The Kings are riding high on a 6-game win streak, punctuated by an emphatic win over the Boston Celtics on Friday. The Kings are just .500, but are firmly back in the mix in the Western Conference. It’s a wild swing from where this team was just a few weeks ago. A staple of the Kings under Doug Christie is their newfound ability to come out swinging and play hard throughout a game. Can that effort-based identity endure an early Sunday game, a start time that has been the bane of the franchise’s existence for years? Will De’Aaron Fox play? Will Domantas Sabonis grab 30 rebounds?
Let’s talk Kings basketball!
When: Sunday, January 12th, 12:30 PM PST
Where: United Center, Chicago, IL
TV: NBA TV, NBCSCA
Radio: Sactown Sports 1140 AM
For Your Consideration
At every step of this six-game win streak I’ve been ready for the other shoe to drop. Oh a game without Fox? Dang, luck had to run out eventually I guess. Oh we won that? Oh but now it’s a back to back against the Heat, and still no Fox, I guess this is where it ends. Nope! Ah, but now we’ve got the Celtics, and Fox is still out. Haha, doesn’t matter, won again! So let me tell you how goddamn nervous I am about this game against a sub-.500 Chicago Bulls team. If there was ever a time for that Kangziest of other shoes to drop, it’s this game. And yet, I’m remaining cautiously optimistic. Doug Christie has this team playing hard, showing up at every step of the way, and playing like they give a damn. It’s fun as hell, and I want to believe it can overcome this team’s prior worst habits.
Hope is a dangerous thing. But if I was foolish enough to believe this team was better than its record 3 weeks ago, I can remain foolish enough to believe the Kings can avoid the trap game.
Prediction
Kings show up and kick ass.
Kings 136, Bulls 107
Get these winning habits implanted
And not take any wins for granted.
The Bulls can surprise;
Playing hard’s always wise
To hear “Light the beam!” being chanted!
+1 Slip past the Bulls!
&ct=g
The sample size is small, but still enough to not have me immediately worried if they lose this one.
With all the turmoil and emotions of the last weeks, there’s bound to be a let up game at some point.
If they lose this game and don’t respond properly in the next games, it could get a bit more iffy.
My hope is that the Kimgs come out punching early and dro 40+ in the 1st quarter and roll to a blowout victory.
My fear is the bulls take the Kings by surprise early and the Kings have to claw their way back into the game and ultimately lose.
Early games are always a crap shoot, especially on the road and in the East. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if the Kings came out lethargic.
This video doesn’t say anything everyone in sac (minus Mike Brown) didn’t already know but it’s cool to see Keon get some love
I was just about to post this! Great video! The dude should absolutely be starting and getting 30+ minutes a game.
I’m no basketball expert, but Keon is a winning player, it’s that simple.
Hes tenacious. The type of player you see on other teams and wonder why the Kings can never get someone like him. Well the Kings now have one. Maybe 2 in him and Carter.
Yup, Keon is that Alex Caruso type that hopefully can turn into the Derrick White type. If Carter follows the same track…look out league!
I like the comps.
He’s been playing against NBA talent for years. It looks to me like he’s already following the same track, only faster…and younger… and stronger.
Should be able to win this one. But in the end, even if we somehow lose today, if we have a 2-1 road trip in the end, I’ll be happy. But gotta take care of business against teams that are worse than you record-wise.
BEAT THE BULLS AND LIGHT THE BEAM!
My new favorite Christie quote, ‘Every time we hit the floor we believe in us. And fuck them’
Keep this going, loving it
very Jordi-like
Hopefully they DNP-CD Ellis, trade Fox, bring back Mike Brown, and start Kevin Huerter again.
There’s no such thing as a trap game when you stay humble and hungry. I’d prefer this be the DeRozan revenge game, where he pays them back for 3+ years of wasted time by burying them with bucket after bucket and solid defense.
Let’s go Kings!
And unsarcastically speaking, as much as I like the job McNair has done, (I might already like DC even better than Davion) after seeing how the last month unfolded, a President of Basketball Ops. over Monte, between he and Vivek, is probably a good idea. Jerry Reynolds is the sentimental favorite choice for me. More realistically, Larry Bird, Phil Jackson? Shaq?
What has Jerry doen to you to deserve this?
Let the man enjoy his retirement without stepping into the Vivek swamp.
Lol
Hasn’t Vivek tried this a couple times only to result in disastrous power struggles?
I think that was the idea with Vlade, with his Hall-of-Fame credentials, but Vlade didn’t have MM, and Vlade doesn’t have the cache, or front-office experience of a Larry legend.
Nor the intelligence.
Lol x2
Larry is a bit “pie in the sky”
Better a Bird in the hand then a pie in the sky.
I think Jerry has his phone #
Oh, I’m sure he has.
If we got a guy who has his ear, then maybe it isn’t so “pie in the sky.” It’s been a long time since Larry took home a NBA paycheck. They pay quite a bit more now, maybe he would consider…
As Kings fans, we are so used to disappointment that we almost have to look at everything that happens from a glass half-empty POV. The Lakers sign someone like DeRozan and fans go, “That’s it! We’re winning the championship!” The Kings sign him and we’re like, “Wrong position. Too old. Bad fit.” Trade for Sabonis and even though he is amazing, we’re all worried we gave away the best player. Draft Keegan and our immediate thought is, We just passed on Luka.
Because honestly, that usually true.
When we fired Brown, we didn’t even need to ask if it was a good thing, because we all knew it wasn’t. This is the KANGZ. Which is why even after winning six out of seven games with DC as our coach, we’re all still waiting for it to be a fluke. And, shoot, maybe it is.
But at some point this mindset has to adjust. When we beat bad teams or teams with injuries, we say it doesn’t mean anything. When we lose to great teams, we say it just proves that we aren’t really that good. When we beat great teams without our best player on the floor, or having an off game, we say we need to trade him immediately because he isn’t as good as we think he is.
The Kings probably aren’t good enough to win 6, or 7, or 8, or however many games in a row with any regularity. Almost no team is. We are going to lose games. Sometimes we will lose them because the other team is better. Sometimes we will lose because we are better, but the other team had a really great night. (Do we really think we’re better a better team than the Celtics?)
We should totally beat the Bulls today, and I’ll be just as disappointed if we don’t as I was excited when we beat Boston. But if we do, I just hope it’s because the Bulls played out of their minds and not because the we came out weak. I love DC because he works really hard to make sure that doesn’t happen–not by outcoaching the other team, but by making the Kings players confident in themselves instead of second guessing them.
My point is, I love this streak, this team, and this coach. But we aren’t going to really know what we have for at least another month. Maybe more. If we win today, it doesn’t prove DC is the guy. If we lose, it doesn’t prove he isn’t the guy. But, man, let’s go win anyway.
Keep the streak going and light the freaking beam!
Great comment! I love DC too. Both of them!
You’ve encapsulated so much of the feelings that many of us carry in our fandom.
It might be lightening in a bottle- but downing a 6-pack of losing and springing back up with a recovery 6 game win streak is an exhilaration, and I’m delighted and worried and imagine delight and dread every time the Kings take the court.
Rec’d.
I’ve actually enjoyed the highs and lows this season. I’m just glad they didn’t go into a slow spiral.
I can’t say I’ve enjoyed the lows (they were just too darn low) but they have the benefit of making the highs higher.
At 13-18, Sac was floating just above cellar territory. And with this roster, the cursed demon, expectation, was sapping my positivity to doldrum levels.
I just checked- The Patience Preacher has a pulse!
I liked the DeRosen move not necessarily for the fit, but rather the boom-or-bust mentality of it. So when it looked like a bust, I’m just glad the losses came early and often so they couldn’t ignore them. Few people believe Doug will truly turn this season around enough to make the playoffs, but it’s still early so they still have a chance, at least. When things went south last season it was way too late to recover.
Boom-or-bust is the safe course in the NBA, avoid the middle ground.
*DeRozan
Deebo revenge game!!!
Can’t wait to see more DC mean mugs when the team “sounds of like they give a damn!”
Dougs Bunny says let’s slap them around and win this thing by more than a hare.
I’ll see myself out.
Daffy Doug approves.
Relevant
Opens up the “Bulls didn’t have one of their best players” talk about the Kings win streak.
I like the DDR revenge game angle. I hope it plays out that way. The cynical me, would worry of a Chris Duarte revenge game. Yes, I know, but under MB and them playing Kangz ball, it’d cross your mind too). These are DC13’s win streak Kings though.
It’s a 3 Point League:
This should be a high scoring affair, as ChiTown is 4th ppg at 118.4 and is 2nd only to Sac’s last opponent, the Boston Celtics, in 3PA at just under 44 3PA (to Boston’s eye opening 49.5).
I am looking forward to seeing how The Christie Kings respond to another high 3 point shooting squad.
Some nice matchups:
Sanonis v. Vukevic (I’d still like him as a King)
Cony White v. Keon
Zach LaVine v Keegan
(or will those two reverse that? Reminds me of Simons and Sharpe in Portland)
I liked the Bulls rookie, Buzelis, in Summer League.
Light that Beam! Go Kings!
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