The Sacramento Kings made their threes, played like a cohesive unit, and ran the Spurs off the floor on Friday. It was reminiscent of the Kings won over the Rockets earlier last week. Of course, the Kings followed up that Rockets win with a horrible shooting night and a blown opportunity in Memphis. The Kings haven’t strung together back to back wins in over a month. Can they buck that trend and begin to build some momentum by showing up for a should-win game against the Utah Jazz, or will the Kings continue their year of inconsistency?
Let’s talk Kings basketball.
When: Sunday, December 8th, 6:00 PM PST
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
TV: NBCSCA
Radio: Sactown Sports 1140 AM
For Your Consideration
And a one, and a two, and a three: It’s no coincidence that the Kings look amazing on nights the three ball is falling, and horrible on nights when it isn’t. The Kings are an offense built around DHO actions and movement to create open threes, or pick and roll actions with Malik Monk and Domantas Sabonis that can also result in kick out threes. We’ve heard endless talk about Mike Brown’s desire for more spray threes. We’ve written countless words this season on three point slumps that have held this team back from success. In wins this season the Kings average 38% from deep, in losses they average 30.4%. It’s the biggest and most obvious differences in their win/loss splits. Turnovers? Fouls? FT%? FTAs? 3PAs? None of those look much different in the splits. If the Kings make their threes at a reasonable rate, they’re probable going to win. Let’s see if the Kings can find the bottom of the net for more than a game in a row.
Time To Find Your Rhythm: The Sacramento Kings have a tremendous opportunity over their next 10 games to shift the narrative of their season if they can get into a rhythm. The Kings have the Jazz, the injury-decimated Pelicans, the severely struggling Nuggets, 3 games against the suddenly spiraling Lakers, as well as games against the Pacers, Pistons, and 76ers. We Kings fans know better than to count on wins against struggling teams, we’ve been burned before. But if ever there was a time to go on a run of 7 or 8 wins in 10 games, this would be a great opportunity for it. But it won’t happen by looking forward, Sacramento needs to focus on one game at a time. The Kings have proven themselves too unreliable to treat any of these games as a gimme.
Prediction
Regression to the mean cuts both ways, Keegan Murray and Kevin Huerter continue to break out of their shooting slumps, and the Kings roll.
Kings 124, Jazz 101
No Jordan Clarkson and Lauri is a game time decision due to a sore back. Should the Kings blow this one, I might conclude the season is toast. Playoff teams don’t lose to this Utah team, while playing at home, off of a day’s rest.
Here’s to the Kings wrapping this one up before the 10 minute mark in the 4th so we can all get a healthy viewing of the bench.
I don’t trust the Kings to win this game. That’s the way the season is going.
The Jazz is a team we can beat;
We’ve twice sent them down to defeat.
Then we’ll have a nice break—
Time to mend things that ache—
Lots more games coming up to compete!
+1 Here’s to some sweet Kings music!
Vivek’s jazz band?
The real question is, who are we going to get ejected today?
John Collins
Houston – Sengun/Udoka
Memphis – Ja
Spurs – Zach Collins
can’t have two Collins in a row… everyone knows it’s an unwritten rule-
I’m going Drew Eubanks.
Bonus: will it result in a fine, suspension or obscene gesture?
That it is in Utah increases the likelihood- it’s especially odd that 2 of the 3 happened to the home team
If a player says darn it, that’s a suspension in Utah.
Clarkson. But wait, he is ejected prior to tip-off.
The Kings have two games left before the break. It’s absolutely imperative that this game is a W, and for that matter Thursday’s game against the Pel’s, to go into the Cup break still sniffing the playoffs.
As much as we’ve seen inconsistency in the players, one ought consider that this is perhaps a reflection of the coaches having not shown us a consistent rotation, something which ought to be pretty standard now that we’re 20 games in. The lack of a set “pecking order” – consistent rotation and role play of our roster – has definitely undermined the confidence of the Kings. What exactly is this 48 performance supposed to look like when people have no idea what they’re gonna be doing from one game to the next?
There has been nothing we’ve seen from certain players like Colby Jones Doug McDermott to warrant them playing anymore at this point. McLaughlin hasn’t shown us much, but certainly more than those two. The guards and wings that should be playing are pretty fucking clear.
How about you coaches do a little more “active” research on our big guys and who should play because that is not clear. What would it look like if we saw more Isaac Jones and Orlando Robinson? Have these guys gotten honest look at what extended minutes might look like for them? I think they’ve proven they deserve a greater look. Let’s invest a little bit in our youth as we don’t know what their ceiling is. We pretty much know what we are going to get with Len and Crowder..
Brandon Ingram likely gonna be out for the Pellies when we play them too. Gotta take advantage of injuries to other teams when we can.
I have heard that before- Quickly and Barnes out for Toronto etc. Kings have a proven habit of playing down
But they will be playing “up” against a team that dropped 141 points a couple of nights ago without Markkanen!
We need this win to keep hovering around 0.500.
I am a terrible Kings fan. Have had season tickets from 1985. I have made every excuse and hoped every hope.
After the SAS and Blazers losses, I had reached my deep pit of despair. I said Goodbye to all That.
But, here is where I am a terrible fan, I came back to hope, to possibility. Then got bounced around Houston!, but Memphis ugh and then SAS!
Roller coaster again. The “hope” is wins against them bums over the next 2 weeks, catch the duds, pass SAS, LAL and reach for the 5-6th spot. I am a terrible fan because I simply cannot see reality.
Fan is short for Fanatic. You’re in good company with a bunch of us delusional fools.
Join us
Hey, who are you calling fool? I’m just a brilliant delusionist.
The things we do for our team
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