Riding the adrenaline wave of their comeback win against the Nuggets, the Kings wrapped up their six-game home stand by hosting the Utah Jazz for the first time this season. In a surprising turn of events, the Jazz have failed their tanking experiment, and are currently in play-in position in the West. Needless to say, the Kings couldn’t afford to come in sleepy against this fully healthy Jazz team. To end this calendar year on a high note, the Kings needed to use the best home court advantage in all of sports and take care of business. Let’s see how they did:
Quick Stats
Outcome: Kings win, 126-125
Sacramento Kings: 126 pts, 55.6% fg, 40.0% 3 pt, 73.7% ft, 32 ast, 38 reb, 15 to
Utah Jazz: 125 pts, 54.8% fg, 25.0% 3 pt, 83.3% ft, 30 ast, 37 reb, 13 to
My chest hurts from the frantic pounding of my heart during the final 10 minutes of that game. The Kings held the lead over the Jazz for most of the game until Lauri Markkanen finally made enough floaters in a row to gain the lead back with eight minutes to go. It was a lot of back and forth from there as Markkanen and De’Aaron Fox turned on the clutch and traded baskets. It all came down to the final seconds, as the Kings trailed by two points. After Fox missed two driving floaters in a row in their last possession, Harrison Barnes secured the Kings’ second offensive board of the possession and found a wide open Kevin Huerter at the 3-point line on the wing, and… Headband Huerter DRAINED it. Golden 1 Center erupted and the Kings regained the lead with nine seconds remaining on the clock. Two more great defensive possessions after two Jazz timeouts and the Kings ended 2022 with a win.
HUERTER CLUTCH pic.twitter.com/dXh8uGI1hi
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) December 31, 2022
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
The Good
- Intentional Offense: The Kings started hot as they jumped out to an early 6-0 lead to start the game. They showed an intentional strategy on offense to get into the paint and find easy baskets. The ball movement was consistent and the shot selection was cerebral. Instead of settling for the first sign of daylight from deep, the Kings worked the ball around until they found easy shots inside. The Kings finished the game scoring 68 points in the paint.
- Bench Highlights: During the middle stretch of the game, the Kings got a handful of impactful minutes from different guys off the bench. Davion Mitchell’s defense on Collin Sexton deserves to be played on an infinite loop somewhere in Golden 1 Center. It’s hard to describe just how suffocating it looks to be defended by Mitchell, and he was an immediate defensive spark off the bench to disrupt Utah’s primary point of attack. Trey Lyles has become a jack of all trades off the bench for the Kings, doing a little bit of everything. His stat line will show just five points and eight rebounds, but it was all the plays in between where he got to loose balls, crashed the offensive glass, and recovered on defense to stop Utah’s momentum that was invaluable for the Kings tonight. Malik Monk, as we’ve become accustomed to, was an offensive boost off the bench for Sacramento as he contributed nine points and five assists. His ability to play make for both Domantas Sabonis (28 points, 11 rebounds) and Richaun Holmes got the Kings’ offense back into the paint after they got pulled out from that intentional offense they were running early on. Last but not least, Richaun Holmes continues to earn valuable backup center minutes as he logged seven points, four rebounds, and one big time block in just 11 minutes.
- Domas: We have to briefly mention how great Sabonis was yet again. 28 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists. Casually 2 assists shy of yet another triple double. Another incredible performance. He’s just so good, and so consistently good, that it can be easy to overlook. But not here. In this house we recognize and respect Domantas Sabonis.
- Clutch Fox: De’Aaron Fox struggled early on tonight, scoring 15 points through the first three quarters after we witnessed a handful of unusual misses from him in the midrange. His pull ups in the paint have started to feel so automatic, it was almost jarring to see more than two not go down. But, luckily, Fox isn’t the most clutch player in the league for nothing. He scored nine more points in the final quarter, returning to his usual form just in time to help lift his team to victory. Oh, and while we’re on the topic of De’Aaron Fox, let’s all just take a moment of silence for Kelly Olynyk, who was murdered tonight by said Fox:
DE'AARON JUST CAUGHT A BODY 💀 @swipathefox | #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/CL90nmOpis
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) December 31, 2022
the Bad
- Close Outs: Lauri Markkanen (36 points), Jordan Clarkson (25 points), and Mike Conley (17 points) all got to shoot three free throws in a row tonight as the Kings were reckless on some of their close outs. The defensive effort is great, but the execution is sloppy. This contributed to the 19-30 deficit in free throw attempts between the Kings and Jazz.
The Ugly
Who cares… Have a happy new year!
The King of Kings
Kevin Huerter, our savior, our headband hero, our King of Kings! Huerter led the Kings with 30 points on 12-18 from the field and 6-10 from 3. He sealed the game and the year with his nothing but net 3-pointer that gave the Kings the lead back in the final seconds. Huerter was the most consistent scorer for the Kings tonight as he not only hit his usual clip from deep, but also reacted to the defense and found a rhythm in the midrange. Thank you for the happy ending to this year, Kevin, bless your heart and your fiery red hair.
Up Next
Sunday, January 1st @ Memphis Grizzlies – 5:00 P.M. (PT)
Light the Beam into 2023!
Amazing game, awesome performances, the beam is lit!!
Domas was a beast tonight, this guy is an All-Star. Huerter, Davion, Lyles all came up big. Either Fox or Monk has to be on the floor at all times.
Two offensive boards and a clutch 3 at the end, that’s they type of thing that would happen to us for the L before this year.
Nothing like stepping it up in the clutch!
Dance ..
Since the injury, Domas is shooting 80% from the field and 100% from 3!!!
Analytics show that we should have broken his thumb at the start of the season.
He’s really worked on his 3 ball over the off season. Pay the man
Hell of a finish. The crazy part of all this is that I truly expect the Kings to win these games now.
I’m pretty impressed at how much playing with De’Aaron Fox has improved Sabonis’ game. His FG percentages are way up, his assists are as high as the last time he made the All-Star team.
Two-way street, y’all.
Monk really helps Sabonis too. There were a couple possesions in a row where Malik got to the basket and dropped it to Sabonis for the finish.
Definitely! Monk is making the team better even when he’s not shooting so well. The man competes.
I think there’s a ton of synergy on this team, generally speaking, and Sabonis has gotten a lot of credit for it more than anyone else. But Fox led the team in shooting attempts tonight….and in assist to turnover ratio (10:1) while Sabonis led the team in efficiency in shooting (12-12) but had a pretty bad assist to turnover ratio (8:7).
It’s an absolute two way street. I wasn’t that impressed with the win against Denver the other night and not especially happy about Fox recently. But tonight was his best game (shooting percentages be damned) in awhile and that was good to see. Sabonis’ game was exceptional outside of the turnovers which is pretty much to be expected. Unless he can create more shots for himself (newsflash: he won’t), the one area of his game he really has helped himself in this month especially is making more 3’s.
Just for the month of December:
121.3 ORtg
115.8 DRtg
19.8 USG%
74.4 TS%
2.76 AST/TOV
29.5 DRB%
21.7 PTS
14.4 REB (4.1 OFF)
69/69/74 (FG/3FG/FT)
7.2 AST
2.6 TOV
11,8 FGA
1.2 3FGA
6.4 FTA
The trick to building around Domas is having both enough rim protection and scoring to make use of all his talents. I think the Kings have the scoring (Fox, Monk, Huerter, Barnes, Murray — eventually — to name a few) and now they need to seek out the rim protection if at all possible. Or at least a backup that allows them to not feel the need to run Domas 38 MPG every night. I think that’s what mostly concerns me at this point.
Not sure what to give up for him but I’d love to see what coach brown can get out of Bamba. Let him be a lanky PF and hang out near the 3 point line and ideally he could help protect the paint. Wish we could have thrown some 2nds when bol was being passed around
Bamba doesn’t have the lateral quickness to play defense at the 4
I agree with Seth, Bamba would not be my choice. What I’m more worried about, outside of rim protection, is who Brown would be willing to use as the backup 15 MPG consistently so Sabonis isn’t running out there 38 MPG. That’s my big concern with him.
Mason Plumlee would be a guy I’d really like personally. I saw Aaron Bruski mention Jericho Sims (on the Knicks) as well. Somebody that Mike Brown would want to use as Domas’ backup for extended stretches that you think fits with De’Aaron Fox for a lot of those minutes.
Sims is interesting- Texas guy. I see him as similar to Claxton, Jaxson Hayes, Naz Reid and a few others- lower pick because of some deficiency (like consistent scoring) but does take up space and is active.
Plumlee is a liability on offense, is now shooting left-handed! and cannot hit a free throw but does pass and does clog the middle.
Years back, Holmes was this guy.
and BTW- any defensive stats on Keegan?
Part of Sabonis’ resurgence is that we play him at the 5, which is his natural position. Any rim protection that would pair well with him would have to come from the 4-spot.
It’s helped Myles Turner as well. I know this isn’t a Pacers blog, but sometimes guys just weren’t meant to be paired as much in real life as the way it suggests on paper.
That’s part of the fun that despite all the game theory, opinionizing (Yes I made that word up; fuck off), and all the know it all’ing slash armchair GM/coach’ing out there, sometimes you just have to pair guys that don’t have a great fit on paper. Like Sabonis and Fox. It’s hard for a lot of the costagnozzi on NBA twitter to conceptualize how Sabonis and Fox work together because they see the theory first and the player second. But Sabonis and Fox make it work because they have fundamental elements each bring the other does not. The synergy they both have as a pairing is critical to the success of this team.
This team isn’t just better because Sabonis’ offensive efficiency, or how many plays he makes for teammates or rebounds, they are significantly better because of his high level energy. That’s not really something you can map out on paper. That’s why you’re seeing some ‘Yeah, I was wrong about these guys’ starting to come out now.
What about Chris Boucher?
He fits the mold. I just don’t love him. He misses lots of games, among other things.
Jack you can trade me for Boucher.
what about Precious Achuiwa? (Might be hurt)
I like Precious. He is younger than Boucher and fits the mold. I don’t know if Raptors would trade him but Holmes for Boucher might work.
He is so unselfish but glad to see his scoring go up. A major reason he is so underrated is because his ppg doesn’t jump out at you. PPG is the sexy number that attracts attention.
If Domas plays center how do you play another center to protect the rim?
Domas is playing well enough on the defensive side anyway. The guards need to help out and not allow everyone to get to the rim without any resistance.
On just one point: I believe that at least two of Sabonis’ turnovers were fouls for moving screens—not mishandling the ball. Does that make the figures about assists/turnovers misleading? Assists are for good ball handling, but not all turnovers are for ball handling errors.
I sure would like the Kings to win a couple by 20 so my heart could have a rest.
Or at least hold a ten point lead for more than thirty seconds in the fourth quarter.
Time for some Jazz dancing!
Great movie!
Ending the year on a high note with the beam shining bright
Yesterday it was Monk with the game ball, today it was Huerter who had absolute ice in his veins and bailed us out. He’s an absolute sniper when he’s on one
I need CPR.
Iam curious about Keegan’s defensive numbers. Brown puts him on some tough covers.
I like how Brown treats him like a vet. I think it is going to accelerate Murray’s arc to being a plus starter. His shot will make him a decent to good pro on its own, but his ability to contribute with defensive versatility will really make him valuable. This is a great situation and coach for him. I think it is a safe bet that he is going to be an extremely valuable contributor the second half of the season.
I do too, and, this is a FWIW, but Murray has a 111.6 DRtg on the season which is almost 2 points better than the team 113.9 DRtg on the season. I don’t know what that means, but I think despite the fact that there was so much focus on Keegan’s offense we overlooked an important element: Homey can defend the SF spot.
Once he figures out the offensive side of the ball and how to be a hub of an offense type player (hybrid version of Sabonis and Fox; more of a playmaker than Fox but a better shot creator than Sabonis), and I would suspect he’s generally capable of that more than he’s being given credit for, he’ll be alright. That’ll make the 2nd unit better, too.
The only true area’s of disappointment for me with Keegan is his rebounding, and I think that might be an area he needs to figure out as he’s adjusting to not only the NBA for the first time but also mainly playing at the SF spot.
The kids’ll be alright Mike.
I agree that part of the rebounding is playing SF defensively and on offense he is out on the perimeter a lot. I suspect he will end up being a 6-6.5 boards per night type guy in a couple of years…
I’ll bet it will be before that.
Thanks for the stats. Brown has him cover a wide variety of guys- Clarkson and Olynyk last night for example.
He gets a few boards in traffic but gets jostled off the boards too frequently (twice against Denver)
His passing has improved a lot. He may lead the team in blocks which is not saying much- pardon, is saying a lot.
I would like to see far more offensive versatility- more post up, more cuts, more curl to the lane and floater- He has shown all of this but seems reluctant.
He could have an epiphany and a resurgence second half. But Brown likes him despite Lyes often looking more polished.
I’d also wager he’s near the top of the list in the hockey assist category. He’s not filling the boxscore with traditional stats, but he definitely moves the ball. He swings the ball well on the perimeter and is a key piece to the offense.
He had a huge hockey assist last night to Huerter for the win
He also made a smart and the correct pass to Fox on the shot before, luckily Fox missed and allowed to next one to happen for Huerter.
Brown treating him as a vet will pay off as the year continues.
HAPPY NEW YEAR KINGS FANS!!!!
Kings win but they need a little more oomph from the six-minute mark in the first quarter to the six-minute mark in the fourth. Maybe it’s just Keegan Murray hits two more 3s or Davion Mitchell drains a few more layups. Yeah, I know Utah is the surprise of the league this year (besides the Kings) but the KIngs need to make a game like this less of a nailbiter.
Wow. Another incredibly exciting game. I am thrilled with how much fun I have watching this team this season. Win or lose, each game brings some drama.
A couple of things rattling around in my noggin tonight:
What an interesting position Danny Ainge is with this team. Some intriguing talent that is on the younger side, some Vets that will have value to contending teams, and a trove of draft picks. Whichever path he chooses, this team will be one to watch.Sabonis is a freaking beast.
Fox might be one of the finest shot creators in the game today. Maybe there are ten better than him, but there isn’t twenty. When he is locked in he is dangerous. Nice to see two games in a row of double digit assists.
Lyles is really making a case for being a very valuable reserve. So far this season he has memorable three point shots, dunks, blocked shots, rebounds, and hustle plays. He has bounced around a bit because of an inconsistent motor, it is nice to see him finding a role he can excel in.
This team has balls. They have hit some speed bumps and had some inconsistency, but the basic formula works. I still am all in on this team scorching the league in the second half of the season.
Nice to see Richuan doing Holmes-ian things. A rim rattling dunk, a really athletic blocked shot. Whether it be his being a reliable bench big, or establishing some trade value, it is nice to see his athleticism and motor make an impression in the game
Like Jerry said, Huerter has some shitbird in him. What a great trade. 14m a year for three seasons after this! Extend McNair already. Sweet baby Jesus.
5th seed at the turn of the year. Who woulda thunk? I am not sure the Kings have even played very well yet. Go Kings. Light that mother-effing beam.
The jazz should tank imo.
They’re down to .500 now with the Wolves and LAL not far behind them.
Imagine adding Wemby or Scoot to what they’re building with all that future draft capital.
I’d love for Monte to take Lauri off their hands. Two guys I’ve wanted since their drafts were Monk and Lauri..Monk is here and it would be awesome to have Lauri as well.
Fox
Monk
KH
Lauri
Sabonis
This would be fun as hell.
If he plays half as much as he did last night I agree. Never saw the guy drive as much since he has been in the league and the Jazz have brought out his talents. I would still start Murray and leave Monk as the sixth man.We need his upside on that second unit. He is the driving force. Lauri can play the small forward.He has before.
I said before the season that in order for the Kings to make the playoffs there were tiers of teams we needed to see ourselves against.
I (not a huge surprise) called that we’d need to be markedly better than LAL, SAS, OKC and HOU. I doubted we’d be better than MEM, PHX or GSW. But I was told I was crazy for predicting we’d be keeping pace against DEN and DAL. Obviously there have been surprises (NOP? UTA? GSW?) But the games against Denver and this one against Utah show what we’re made of. We play them incredibly tough. We’re right in the thick of it and Mike Brown should be coach of the year in tandem with no Monte being executive of the year. This team just feels different. There are maybe five games all year where we just didn’t have it and it showed. Since our bad start we’re one of the guest teams in the league. And our core is young, fun, and engaged.
I love it. Go Kings.
Have been fortunate to play some teams with notable absences but that is true for all teams.
Team is still short of a couple of contributors- either in addition to what Kings currently have or as replacements.
How do teams improve- culture/motivation, draft, free agency and trade. 2023 draft may yield some asset but while solid, the 2023 draft is young. It would be risky to trade big now- effects the culture but a small trade might help. FA? maybe.
as an aside, the duds are salivating over Donte who they got cheap and on a player option. I would rather have Monk or Red Velvet. Donte could not have been purchased in Sac for the purchase price (bargain basement) that he got in duds land.
The predictions for this year are all askew- NOP, Utah, Kings are up. Mavs, Portland, Denver, LAC same, Suns, LAL, duds, Minnesota down. Large re-shuffle.
Future looks good for Utah, OKC and NOP who get the LAL pick.
I feel BEAMED.
The roof nearly came off on the Fox 2-hand dunk over Olynyk and then the Huerter shot to win… well, I’ve had season tickets for 5 years (minus covid interruptus) and the only thing that even comes close to this game over that time was the Bogi shot to beat the L*kers, probably 4 years ago roughly today.
LIGHT THE BEAM
I don’t understand how the hawks couldn’t find a role for Huerter but I do very much thank them for blessing us with that red haired bucket getter.
Fox with the dunk of the year! He doesn’t try to poster someone as much as before but Kelly found out he still has the springs lol
Domas is no longer Jokic Jr. He is his own Sabonis.
Happy 2023 yall
Ps God bless Monte McNair
Happy 2023!
Especially with the alleged Trae drama in Atlanta. I think there were reports of him not liking Lloyd Pierce which led to his firing and now he’s not a fan of Nate apparently. That’s a troubling sign
Seemed like a dumb trade for ATL at the time and looks even dumber in hindsight.
Weird vibes coming out of the ATL. Given our trade history with ATL, I’d love for MM to raid their roster for more talent, take a flyer on Hunter.
Hawks may be in fire sale mode- Hunter has always been an under performer.
what about the ex-Duke guy- Jalen Johnson?
Such a great view on the Huerter 3 but especially of the crowd.
Goosebumps!
https://twitter.com/BrendenNunesNBA/status/1609057953612705792?s=20&t=fykpwNfLffiqrUOoP3tT6g
Those rebounds were difference makers Rik, the tipping point in this win.
Thank you for the links.
Rec.
Thanks for sharing….
I have found ABC10 got another close view of that sequence….and of course the loud from the amazing crowd.
Feels free to enjoy that 3 by Huerter again as below
Sacramento Kings edge Utah Jazz with second straight 1pt win – YouTube
in the last prolonged sequence, every King contributed- Fox shooting, Domas screen + rebound/tip, Keegan rebound on first miss + pass after second miss, Barnes scramble and rebound after second, Hueter- hitting the big one on second
Good win against a pretty good team.
Two things I’ve noticed tonight that I’m going to keep an eye on:
1: The Kings changing their style of play a bit without Sabonis on the floor. We didn’t see Holmes trying to make plays like earlier in the season. Instead, I feel like we saw more pick and rolls than usual. Might be match-up specific, but could also be Brown trying other things when Sabonis is on the bench. Whatever it is, I feel like Holmes thrived and played well. Hope this continues.
2: Murray…passing? Some of us here, myself included, have noted that Murray basically just shoots (which he does well), but not much more. I feel like we’ve seen him pass more in the last few games, which may show the game is slowing down a bit for him. It’s not like the passes he made have been brilliant, but I feel like it’s an encouraging sign and shows a bit of development.
Good observations, both.
Also, Domas said in the postgame interview that he has taken it on himself to push the pace more, when rebounding or inbounding.
De beste wensen voor 2023!
Jij ook man, fijne jaarwisseling!
laten we gaan Koningen!
Hah!
That game was a blast. Other than some boneheaded fouls by the Kings, I thought it was pretty well played.
Somebody needs to explain the flagrant foul rules to me because I thought that call on Okpala was ridiculous. He was already in the air going up to the hoop before Kessler even jumped. How can that possibly be a hostile or unnatural motion? Have the refs never attempted a layup before? Just a bizarre call that killed the momentum in what was a fun first quarter.
Trey Lyles and Davion Mitchell are a big reason we won this game. I thought both guys played defense and did all the dirty work tonight.
That call. That damn call. It’s almost like anytime someone attempts a shot if you are close enough to them just run into them and they will get an offensive foul? Is that how it’s supposed to be?
If the Kings stay healthy and keep playing well and hanging in in that mid playoff teams tier, MM will have some interesting decisions to make as we creep closer to the trade deadline.
It’s just a hunch, but I think MM has another big move in him to push this team up another notch. Nothing earth shattering, but something a long the lines of the KH trade.
KH trade was a secondary spin off from the Collins quest. Kings traded the pick + Holiday + Harkless?
in the continuum of NBA trades last, the KH trade was below the midline but in impact for the Kings- huge.
MM just waited and waited and found a good one. While I don’t like a big trade for a “star” i.e. the NOP trade for CJ, Mitchell to Cavs, Gobert to Minnesota– those cost way too much and the Kings are not poised for a big move, a value trade for an important piece makes sense. And then try to hit a home run on FA or draft. Sometimes a draft day trade for a #16 pick can net a good player.
I agree. I would not trade Huerter unless its a huge upgrade. The guy just hit the winner last night like he has ice water in his veins. I bet he will do this more times this year, The guy loves it here and so do the fans. You can’t put value on that no matter how you see it.
Winning cures all ills.
This team, with some better talent and a much more devoted and focused coaching staff (like Malone and Joerger) AND an actual NBA level GM have finally broken through to become a competitive team. You need all those things to work – and they are.
The Sacramento Kings are finding a way to win.
Damn, who knew!? That’s the story of 2022 into 2023, IMO.
For this win, let’s give them a hand
&ct=g
So, things. I gotz a few.
I was definitely down on De’Aaron Fox a lot more 24 hours ago than I am now. Part of that was last night against Utah I thought he played really well on 2 ends, and really the first thing you’ll notice from the box score is his missed shots. I thought what showed watching the game was his absolute aggression in not only finding his shot but shots for others, too. That De’Aaron Fox cannot be stopped by anyone with any defense and if he hits his 3’s he’ll put up HoF statistical production from an impact standpoint. He’s capable of it, we’ve seen it for stretches, I guess the question is will he get back to it. So far the answer seems no…..but the alternative to that is the De’Aaron Fox that is aggressive and getting after it regardless of how the numbers look is a much better De’Aaron Fox than the one that showed up the 1st 4 games of the homestand. This De’Aaron Fox from last night I want back and for as often as possible.
I won’t waste time on Domas’ All-Star candidacy voting for it (what’s the point), or Fox (ditto), but I will point out that you can’t have the ASG without Domas for sure and I think Fox has a terrific argument as well. I hate ASG’s to begin with and rarely watch them, but Domas is an All-Star. In fact, I’d love to hear the argument for why he’s not an All-NBA player at this point because I think that’s the real conversation now. He’s a no shit sherlock All-Star at this point. The Kings haven’t had one of those since Webber and Stojakovic IMO.
What a time to be alive to witness a guy scoring his career high like Kevin Huerter! That was an amazing 4th qtr he had. Watching the game on the Utah feed it was funny to hear Craig Bolerjack and Thurl Bailey proclaim repeatedly (other than to point out how fast Sac is from a tempo standpoint): You can’t leave him open! Well, yes, Boler and Thurl, you can. Your Jazzmen kept doing it! I suspect we will not see a repeat of this in SLC next Tuesday.
Speaking of not a repeat, at some point, the Kings will need Barnes and/or Murray to score more points in games like this to create separation. That’s where I think I’ve seen a trend develop that suggests there is a good team overall: They haven’t really gotten everybody going all at the same time.
Speaking of Keegan, my favorite play last night was where he dribbled and passed to Domas for an easy layup. The Kings focused on getting Domas easy hoops last night (rightfully so) and it was fun to see that Keegan can make at least the basic, easy reads right in front of him now from a playmaking standpoint. Yes, he has to get a lot better in that area, but that’s okay. That’s why it’s called being a rookie and not a 10 year vet. There’s time with the kid.
Davion. Can. Defend. And. He’ll. Eat. Your. Soul. On. That. End. Of. The. Court. That’s it, that’s the tweet.
Good to see Richaun Holmes back in the swing of things. I don’t know if it’s to get him more minutes and figuring out how to use him or help his value in trade, but this team isn’t better with Richaun sitting on the bench collecting dust. I don’t know if the answer is trading him or just playing him a lot more, but the Kings have played the least amount of games in the NBA to this point. That’s going to change a lot over the next month with a bunch of b2b’s (even being at home) and that depth is going to start to play a real role. What concerns me more than anything about whether or not the Kings can sustain their current play is whether or not they can find 15-20 MPG for a player not named Domantas Sabonis at C. Sure, you want him out there against the best teams…..but that’s not the Utah Jazz. It’s concerning you needed 38 MPG from Domas to beat them. I mean, from a sustainable, you’re trying to win 55 games way. We’re past the whole “this is a 30 win team bullshit” hopefully. They might be a 30 win team by the end of January….
Speaking of which, look at the schedule. No, really, look at it. The beam commands you! (Sorry, I must mock the beam, as I mock the cowbell and other ridiculousness of it’s kind.) Seriously, however, the schedule is offering up a great opportunity for the Kings to win a lot of games. Here’s the next batch of them:
@Mem Jan 1st (Sunday)
@Utah Jan 3rd (Tuesday)
Atlanta Jan 4th (Wednesday)
LA Lakers Jan 7th (Saturday) (also a SEGABABA for the Lakers; they play Atl Friday)
Orlando Jan 9th
Houston Jan 11th & 13th
@San Antonio Jan 15th
@LA Lakers Jan 18th
Oklahoma City Jan 20th (their lone trip into Sac Gold Pukey William)
Philadelphia Jan 21st (SEGABABA for Sac)
Memphis Jan 23rd
Toronto Jan 25th
If you are a legit top 6 team in the West, IMO, you need to be at worst 9-4 in this stretch. Preferably 10-3 or better 11-2. Which is a very doable thing, but you had better figure out your backup C and you can’t have games like the Charlotte/Washington debacles either. At some point this team will need to rip off another win streak. That’s how you make hay and take advantage of this very long home stretch because……after the 25th? You play 8 of 10 on the road leading into the ASB.
The Kings are currently 19-15. Let’s assume they go 9-4 in this upcoming stretch, and once they hit the road again go 5-5. That’s a 33-24 record headed into the ASB. Post ASB? It gets tougher? Your March slate is filled with top teams in the NBA (not a bad thing necessarily) so you’re going to find out if this team is capable of competing against the best on a night in night out basis. I assume Phoenix won’t be the clusterfuck they’ve been for the last 2 months and have figured it out by then. (Or not.)
Either way, it is what it is. But the opportunities are there for the Kings to be a top 6 seed in the West. They just have to come out and play their game every night at home (especially) and on the road (always a tough thing to do).
Last but not least…..the numbers.
Kings ORtg: 115.2 (7th)
Kings DRtg: 113.9 (22nd)
Kings Net Rtg: 1.3 (12th)
Average ‘Rating’ (points per 100 possesions): 112.8
The Kings are 2.4 points better than average, and there are 16 teams at average or slightly below with a 112.7 ORtg or better. Defensively, there are 14 teams at 112.8 DRtg or better.
You can look at the 4 factors if you want (I do), but basically the Kings shoot about a percentage and half better than their opponents. That’s why they win games. The rebounding battle, turnovers, even getting to the line (it’s not as egregrious as a lot of people seem to think for the most part) isn’t quite the real difference maker on this team outside of that it all feeds back into the fact that this team just simply creates a lot of good shots on offense. The tempo, the shots they create put a ton of pressure on opposing teams offense to continue and a lot of teams can’t keep it up over 48 minutes.
The threshold (as numerous people have pointed out) for this team winning games on a Points per Possession basis is 1.15. (Other sites will adjust it a bit lower like Cleaning the Glass.)
Utah: 1.24
Denver: 1.27
LA Lakers: 1.26
@Detroit: 1.22
@Toronto: 1.21
You get the idea. Anyhoo. Go Kings!
Good stuff.
You know me. I’m still waiting for that 5 games above .500 before I have total and complete buy in, and I thought we’d get there during this 6 game home stand, but oh well. I’m not sure they can pull out a win in Memphis, who a a crazy good 13-3 at home, but they may be able to get there around that Lakers, Houston, and Orlando stretch.
As you said, there is great opportunity in the next stretch of games through early January. Good teams would capitalize on this, and if the Kings are a good team, they need to capitalize as well. No more stinkers against stinky teams.
There have been 5 instances of the Kings already hitting the 4 games over 500 mark this season and not able to get to the 5 games over 500 mark. @Atlanta 11/23, @Milwaukee 12/7, @NY Knicks 12/11, Charlotte 12/19, Washington 12/23. So here’s to hoping the Kings manage the elusive 5 games over tomorrow! That would be a fun way to bring in 2023!
It could happen in the next week, IMO. Tomorrow if they play their ‘A’ game (and forget about the last 3 minutes of the last go around in Memphis), it could happen. But it’s not like Atlanta is any great shakes and Utah isn’t exactly scary whereever you play them. I think it’ll happen this week honestly, I just don’t know when.
What is the significance of 5 games over .500?
Ask Adam. It’s his threshold.
Will do. Was wondering if that had some significance.
What is the significance of 5 games over .500?
thanks.
Keegan is passing better. The play you mention was one of a couple. But my favorite sequence for him is shown above in the video of the last functional play at 9.2 seconds. Fox misses- Keegan gets the rebound, passes to Fox who misses, Barnes gets the scramble passes to Keegan who absolutely whips it to Huerter and the rest is loud.
Poor free throw shooting by the Kings once again made the game closer than it should have been.
Folks, I’m honestly not sure we realize how good Sabonis has been. For the month of December he has averaged 21, 14, and 7 while shooting 68 fucking percent from three. He had 3 triple-doubles and only one game (the first one of the December) in which he didn’t have a double-double.
He just had the best month of his career and arguably just put up the best month of any Sacramento King…ever.
Athletes are people – meaning, just like you and me. But, just like in the other walks of life we stroll in, we meet individuals who grab us with their force of being – their personality, their drive, their intellect, the talent, the humor, their kindness – whatever.
In Domas, the Kings have a special Pro athlete. Not going Aileen on y’all, just admiring the teammate and professional that the Kings have on their roster at this time:
https://twitter.com/nbcskings/status/1609098517192278017?s=12
”I missed a free throw”
That is a team leader.
I will add – I see the same foundational attitude with Coach Brown and his coaching staff.
Needless to say (but I am, of course saying it) I am impressed.
That first game you refer to was the Clippers blowout on a front end of a b2b. They were saving him for the Chicago game the next day.
And this is his best month of his career. I mean, for all the doom and gloom that was dispensed right before and after Christmas, this Kings team DID go 8-6. And it was squarely because of Domas.
Domas is having a career year, whether people like it or not. Domas TS% in his 3rd season was 63%, under Carlisle last year it was 64.9%. This season? He’s oblierating that with a 68.9 TS%.
Domas is ridiculous. That’s all there really is to it.
Yeah, that guy is on my team.
Crowd was great again could feel like a concussion up where sit when Huerter hit the winner. Murray’s pass to Huerter on that play was amazingly quick decision the kid plays beyond his years.
Amazing finish to the year! I like seeing that in the last two games Fox and Davion have been on the court together at times. There was something about the role of “only backing up Fox” which did not seem right for Davion. It’s because they have complementary skill sets. Offense and defense. I get that on offense Fox would prefer 40% three point shooters everywhere, but Fox can get any shot he wants and his job on defense gets easier with Davion on the court. It might be even more important on the road where Davion’s disruption can help neutralize the opponent’s home court advantage for a few more minutes.
Definitely want to see more of that experiment to see where it could lead. After the Hali trade, I talked myself into seeing them start together. We never got the opportunity to see how that duo would work.
We essentially got Sabonis for a late lottery pick. The way the league is today, it takes multiple 1st (3-4) and young players to get someone of Sabonis’ impact and production. The reaction of the media that we got robbed just shows how criminally underrated he is. Just last off season for example: Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, and Dejounte Murray. It took guts for McNair to have to vision to trade Haliburton knowing all the criticism he was going to get. It was a “this better work or your fired” type of move.
Not to mention a guy who is on a incredibly cheap deal. He is making Harrison Barnes money at just 12% of the Kings total cap. The truth is, he is likely worth double what he is making now. He is making $18M and is easily worth $36M. That’s what Tobias Harris makes!
How many players can you say are worth double what they are getting paid that are not on rookie deals? I honestly can’t think of anyone other than Sabonis. Maybe Markkanen?
Now, if only Monte could get Sabonis to sign an extension… Wishful thinking, I suppose.
I totally forgot about his value contract. Would you give him the full max if that is what it takes for an extension to get done? And would his Max be higher if he made all-NBA this year?
He is definitely worth the max. He’s very likely to hit UFA July 2024 because that is when he is going to get paid the most. The good news is, the Kings can pay hime more than anyone else by offering a longer deal.
The bottom line is, he can make more by hitting free agency than he can by signing an extension, and the dude deserves to get paid.
This won’t happen. He’s hitting FA in 2024 (there’s no way to make an extension work is the reason) and, frankly, because the Kings can offer him a lot more $$$ and an extra year, they really almost can’t screw this up unless there’s a bad relationship there and he just wants out and doesn’t care at what cost.
Be concerned in how the org treats him, how involved he is with Monte/Wes/Mike Brown and so forth. Be concerned about his relationship with Fox. Don’t be worried about the money part. That’s pretty straight forward at this point regardless of how it’s presented in the media.
Glad to see Holmes play some solid minutes today. Gotta be hard going from starter to DNP coaches decision. He didn’t get a fair shot to play through his slump and adjusting to coming off the bench. In this era of pace and space I feel every big man should work on being able to hit open 3’s. That along with his hustle and energy would make him a valuable piece.
Kevin Huerter, the three-point converter.
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