Update 9:15 pm:
The Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers played Sunday in Southern California. The Lakers beat the Kings easily. Sacramento did not win a single quarter, shot 28% from three, had 19 turnovers (allowed 23 points off those turnovers), and the largest lead for the Lakers was 30. By the fourth quarter, Luka Doncic, who had 34 points, was just toying with the Kings defense.
Maxime Raynaud had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists in 35 minutes. Nique Clifford finished with 11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal in 29 minutes. Keon Ellis started again, but only played 22 minutes and only had 2 points and 1 block.
The Kings drop to 8-24 on the season as the tank fires back up.
From Earlier Preview:
The Sacramento Kings defeated the Dallas Mavericks 113-107 last night. It was one of their best performances of the season considering how much of the youth led Sacramento to victory. This is the type of roster losing teams like the Kings should be trotting out there on a nightly basis.
Maxime Raynaud, rookie, started at center and played 27 minutes. Keon Ellis, 26, started and led the Kings with 32 minutes. Rookie Dylan Cardwell led the bench unit in minutes played, 20:58. And rookie wing Nique Clifford got his own 20 minutes off the bench. Some of the young Kings played better than others, but just getting them all on the court is enough to make me stop complaining on this website for one day.
Injuries have forced Doug Christie to play this way, but it really should be the norm for the remainder of the season. The youth will likely get a similar opportunity tonight vs. the Lakers on the second night of a back-to-back.
Who: Sacramento Kings (8-23) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (19-10)
Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
When: 6:30 PM PT / 9:30 PM ET
Watch: NBCSCA / League Pass
The last time the Kings played the Lakers, they were missing LeBron James and Luka Doncic, but Austin Reeves exploded for 51 points and carried L.A. to a 127-120 victory. The circumstances are very different this time around.
Reeves is out with a calf strain, LeBron and Luka are back, and JJ Redick is pissed. Following the Lakers’ 3rd straight loss, Redick slammed his squad postgame: “We’re a terrible basketball team and tonight we were a terrible basketball team…we don’t care enough to be a professional…we don’t have it right now. Saturday’s practice I told the guys it’s gonna be uncomfortable. The meeting is gonna be uncomfortable. I’m not doing another 53 games like this.”
For as important as the tank is… I do love making the Lakers situation as uncomfortable as possible. Another L.A. loss tonight, especially to the injured and generally terrible Kings, could give us an all-time Redick meltdown. I’m here for it. Go Kings.
Prediction: Kings 122, Lakers 108
This team from LA is to hate
No matter the time, place, or date.
Park the tank for one night;
Let the Beam shine its light,
And make Vivek’s departure his fate!
+1 Hang another “L” on LeBron!
I do love the Who/Where/When quick reference section of these game previews, but it might be time to add a Why section. Why should I bother watching the game? Today, there’s actually a good answer – Doug may be forced to play the young guys who should have been playing all along. Props to Tony for pointing it out (plus the Lakers dysfunction angle)!
If the only wins for the rest of the season came against the Lakers and Dubs it would be a terrific season and great start for the hoped for rebuild !
Only problem with these lineups, is it’ll hurt the tank. This younger, more balanced & hard working rotation will result in more wins for sure compared to the vet heavy garbage. Do they want to develop the young guys, or aim for bottom 3? Lots of mins for Demar, Zach & Schroder will definitely guarantee bottom 3 finish. ????
Dear Fanbase,
We love L.A.!! And surfing in L.A.!!
Heart Emoji, Heart Emoji, Shaka, Shaka, Heart Emoji, wave emoji.
Did we do that right?
Sincerely,
Management
Ranadiva really fits better with the artificial/superficial persona of the L*kers. Let’s just leave his ass in LA tonight.
OT: If I took my 9 year old to a game, is there a certain type of ticket or something that I should try to get to help improve our chances of seeing players up close to ask for autographs? Kings and opponents (my son is still a Fox fan). I’ve never tried something like that so I’m not even sure how to go about it at G1C.
JJ Redickulous
It’s lovely to watch Westbrook and DeRozan just up a majority of the shots in these loses. It’s even better when there’s no ball movement. Veteran stealth tank leadership!
Haven’t been watching but no Lavine is amazing, he can just disappear forever. If we could only get rid of Westbrook, Schroder and DDR too I would actually watch some parts of these games. Sabonis is fine but I’d rather trade him, at least he knows how to play team basketball. I like all the other players on the roster. Just take out the 4 useless players I mentioned and replace them with any young player with potential to develop and this team would make sense.
Actually Eubanks is lame and useless also so get rid of him too. Saric and Doug are just funny and never play anyway so do whatever you want with them.
I’m just itching for this rumored rebuild to kick off. I can’t recall a season where the Dec. 15th unofficial trade season kick off has had zero trades. Maybe it’s because Giannis is holding the whole thing up, but there hasn’t even been one minor trade. By this time last season, Dennis Schröder, D’Angelo Russell, DFS, and Thomas Bryants had all been traded.
I just worry the trading of pieces and the rebuild will be talked about but will never come
Ah ha! I see the 1st and 3rd picks of the 2018 NBA draft have now joined forces on the same team to come take down the #2 pick… Wait, where is he?
Having the best season of his career coming off the bench for WAS. 10.2 pts, 5.6 reb in 19.6 minutes on 63% shooting. And he’s only missed 5 games.
If you sort the 2018 draft by VORP he sits at #25. Minutes played (#25), Games(#33), WS(#25), BPM(#25). Probably shouldn’t have been the #2 pick.
Wild to think Kings/Lakers was last night and nobody cares. Little computer nerd has done serious damage.
I still sometimes think it is intentional.
If it’s a money thing, I think he’d be closer to the salary floor.
Is he “Major League”ing us? Drive down attendance so he can move the team?
I don’t know enough about his holdings, but my impression is that the G1C and the properties surrounding it make up a significant portion of his wealth. Moving the team would undermine the value of those properties.
Good point. I think he’s just overly involved and surrounds himself with people like Mullin, Vlade, Dumars.
I’m not sure what’s worse: Having an owner who is a bumbling idiot that will forever hamstring the franchise, or having a cunning owner with nefarious intentions up his sleeve? With our luck, it’s the worse combination of both.
Lukenbill – Not bumbling, Not nefarious, Not wealthy enough
Thomas – Nefarious
Maloofs – Nefarious & Bumbling
Vivek – Bumbling & to be determined.
Have those downtown properties been profitable? I get the vibe that the “development” of DOCO hasn’t lived up to expectations.
Yeah, the latter. I have no evidence to back that up, but man doesn’t every bad move by the franchise seem a bit much. It takes effort to be this bad after having so much positive energy just a few seasons ago. Either Vivek is George Costanza reincarnate or he’s trying to kill the fanbase.
I remind everyone the 35 year lease on the arena from the city is not ironclad. It’s just he window of time that was agreed upon to to pay off the loan. The deal can be broken by paying off the balance, which i believe is around $250M. They original deal was for $391M over the course of the lease.
I don’t think Vivek moves the team, but he could sell at top dollar to an owner that wants to. Maloof 2.0, if you will. The Maloofs underestimated the resilience of the city and Stern’s desire to keep the Kings in Sac. It’s a different era today. The valuation of the Kings is approaching $5B and if Sac’s spirit is pre-broken by “Major League”in the fanbase, I don’t think Adam Silver or any of the 29 owners are going to say no to some big whale coming in, paying off the arena, and moving the team elsewhere that is more profitable.
In the end, Sac gets it’s arena, the Kings fulfill their financial obligation to the city, and the fanbase is broken with empty seats for each home game. There would be nothing stopping relocation.
Of course, It’s all a conspiracy, but that is the era we live in, amirite?
When I ask myself if I’d rather the team continue as it has with the current owner or be sold and possibly move, the answer, for me, is no longer clear cut.
Same, and that is what worries me. I don’t think all of us folks who spoke up, handed out fliers, made signs for the games (see my avatar), etc, don’t have it in us again. There is a whole lot of apathy going around these days. Look no further than these empty threads of the most loyal fan group of the team.
No one seems to care right now, and I totally get it, but with the league’s new 2026 decision of expansion looming, I think there might be an invisible line in the sand we are approaching.
I’m not sure what you mean by that. Can you clarify?
Now that Silver has put a tentative date out there, I don’t imagine anyone will be selling if possible expansion payouts will be headed to each team in the coming years.
If, however, no expansion is announced, I could see teams going up for sale as it may give an evaluation boost to a 30 team capped league. It may also open up relocation movements.
Basically, if Vegas and Seattle don’t get an expansion team, someone is likely to move there. My money would be on the Pels, but I have to think the Kings will be among the teams mentioned, especially if the are continuous cellar dwellers with an empty arena.
Ok, thank you. Clear. Sounds logical.
Kings to Seattle after all this time would be so…disheartening.
To have 20 years of a one playoff series (only one!) appearance with all of this support and have the team move would be as bad a story as could be written.
But since we are going all holiday time conspiracy…
Dallas moves to Las Vegas as pre-written in the Los Angeles Luka link, leaving the huge Dallas market without a team. Pelicans, Memphis are the the least media market strong (Sacramento remains at #20, higher than Portland, Indianapolis, Salt Lake City, San Antonio in the 20s). Milwaukee at 39, Las Vegas at 40, OKC at 45, New Orleans at 50 and Memphis, outside the Top 50). Seattle is at #13, and Nashville is at 26).
Bay Area guy Vivek finds a way to ingratiate himself back into the Lacob-Gruber fold and sells the team to a Seattle based billionaire and brings his shaka to the courtside of Chase Center. Memphis moves to Sacramento as the Sacramento Grizzly-Kings. Logo features a Bear with a Crown on his head. It might be a Golden Bear with a Golden Crown at Golden1 Center. Memphis current colors are blue/grey/gold. Could it be?
https://www.freepik.com/premium-vector/bear-with-crown-its-head_358411447.htm
Pelicans to Dallas, and since the Mavericks keep the name in Las Vegas, and nobody wants to be the Dallas Pelicans, a new name is conjured. The Dallas Dynasty™ is born.
LOL, love it!
When it comes to media markets, is that really going to matter going forward with the looming death of cable?
I would think local corporate money, tourism, hotels, etc. would matter more now. It would explain why a market like Vegas is desirable where the “locals” really don’t participate as much.
Oh, and rename Jeff Koons “Piglet” as “Pooh Bear”.
That said, I wouldn’t wish any supportive city lose it’s team. Memphis has supported their Grizzlies, faithfully, just like the fans here in Sacramento.
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[…] to strike another player.” According to an NBA statement, it occurred 40 minutes after the loss to the Lakers on Dec. 28. Schroder sought out the player in the hallway of Crypto.com […]
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