburton joined him, along with De’Aaron Fox and Hassan Whiteside. The three-guard lineup looked a little shaky, but kept the Kings in the game.
Haliburton shared the ball well and impressed with some of his passes. Both Fox and Hield struggled with their shots, going for a combined 4-17 from the field.
Even though the Kings put in a good effort on the defensive end, the Nuggets still put up 60 points in the first half on 51 percent from the field and 41 percent from three. No one had an answer for Nikola Jokic, who had 10 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in the first half. The Nuggets were sending guys at Marvin Bagley and for the most part, guys were getting by him, but he held his own on some plays. Bagley did look promising on offense though and wasn’t stagnating the offense, which is a good sign.
The Kings got to the free throw line 11 times in the first half and made 9 of those shots.
Second Half
The Kings came out strong in the third quarter as Hield and Fox started to get their shots to fall and the defense really picked up. They took the lead at the 6:55 mark of the third quarter and Fox started to put his print on the game. On defense, everyone on the Kings was rotating and they switch it up on occasion with a zone that seemed to confuse the Nuggets as their field goal percentage began dropping. The defense was leading to offense and it was a good thing to see. By the start the fourth quarter the Kings had begun to take control, dictating the flow of the game and the Nuggets began to show their frustration. All this happening with Bagley on the floor, by the way.
The game remained close, however, and Jokic notched his first triple double of the season as his dominance continued.
In the final five minutes, things slowed down a little. Haliburton nailed a few threes showing his long-range distance. Jokic, being the monster he is, got both Holmes and Bagley to foul out. Whiteside came in though and made a key block and got an offensive foul called on Jamal Murray. (Though he missed two free throws at the other end of the floor a play later.)
With 29 seconds left, Jokic tied the game at 112 with two free throws. The Kings got a great look for Haliburton in the final seconds with an open three, but it didn’t fall. Jokic was called for an offensive foul with 2 seconds left in the tied game. Hield lost control of the ball on the final shot of the fourth quarter and we went to overtime.
By the end of the second half, the Nuggets field goal percentage had dropped to 47 percent and 29 percent from three showing how the Kings defense improved as the game went on.
Free Basketball!
The Nuggets took the lead with 2:30 left in overtime. The Kings started to look a little fatigued and the shots stopped falling. Jokic is a very skilled basketball player and made shots. The Kings kept pulling within two points, but it seemed like the experience of the Nuggets was going to get them the win. Then a wild sequence in the final 30 seconds happened. Michael Porter Jr. blocked Cory Joseph on a three-point attempt and that was followed up by a tremendous block by Fox on Will Barton that led to a fast break bucket for Barnes that tied the game at 122 with 6.5 seconds left.
In the final play of the game, Jokic lost the ball and Barnes sprinted down the floor for a layup that missed and was tipped in by Hield at the buzzer.
Kings win!
Kings win!
https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings/status/1341971048128864256
Player(s) of the Game
It should probably be Hield, but you sort of have to share the game ball here with Hield, Fox and Barnes. Each of them played key roles in this victory down the stretch and it was a true team win.
Other notes
- It was nice to see Haliburton still on the floor even with Joseph getting minutes. The rookie logged 30 minutes and tallied 12 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds and a block.
- Murray got his first basket from the field of the night with 8 minutes left in the fourth. That was his only field goal of the game.
- Bagley finished with 13 points, 9 rebounds and a block in 27 minutes.
- Richaun Holmes is continuing to have foul trouble issues, fouling out with 3 minutes left in the game, granted he was trying to guard Jokic.
- Fox showed poise late in the game and a willingness to take shots with the game on the line.
- Haliburton was in the game for the bulk of the fourth quarter, including crunch time.
- Jokic finished 29 points, 15 rebounds, 14 assists and 3 blocks.
Next up
The Kings will take on the Phoenix Suns on Saturday at 7 p.m.
UNDEFEATED MARK JONES OH BOY!
Such a breath of fresh air. Seems like he actually enjoys the game, vs going through the motions.
(The broadcast booth is my daisy farm right now)
On the game…
Compared to last year, the Kings look better, and Denver looks worse. That’s it, that’s the take.
Yes please! At no point did I expect them to win… and then they did and I was pumped!
Grant is really upset that he cant figure out how to create multiple accounts and log in with each one to down vote more.
Its called us an incognito window Grant
Really cannot be overstated. I thought Jones was great and his call on the game winner was great!
Caught the overtime. Tremendous win. But please help, are Kings fans still unhappy with Buddy?
Even this game was a mixed bag with Buddy. He had two boneheaded TOs in crunch time but also came up with a big ball swipe vs Jokic along with the game-winning tip. Buddy has all the hustle in the world but he needs to eliminate some of those bad passes in crunch time. I was really happy with his D tonight as well. Give some credit to Fox and Buddy for not letting Murray get into the flow of things tonight.
I love buddy the player and I can even handle the stupid ass mistakes he makes on a nightly basis (maybe he is fixing this? I doubt it) but I absolutely can not handle the prima donna bull shit. I can’t stand it.
if he tops saying stupid shit, stops behaving like a child, stops being a problem instead of a solution then he can suck it. for me and I think many thats all it comes down to.
As long as he isn’t talking or dribbling I’m cool with buddy. I wasn’t able to watch the whole game but I did see buddy engaged and aggressive on the defensive end. I have no complaints with that buddy.
People like to pick on Buddy’s dribbling but his dribbling has *vastly* improved since joining the team. He’s not “point guard” level improved but he could barely dribble the ball. Back then there was serious doubt that Buddy would *ever* develop the ability to drive to the rim without losing the ball, something he does now on a regular basis.
I think Buddy’s problems all stem from lapses of focus. His errors seem to come in bunches over a span of a couple minutes. If he can eliminate those lapses of focus he’ll become a consistent player across the board.
This might have been the highlight of 2020.
And I don’t just mean Kings basketball.
I love Sacramento, I love the Kings, I love this community, and I even love Klam. Great way to start the season!
Adamsite and Klam:
Who you gonna call for a game winner?
As much as Buddy is going to be on the game winning highlights, the Kings would be nowhere without Barnes tonight. He gets the game ball.
Barnes was such a beast tonight
That last steal vs Jocker was absolutely amazing
ZERO FOX GIVEN
If that is Doug’s new signature line…I support it 100% percent. I laughed so hard when he said that.
Yeah, that was a perfect time to break it out as well. Really good start to the new Mark and Doug team.
It was Fox King awesome.
Fox to Will Barton in OT…
Kings are 100% title contenders now you heard it here first
I second that
Haliburton looked very comfortable out there. Excited to see his progression and I hope he becomes more aggressive soon.
Buddy running to the locker room gave me flashbacks to his Detroit game winner.
Fun win.
Haliburton looks great. Made the team better when he was out there….on O and D. He definitely needs the ball in his hands more. He’s such a great passer and playmaker. Once he gets that/gets aggressive….look out.
I mean, he’s already good enough to be on the floor at the end. Love him.
He can help Fox out so much. Taking some of the ball-handling and shot-creating pressure off of him from time to time. The best lineup for the Kings is already Fox, Hali, Buddy, Barnes, and whoever at Center.
Draft Whoever, that kid has got something special.
I think we did that already and his name was Papagiannis. Whoever that was.
Let’s just end the season now. ð
That was a lot of fun tonight.
Luke Walton as the team ran off the court…
He was waiting to check the tape
Luke seemed so disappointed while everyone else was happy with the results.
He seemed more confused than disappointed.
I think he was prepping to lose his shit on them not calling a foul on Barnes’ dunk attempt.
His team is running off the court in triumph, and this fucking guy looks like he forgot where he parked his car.
For the life of me, between the fact that this douchebag is completely unqualified for this job (or any other job), and refuses to wear a mask, maybe the league will fine him into oblivion.
If you’re going to call out Walton for mask etiquette you should call out Bobby Jackson as well. He had his mask pulled below his nose most of the time that I saw him.
I only caught the 2nd half & OT, but the defense looked very good for most of the time I was watching. Holding Murray w/o a FG until 8 minutes were left in the 4th was impressive.
When the Kings ran out their defensive lineup of Fox, CoJo, Haliburton, Whiteside, and Barnes, I was surprised that there was actually a decent defensive lineup on the team. Great W!
My Nostradumbass did NOT predict our first win to come this early!
Yep, I had Phoenix.
I had Chicago.
Same
Me too.
Yeah I thought we might split the Phoenix series
Golden State for me!
I had Denver.
But the final time we are to play them.
What if, and stay with me here, we are actually GOOD this year? This is not a winner’s high statement, alright maybe a teeny tiny bit, but humor me. I truly expect to be wrong as we lose by 20 the next game, but WHAT IF?
Just remove everything that happened last year and imagine this was 2018-2019 going into 2019-2020. We’re coming off a 39-43 season and we head into the offseason, yes losing Bogi, but we have replaced him with Haliburton. Also, instead of signing Dedmon, Ariza, Holmes and Cojo, we have Whiteside, GR3, Holmes and Cojo.
The team is going to play fast, Marvin is entering this season healthy, and we are more equipped to play up-tempo.
Yes, we still have Luke, but this is a Luke Walton not just coaching for his Kings job, but perhaps his future Head Coaching prospects post-Kings.
I don’t believe it either, but WHAT IF? I’ll stay off the weed now. MERRY CHRISTMAS KANGZ FANZ!
Whiteside did an anti-Whiteside and had a great effect on the game without the stats. His presence in the lane disrupted their guards.
Whiteside, despite failing the eye test, always had a positive impact on any game he plays.
That was amazeballs!
Also, now would be the perfect time to fire Luke Walton! ð
You mean Uke Walton!
Put some respect on that name!
Dare I go one step further and say Wuke Walton?
Sounds baby-ish enough to be sort of fitting, sort of cute…but still not. Just enough to take the salt out after the sting.
Fluke Walton maybe? I’m still very skeptical of him. Otherwise, great game.
𤣠𤣠ð¤£
I know small samples sizes blah, blah, blah. BUT! I think it’s noteworthy that the team never really did that bad when a specific player was on the floor. That’s not going to happen every game this season, but it seemed to happen every game last season. If you can prevent those fucked up runs that distort the +/- for specific players, then you can win a lot of games.
The only one I worried about after tonight was Bagley. He go absolutely torched by some role players on the Nuggets tonight. the +/- may not show it, but my eyes saw it. He still has mountains to climb when it comes to his man and team defense.
Also, I’m still chairing the official Bagley Assist Watch Committee. He is still at zero through the last 3 games.
13 points on 14 or 15 shots. Same ol Bagley in this one.
it’s crazy that you can recognize him since he hasn’t played in close to a year.
His defensive mistakes were especially hard to watch.
he had some mistakes, and some good defensive possessions. That is to be expected when you haven’t played since before this whole pandemic thing. I’m okay with giving him the benefit of the doubt for one game.
Bagley harshness is to be expected. Fair or not.
Homelessness is to be expected, fair or not.
Sadly yes.
There were a number of times I saw Bagley let his man go when he recognized he got beat to the rim. Better to let the guy go than to compound the error by fouling. I call that some level of improvement.
During I think the 3rd quarter, he was at the rim with like four Nuggets defending him and he missed and rebounded his own shot a couple times. I think he eventually got blocked, but there was no indication that he was even thinking about passing.
Idk even if he never becomes a competent passer, I hope the thought at the very least crosses his mind every once in a while… even if it’s just to bail out of a bad situation.
He passed it around the perimeter in the 5 out sets as part of the offense, but anytime he got the ball within 12 feet of the rim, ball movement was done.
One might argue that you’re just being lazy because it won’t take much work to tally his anemic assist totals
Bagley is still going to be a player that we hope to see nightly “flashes.” He has a lot of bad habits, and he’s missed a lot of time, and that’s just the reality of the situation. There were a couple of “NO, NO, YES!” plays, there were a few hustle plays only he can make, and there was the occasional “play within a team concept, and get rewarded” plays.
He reminds me of Omri with those bad habits and hustle plays, which isn’t a good thing for a potential franchise player. He’s all hustle right now, but I don’t think he made a shot outside of 5 feet tonight? Maybe is is just trying too hard right now. Give it time.
I’ve decided that this year I will just observe Bagley like a sensei. We all know his shortcomings, and it just is what it is. What I’m looking at is has he improved in a meaningful way. Tonight I’m giving him a….drum roll please…please?….fine, a pass. It was his first game back after being injured for like 18 months. He’s going to have his ups and downs.
One thing I was thinking about is inventing practice court magnetic technology that basically locks your feet to the ground when you take a dumbass midrange from that side area when no one is guarding you. They aren’t guarding you because like two people in the history of the nba can consistently make that shot!
AND you know what’s worse? Doug Christie will say some dumb shit like “they’re going to give you that shot in the NBA, so you have to be able to knock it down young fella!” It’s like no! They give you that shot Doug because it’s a low percentage shot that they want you to take!
I get that it is Bagley’s first official game back since late January and he is going to show some rust and flaws, but it was also Haliburton’s first meaningful NBA game…ever. He showed more poise and understanding of the team game then Bagley ever has.
Nothing changes the fact that this is Bagley’s 3rd NBA season. I just can’t give him a pass on inexperience anymore. He’s been coached, practicing and training at the NBA level for 2.5 years.
yeah I mean we all know Bagley’s shortcomings. I don’t think it’s realistic to expect him to reinvent himself into a non-selfish player in his first game back. It’s going to be a process with him that will take time. I’m at least willing to kinda just observe for a while before getting too critical.
He took on the challenge of defending Jokic at times.That was good to see.
100% Bagley should not get a pass and I think this is a big reason.
Every time he’s interviewed about how he’s preparing to come back or what he’s done while he’s been out injured, he rarely says that he WATCHES FILM. It’s always reports on how he’s changed his body and he’s gotten stronger, but what did he do to further understand the game of basketball.
The only silver lining is, while yes he isn’t inexperienced anymore, he is still young.
Lose Walton does nothing except watch film. The fact that Bagley doesn’t point it out as if doing so was some heroic act is a pretty flimsy complaint.
You’re comparing apples and oranges comparing Bagley and Halliburton. Part of the problem is that Bagley’s flaws are being magnified because there is expectation that he can fix those flaws, but that wasn’t likely the first game out.
At this point, I’d be happy for the guy to get 2000 minutes this season and go from there. I don’t care about whether or not he’s pass happy yet. Get on the court, do good things, let’s go from there.
You can’t teach BBIQ. Hali has it, Bagley does not–at least nowhere near Hali’s level. IMHO, this team needs more high-BBIQ rotation players to compensate for the Bagleys and Hields on the roster. Thankfully, nobody on the team exhibits McLemore-level BBIQ, but that’s a very low bar to clear (bc that particular bar is buried in the dirt).
There was one negative play that stood out to me, it was towards the end of the game where he ran at a player who is shooting a corner three, and he ran about 10 yards off the court, how do you controlled what he did he would’ve been in position to get the rebound. In my humble opinion it was a fake hustle play compounded by laziness to be back on the court
Still, you have to admit that it was pretty clever of him to concoct such an elaborate plan to fool you so quickly.
I only caught the 2nd half & OT, but his defense looked fine most of the time I saw him.
This may sound crazy but Kings need to trade Bagely as soon as they can, before every team figures out he has a negative impact on a team’s winning or he gets injured.
Bags was so underwhelming he wasn’t even in during the end of the game/4th quarter. Atrocious D. Can’t shoot. Doesn’t pass.
If you step back, pretend Bags is on another team, you wouldn’t want him. There is NO way he’s anythign more than a stat stuffer. Get rid of Vlades mess.
He did not have a good game tonight. His shooting was off, and he had some good and bad defensive possessions. The sample size is still too small for me to make any major conclusions but I am cool with saying his first game was not great. Let’s see how the next game looks.
I think Bagley the player has some (potential) value. He is usually a net negative right now, but I think it’s certainly possible that that changes. Bagley the trade asset is useless right now imo. I dont think you’re getting back anything more useful than his upside. Not that I’m convinced that is worth much either
for the record, he fouled out. that’s why he wasn’t in at the end of the game.
Also, it’s one game.
And he was guarding arguably the best big man in the world several times.
He should have fouled out sooner. That blocking foul he got on Millsap was really a charge by Bagley. I was surprised Malone didn’t review it.
Yeah it does sound crazy.
My bet is he will declare himself as a bench hustle player by the end of the year if he stays healthy. He is physically talented but can’t capitalize on it. Tyrese showed more basketball IQ in game 1.
Marvin having nightmares about PJ Dozier
Caught the highlights of last two minutes of overtimecrazy finish but OH BOY what a great way to start the season 🙂
Welp, I probably screwed up my first batch of Nostradumbass predictions for this game, but it was worth it for that ending!!!
Great win. However, my 2 biggest concerns are Fox and Bagley…
Why would you be concerned about Fox? He’s an awesome player.
Fox is unfortunately reminding me of Tyreke. Can get to the bucket at will but actually has worse touch around the rim than Tyreke so his layups aren’t even consistent. I’m tired of hearing if he ever develops a shot… He’s a very good player, hustles, plays defense, wants his team to win. He’s just not that next level of player that can shoot mid-range or 3pt shots and be a star.
Tyreke actually became a quite good 3P shooter after a few years. His problem was injuries took away a fair amount of his athleticism. ð¤·ð»ï¸
Fox also is a better shooter than Tyreke was at the same point of his career.
Such a fun win. Hell it would have been a fun loss, even. Also fun to see Hali put up a much better debut than LaMe Ball.
Fun game. Also just saw that they picked up Metu on a two-way.
Not a bad night for the Kings!
Really? Two wins in one night!
Lovin’ Tyrese so much.
For all those saying we should trade Barnes and Buddy we don’t win that game without both of them. Sixth seed here we come!
Ha! I still think the Kings have a better chance at the 6th pick as opposed to the 6th seed in the West. Let’s be real here. The Kings played one of the best games we’ve seen them play in some time and that got them an overtime win against a very good Denver team. The Nuggets second best player made one basket. Sure, the Kings can be credited with great defense tonight, but Denver didn’t bring their “A” game. I loved the win, but I think the Kings still would lose a 7 game series to the Nuggets in 5.
Now fight me!
Yeah, they would have almost no chance vs this team in a 7 game series but that fight we saw from Fox and company was good to see. If the Kings fight like that all year we are probably looking at a near .500 season.
Kings in 6…Period.
“Kings in 6? Hold my beer.” –Dick Bavetta
I’ll fight you over that down vote!!
I game. Let’s see if you’re making the same statement after 10 games. Heat, Bucks, Lakers, Blazers, and Mavs all lost tonite. Minny, Clev and San Antonio won. What does it mean to those teams, Nothing. It’s a great Kings team win. If they’re 6-4 or 7-3 after 10, then maybe this team has turned a corner. Until then, I’ll enjoy the win and see what happens moving forward.
As I said above, Barnes looks more agile than last year. So he either shook off an injury (injuries) or had a lot of productive training sessions, likely both.
When a player is settling for 3s, it is a telltale sign. I don’t see Barnes settling for 3s. That means hes feelings spry and wanting to take his man off the dribble.
Personally, I felt like Barnes was playing for a trade.
He looked like the HB of old, and I find it interesting that it appears he just flipped a switch this game, back to hustling, attacking the rim, and playing good D.
He has a tendency to start fast check out the monthly stat splits from last season
Good point. I suppose it’s similar to the rest of us; full of excitement and energy when the season starts, but once the losses add up, it’s hard to stay motivated
Great team win. Joseph and Barnes were really the big difference makers. If they played that way every night, I believe the Kings would be a .500 team. Bagley looked ok. But, consistently matching him up against Jokic was laughable. Fox had a decent all around game. Hit a 3 early. But, really still can’t hit anything away from the rim. Beating Denver is impressive though. Murray had a terrible shooting night. Which, really helped the Kings. The Kings played with a nice consistent intensity and energy throughout the game. Especially , the third quarter, Kings are notorious for falling apart and getting outcoached after the half. Denver’s backcourt was really abysmal. If Harris and Murray aren’t producing, they really don’t have a chance.
This isn’t going to be the tank year some might have thought.
Nothing about tonight screams to me that we’re winning more than 20-23 games. I thoroughly enjoyed the win though.
When I hear tank I’m thinking top 3, maybe top 5 pick. We’re not there unless we wreck shop with mid season trades. It seems there’s the opportunity for more defined roles with this roster. Especially when it comes to Buddy and Bagley. I think we’re contending again for that last playoff spot…
I’d respectfully disagree. This can definitely be a top 5 team, as constructed. The eventual trades of Bjelica, Buddy, Barnes, etc. should help cement that.
This isn’t the tank you’re looking for.
Defense tonight was noticeably improved from last year. Whiteside deserves a little bit of the credit for that. They didn’t use him much until Holmes and Bart fouled out, but it’s an asset to have a guy who can defend true centers, rebound and alter shots. Last year if kings defender got beat, there was no help. Today, there were times Denver could not penetrate because because he was in there, and although that doesn’t show up in the stats. True he won’t score much, or get assists, or run on offense, but he’s still a valuable tool that we didn’t have last year.
also,
glad buddy got the game winner. Hope he gets some confidence back that he was missing last year. For all his faults, he’s an exciting player and we need him to play well.
fox needs to declare himself as the leader of this team and I didn’t see that today.
Bagley – hustle will only get him so far. This year will decide if he is a starter or a bench energy guy.
I Agree. Whiteside just being in there made it very difficult for Denver’s Backcourt to get penetration. On the flip, Whiteside is slow and lazy most of the time. He has some value, as seen tonite. But, he can also be negative on the court, as well. Denver usually won’t shoot that bad from 3. It’s not as if Sac’s 3 pt defense improved. Denver had tons of open looks that just weren’t dropping. Suns will be a bigger challenge. Booker is more versatile than any guard in Denver. Paul, while aging, will still be the smartest player on the court.
I think part of it was Denver getting gassed in the 4th and OT. If we can get teams tired in the 4th that 3pt D is going to look much better.
I was prepared before the last sequence to come here and say Buddy was flippin horrendous the last part of 4th and overtime…mult turnovers, missed shots, def fouls etc. I guess I’m still saying it, but F it. Good hustle Buddy : )
Prolly won’t be tons of highlight wins like this for the next 6 months so let’s enjoy it. I love watching Haliburton. May not win tons of games, but this team could be fun to watch on at least a semi routine basis.
GhostMalone is conflicted.. but always happy for a win. Exciting game. Love Tyrese. He always plays within himself.. almost too much so at times. I look forward to watching his game and his assertiveness grow
Now I’ve seen everything!
That’s Jenny McCarthy? Holy shit. LOLOLOLOL. Did she change her entire face or is it just that GIF?
Great win, and a good debut for Hali too. Looking like a vet on his first game.
I was lead to believe playing 5 out was playing to Bagley’s weaknesses:
Good job by Buddy to keep Bags guy off of him for that dunk.
that’s the best part!
from a growth perspective, Bagley’s screen that helped free up Joseph, so that he could be in a position to throw the alley oop, is the best part. The key for Bagley this season is to understand how being unselfish can lead to easy buckets.
But I did love how Buddy simultaneously screened one guy and used his gravity to pull his own defender out of the paint.
“The key to Bagley is to understand….[unselfishness]” ???
Uh, Bagley is not a selfish player.
There are two keys for Bagley:
(1) Stay healthy.
(2) Make your perimeter shot.
Bagley needs reps and he needs to knock down the J just enough to keep the defense honest. Then he’s going to flourish.
Being semi-accurate with the mid range will set up everything for him to attack the rim and draw defenders.
Bagley is actually a good to great player that was on the same career arc as Fox until the injuries.
In fact, Bagley had a better rookie season than Fox. But because everything is in the context of Luka and injuries, this is lost.
Bagley looked better on defense last night. Not great but more aware of positioning and rotation. This is encouraging because checking his man respectably and playing respectable team defense will enable him to stay on the floor so that the offensive explosions are inevitable.
Do you know it is crazy, but I do not think Bagley has ever been a starter for two games in a row? I may be wrong on this but I certainly don’t think he has ever started 5 games in a row. I am fairly sure of this.
So one week into a new season , he will have set this “milestone” in his development entering his 3rd season. That is crazy, but reason not to draw premature conclusions about who he is as a player.
But who I think he is if he stays healthy, shows some shooting touch, and gets the reps to be a respectable defender is a consistent 20/10 player.
i wonder how hard it is to generate this type of offense without set plays. The vintage era Kings were able to do it, but the current iteration only seems to be able to do it at the behest of the coach early in the game/quarter or ATOs. It’s like everybody is being productive because they’ve ran the play in practice. The key to actually doing it consistently is to do it instinctively. The whole 5-out thing doesn’t work that well if everyone just kinda stands there.
I said this in pre-season and hate myself for saying it again: Is Luke actually coaching these guys up??
Hey that was a super fun game! I’ll take the early Christmas present. I thought everybody sort just looked solid and nobody completely stunk which is a nice departure from last season. Barnes was very good and Cojo was on fire in the first half.
Some may disagree but I actually thought Bagley looked fine tonight? Definitely rusty but he played hard and made some effort plays. I just don’t want to see him guarding Jokic ever again.
Tyrese Haliburton. That’s all. He’s going to be GREAT. I would say I can’t believe how good this kid is already is but I can because I thought he’d be a really good player. He’s the smartest Kings player we’ve had since the glory days. It is really rare to see a rookie with as much polish as he’s got. He made one mistake on defense and it surprised me because I already expect him not to screw up on defense. Just thrilled to see this kid develop his game over the next few years.
spot on except I want to see Marvin guard Jokic. Dude has less then a season played under his belt. He needs the experience, he needs the challenge and he needs the bumps and bruises along the way.
He looked better in the 2nd half vs Jokic. Really the main problem is Jokic is so fucking big. Other than Whiteside no one could stop his bully ball. Holmes had some good fight to him but he stood no chance.
Yeah good point. From a development stand point he needs to be able to do that but Jokic is just so big and has so many moves he just toyed with him a few times. But you only get better by doing it.
Whatta game!
Kings are now tied for first in minutes played
De’Aaron made this, but it kinda exemplifies how he’s viewed by the league
I think his set shot is fine. It’s his pull up 3s that he needs to improve on.
this is what I call “incorrect.” At least w/r/t his three point shooting.
Just my thoughts. I still think he shoots better on set shots. I have no stats to back that up. I just watch the games and that is what I think I see.
Kings need another big man on the bench. It turned out OK, but would have felt better with a Len on the bench.
they got metu
So much for my G League Whiteside theory…..
now they have a two-way player to trade for two-way Whiteside!
I got a root canal today. The Kings won. Now I have to go get a root canal every game day until they lose. I hate being a Kings’ fan.
Whatever you have to do, you do that shit for the team. SACrifices have to be made in order for us to win. It just so happens that you getting dentures will lead us to the finals.
now THAT’s how you root for your team!
If you believe you’re playing well because you’re getting laid, or because you’re not getting laid, or because you got a root canal, then you are!- Bull Durham (something like that)
Life ain’t easy being the bossman, God.
Wow, what a crazy game and finish.
Excellent.
Kudo’s to the team.
After the final shot, during the celebration, one of the players fell and one of the coaches tripped on him and fell too… but I couldnt tell wich player is!!
Anyway, good first game! Excelent!
1-0 Woo-hoo!
I am happy for Buddy bc he was really floundering for us in crunch time with TOs and a careless foul on Jokic that allowed the to force OT. That was NOT a simple tip-in, it took a deft touch!
All the Fox critics can slow their roll, he owned Murray.
Fox is an awesome player, and in addition to deserving the max contract, remember the guy has a knack for clutch play. He loves it!
And all the Barnes critics need to step back too.
The problem I have had with HB is lack of juke moves, aka shake and bake, to create separation. Not creative enough for himself or others but he looks to be moving better more fluid and agile.
Hes making plays now he wasn’t making end of last year. He had rigid moves, and I can only chalk that up to any injury from last year and / or some dedicated training during his time off.
There is NO reason to seek to trade Barnes if he plays like this. Do you know how hard it is to find wings who can defend inside and out? You don’t just send those guys off.
It looks Bagley improved his defense. Not dramatic but significant. He looks a little more aware where to be. Give him 10 games to get his offense polished, he’s going to be a little out of sync.
I am encouraged by Bagley on defense because the alternative is Bjelica, and that is not pretty. Our coach is already recognizing Bjelica as the slug he is, only 15 minutes of PT.
If Kyle Guy got the same minutes Joseph, he would have produced equal or better!
The slow down game is on when Joseph steps on the court. He’s insufferable to watch and that was including last night with one of his BEST games ever as a King! Put that one in the archives to show the grand kids, he won’t get any better!
Now I will say that I liked what the coach did having Joseph on the floor with Fox and Hali at times so to deter from his death-by-dribble tendencies. If Joseph is asked to run the PG solely the team dies a slow death so having him with other ball handlers and movers helps.
Joseph tried to help us lose the game by getting swatted on his corner 3. That is what he does by the way, he helps you to lose respectably!
Lastly, I like what the coach did with his lineups, shifting Barnes to the 4 at times, and not afraid to play Hali, Fox and Buddy at the same time.
Overall, good job by the lameduck coach!
Love the passion but just totally disagree with the CoJo take. The dude just plays winning basketball. He is by far a better player than Kyle Guy. I get that people want to see the Kings tank and go younger but CoJo is the better player right now hands down. It is semi-ridiculous to me that anyone thinks otherwise. CoJo makes winning basketball plays on both sides of the floor.
No win without CoJo ! Like Guy but not as good a winning player yet !
Look son, a CoJo hater…
Look at Malone and Jokic cry at the end to the refs, there was NO foul, clean as a whistle, you lost, ha-ha-ha!!!
HB showed his consistency on both ends as he usually does. He is a great piece for us.
Swipa and Bags have to keep shooting until they develop confidence in their range and find their favorite spots away from the basket. I love to see Swipa attack the basket and get to the free throw line. Bags will be terrific before this season is over.
Buddy still needs to cut down turnovers but his improvement on defense is almost startling.
Haliburton is fueling optimism for now and into the future. He uplifts Kings fan spirits!
Love watching this group!
Holmes and Whiteside did their jobs and we sealed the win…give some credit to them too.
Holmes is such an active defender….he got the switch, and he knew Jokic would pass the ball back to Murray, just look how quick Holmes react….
I can 100% sure Barton will either drive or shoot if the player inside the paint is not Whiteside….
fun win! Great block by Fox but Cudos to Barnes and CoJo. As has been said, they don’t win this game without them. loved Hali’s debut. Poise is the word. Buddy’s D was better, and scoring wise he’s still Buddy. I was impressed with Bagley. He was rusty but was overall solid IMO. 13 and 9 is not bad after a year layoff and against the Nuggets. Go Kings!
Great team win ! No tanking for this squad !
When will the GoodOrBad commenter let me know if the win was good or bad?
A fun game with fun things happening. Not perfect, but fun. And I could tolerate a lil fun with this group. We’re due.
Christmas BandWagon
I am not sure if G-Man called Jokic by his name more than 5 times all night. It was “The Joker” now matter what. Not sure I have ever heard a nickname used that much since Magic. Let alone one with “The.” Hahahaha
I love that the two guys that everyone is shitting the bed about were the main reason that we weren’t down 25 when the buzzer sounded.
More hot takes on the terrible contracts of Hield and Barnes, please!
I would not be surprised if both are still on the team when the season ends. I hope we are able to move CoJo, Bjelica, and maybe Whiteside during the season for whatever collateral can be had, but I think both are very good fits for Fox-Haliburton-Bagley, I think Buddy’s gravity is sometimes undervalued for a backcourt partner to Fox. I would rather Monte hold on to them through this season, and with declining deals, and after seeing the contracts that were handed out around the NBA this last month, that Buddy at 3yr/60m, and Barnes at 2y/38m next offseason are going to be good assets in the market, and it will hopefully be more obvious what the team needs are for the longer term.
I think you mean CoJoMVP2021.
Some would say it’s a hot take to refute said bed shitting based on the results from one game.
Less so, given that I’ve been consistent in my view that neither contract is bad, and it won’t be the end of the world if either or both are still on the roster at the end of the season.
I think that Barnes has a bad value to contract, and I base that on the sum of his play in a Kings uniform. He strikes me as a (roughly) $12m player. The contract is far from an albatross, but you’d probably be lucky to net a non-conveyed 2nd rounder from him right now. This all changes, of course, if last night begins to become the rule and not the exception.
Hield has not yet played like a $20m+ man, but there’s still time there, and my guess is that his elite deep/volume shooting could net a late 1st round pick. So I tend to agree that his contact is not bad – it’s really a function of whether the investment fits the timeline of this team. And that really is more on the shoulders of those around him (Fox, Bagley, and even McNair and Walton) then it is on Hield. Hield takes a lot of (deserved) grief for his…candor. But if he can be positioned to play to his contract, fewer and fewer people will care.
Buddy is definitely his own worst enemy, but for clarity, what would he need to do statistically to become worthy of his contract? There’s obviously a legitimate argument that no one is worth $20 mil per year (Jerry Reynolds excepted), but what would his stats need to look like in order to justify the deal?
I think that he would need to become a bit more consistent, and he needs to make strides on the defensive end. Curbing the brain-fart turnovers would help as well.
McCollum’s contract is around $26m avg. For that the Blazers get a player that is a lot better all around than Hield offensively. Jrue Holiday is in that same $ realm, and he is a far superior all around player. Beal is in this $ range and is a far superior player.
I think that Hield can be the third piece for a good team if the first two pieces are top 30 and top 50. The Kings don’t have those pieces, which makes Hield a bit misplaced and thus it is hard for him to provide a good ROI.
It’s not about his stats, Andy. It’s about his play, from baseline to baseline.
How do you come up with these calculations? I’ve been curious about this for quite awhile.
As far as whether or not Hield or Barnes are really overpaid, that’s not important IMO. What I think is important is that you don’t have any other ‘bad’ contracts on the roster unless Fox becomes an albatross. Which means the Kings have much bigger problems than money.
What I do think is important with both HB and Hield is that they both play (they were tops in minutes for the game last night for Sac) and they wouldn’t cost you Cade Cunningham were you lucky to draft him (or whoever the #1 pick ends up being) long term.
Nothing scientific, I just look at the position and the market. Barnes would not crack the top 15 at SF or PF right now. Joe Ingles, Will Barton, Davis Bertans, TJ Warren – these are all guys in that $12-$13m pay range.
Barnes would never be better than the 4th best player on a good team, and maybe 5th. He’s not the type of player that commands the type of contract that he currently has, in my opinion. Now, as I said, if last night is the new normal for Barnes, he would definitely playing to the contract. But we’ve had that kind of conversation about almost every Kings player after they have a good game. The test is whether or not that level of play is sustainable. To this point it has not been for Barnes during his time in Sacramento. We’ll see if something changes moving forward.
I figured as much. Just thought I’d ask. And I agree about not being a top half of SF/PF player atm.
As the cap is going up, this is getting to be murkier. I’m not saying you’re wrong, I’m just saying generally speaking. Especially as you need to make that 90% mark to hit the minimum cap number. And getting to that mark takes a ton of creativity, and a team often desperate to get out of luxury tax.
Yep.
Indeed.
Also, not getting why Barnes isn’t more of a go-to guy at the end of a game? He never seems to be looked for when a big shot is needed at the end of reulation or OT. His performance in OT was fantastic. When the Kings had a last shot at the end of regulation, Doug said something like “It’s Fox time!” Why wouldn’t they look to use their most seasoned, pressure-experienced vet for a last-second shot?
That Fox block was play of the game. To be down two in OT with 10 SECONDS left and make that kind of play is above and beyond. It’s either game over with made bucket or praying they miss one FT. If Buddy misses that lay up we still got to OT2. But Great plays from our two Stars. But Fox has that clutch gene on both ends!
Fox is absolutely that guy. He stepped up huge in the NCAA tournament at Kentucky, and when there’s a play to be made, Fox tends to put himself in position to make it happen.
Lord, that man is fast. He was absolutely torched by Barton on the inbounds and somehow still got back.
What a fun game!
The Kings beat a WCF finalist with 2 all stars and a budding 3rd all star (MPJ) on arguably the hardest home court in the world with fresh legs. That says something. It says that the Kings can compete on a nightly basis with almost anyone. As we all know, the NBA is about consistency. 1 fun game does not make an NBA season…but it was enjoyable. Still probably looking as a play-in 10th seed.
Hats off to the vets. As much as I want to embrace the youth movement-the Kings don’t win without Barnes, Cojo, and Whiteside. They were excellent in their roles and brought energy when needed.
On the subject of Bagley-is he a superstar? Of course not. Do we all want Doncic? Yes. However; he had some good rebounds and surprising defensive stands. I still cringe when he shoots the 3 or drives erratically. However; if he can play with energy and effort and put up 10 pts. and 8 rebs. a night-I can live with that.
I like the 9-10 man rotation. With pace, short training camp, and Covid…that’s the right call.
I know I’m rambling (my apologies)…but question for the group. What’s the consensus of Bjelica? I thought this was the right role/minutes for him later in his career.
Yeah, Bjelica has been just plain bad in the games I’ve seen this year. Shooters don’t forget how to shoot, but his whole game has been sluggish. I’ll assume for the time being that the short preseason is a contributing factor, since he seems like the kind of guy that needs that time to play himself into shape.
On the plus side, he isn’t absolutely required to be on the court to provide size right now, with Bagley & Holmes healthy, and Whiteside in the mix.
One of the things I have been most interested in was a small ball lineup with Whiteside. With the length the Kings have at guard (Fox, Halli) and Barnes being strong enough to defend the four, Whiteside just eats soooo much space, Barnes is a good defender and Fox and Halli appear to be great defender. You still have a quick break scoring opportunity when this defensive small ball lineup works and it also works in the half court to slow things down and eat up the clock. Last night was a big learning experience for how you finish an NBA game. Defense, half court, and take the quick points of good defense.
We need a Myles Turner type of player for the 5. A Fox/Hali/2021 draft pick/Bagley/Turner with a deep bench would work wonders for the Kings.
Have we ever seen a game, where at the end of each half was a tip in at the buzzer? Rashaun Holmes and Buddy Hield hats off to you two!
I can’t believe no one has pointed out yet that the Kings are currently ahead of the Lakers in the standings. ð
On Bagley’s performance and all the comments¦
I’m seeing a lot of tired teams in the games that I’ve been watching. Last night I had a meeting at 7 o’clock and turned off the game with five minutes left in the second quarter, turning it on back again with five minutes left in the third quarter. The difference in energy from the two teams was apparent. Denver was really playing iso ball in the late 4Q and pretty much doomed themselves after one poor possession after another,
ignoring open perimeter players.
So I’m finding myself analyzing these teams in their first quarter play versus their fourth quarter play, because teams are tired. And I thought Bagley looked very active in the first quarter. He’s definitely out on the perimeter setting screens, trying to make the right pass.
Someone else pointed out that he doesn’t pass within 12 feet of the rim, and that’s true. But I’ve been encouraged seeing his activity in the offense, especially in the first quarter. I don’t know if he’s ever going to get it, but it sure looks like he is trying. He just doesn’t have enough skill or force around the rim to bully people when he’s double teamed, and I’m not sure if that’s ever going to change. I can only assume a player like Haliburton would potentially make a player like Bagley even better, given enough time.
I looked at their ages, and bagley’s only a year older than haliburton. Considering his injuries, bagley’s probably played less basketball than tyrese overall. I hope his feel and basketball iq start catching up to the natural abilities he has.
That was a really fun game to watch and listen to – Doug Christie is going to flourish alongside Mark Jones.
The Kings were shockingly good in the 3rd quarter. Based on recent history I was prepared to see the Kings down by 20 by the end of the 3rd. If that can become fashion instead of fad (especially on the road), this team will be a blast to watch this year.
Is Buddy our best matchup against Jokic? It seemed like Denver was trying to get that matchup on a switch but Jokic was not able to take advantage of it. I don’t know if he was not trying to push Buddy, or if he just couldn’t do it. In my unofficial counting, I think Jokic was 0-3 with 2 turnovers against him.
I really like the way that Haliburton plays and sees the game. It must be fun and engaging to play with him, and I think it is underrated how something like that can make a team better than the sum of its parts. Another underrated aspect, is the accuracy of his passes. There were three that stood out to me where the pass was delivered right to the players shooting hand.
I was enjoying watching Bagley play too. Most of his faults were on full display, but he still managed to have a productive game. He would be abused physically by Jokic on one play, and then abused mentally by Milsap on another. I hope he picks up some of Milsaps craftiness because I really don’t think it would take much for him to become a pretty good player.
Something that I don’t think has been mentioned much is that there were a few times where Fox attacked the rim with more control, had his head up looking for passing lanes and creating good open short range looks for himself. This is the evolution Fox needs in order to be great. His speed and length will always be great on the fast break and defense but controlling his speed is the key. Hitting a couple more 3’s would help too.
I do not like Holmes and Bagley on the court together. It’s fine for short stints but there is a noticeable lag in interior defense because both of those players appear to stay out of the paint…it’s like playing without a center.
At least you still have teeth!
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