Go Kings!
NBA: Sacramento Kings at Los Angeles Lakers
Mar 6, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) shoots against Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The Kings Herald Newsletter
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May the Kings emerge victorious.
And *<censored>* the *<redacted>*
League pass has the Lakers broadcast…vomit
Literally logged on to say HOW THANKFUL I am they don’t have the Kings broadcast team on tonight.
I’m going to keep score how many times Stu takes three possessions to make a point.
(HINT, it’s zero)
There has to be a better option than Kayte. She is so bad.
2 cheap fouls on the Kings, Domas gets pushed on a layup, no call.
Bricking open threes and allowing layups. Not good!
5 minutes in, Kings have not made a single shot
“It’s just preseason.” No need to worry. Oh…wait.
Need more ISOs. Let’s go ????
Can’t keep playing 4 on 5 with Huerter. Time to cut bait on starting him.
I’d like to see the Kevin Huerter we saw way back pre ASB of 2023. It’s been a rough 18 months since then.
Huerter looks bad on defense and just as bad on offense.
Unfortunately, he has for most of his tenure here.
Made two threes when I started criticizing him. HUERTER SUCKS. (Make a shot dude.)
He’s forced a pair of TOs and knocked down a pair of triples?
Can you tell us more about wrist flick passed Kayte? Maybe take up another possession?
That was a really dirty play by AD. He kneed Sabonis and somehow Sabonis fouled him. He rammed his knee into the inside of Sabonis’s leg.
Fox likes the matchup against the Lakers bench
If you’re forced to listen to Kayte make a game of it and see how close she comes to three possessions.
In game one she came within a missed three pointer of stretching her “point” to three possessions. So close.
It seems like Keegan might have taken it up a level on his offensive game.
that Pepto Bismol commercial is still running … singing about things like diarrhea
Rough start to the quarter. They’re lucky (good enough?) to only be down two.
Crazy/stupid/bold prediction…
This is going to be Keegan’s team by the end of next season.
And maybe even by the end of THIS season.
There’s just….something…about him that’s different this season. DDR’s presence may prevent him from making the 3rd year jump in primary stats, but he’s going to make that jump everywhere else.
He’s going to become the one untouchable on this roster.
I could see a possible scenario where Fox is traded this season. Maybe for LaVine if the Bulls sweeten the deal a bit.
Either way, the new playoff drought will continue.
I’ve heard talk of Keegan potentially being moved for that “final piece” (these early games and the resulting negativity notwithstanding), but I think Fox would be moved before Murray at this point.
There is no final piece for this team, unless we’re moving Sabonis and Fox.
Fox needs to be moved for this team to take the next step.
Considering the “logjam” we always talk about, I really don’t like the backcourt right now…at all.
Unfortunately, it looks like they’re trying to give a non-max player a max deal.
Why not Carl’s team? or MillersCornrows’ team?
It is my team.
strange ladies lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.
Mike Brown does nothing but read my mind as McLaughlin comes in before Keon it looks like
is Ellis injured? What did he do to Brown? If he’s healthy-wtf?
Thus team seems to have chosen to get worse on D. And where is Fox? Injured hand? No aggression.
Fox is waiting to see if the Kings become playoff contenders.
He’s got a looooong wait.
He took one shot in game 1, and Brown didn’t like it, and now in the doghouse. Freaking joke.
I mean? This team looks like shit right now-mostly cause their D is horrific. But they’ve also managed to ruin their O.
Derozen? Doesn’t defend or shoot the 3…and yet this is what they did.
I hope they know what they are doing but it sure as hell doesn’t look like it
hes not the answer, doesn’t have the bbiq/overall game to start and his one dimensional d isnt needed on the bench
Kings leave soooo much space between them and any 3pt shooter. “lead with the chest” si what Brown preaches, and nobody freaking does it. Hard to do when playing so damn far off shooters.
We have an above-average defender in Keegan, one or two average defenders, and the rest are traffic cones
Yes. Exactly. And they got worse on D this year. Especially if they aren’t playing Ellis
COTY is a distant memory.
Not for Brown. I think he’s still high on that shit. Arrogantly didn’t think his coaching staff needed any warmup in preseason, just let the guys flow.
And his award was really only due to the fact that the Kings broke a postseason drought.
Kayte talking about working out on the beach. It’s gonna be a long night folks.
If you wanna run out of goodwill from the fanbase after missing the playoffs last year, a home opener loss followed by a Lakers blowout is a fast track to revolt.
At some point, you’d think McNair would decide to actually improve the roster. But here we are, yet again…
It is weird. This roster looks constructed to make trades.
and yes, it’s only game to and yes, I’m bitching on the game thread.
Perfectly stated.
DDR was not what they needed. Its odd
Seems the rest of the league already knew DDR wasn’t a player they needed. So he came here.
I disavow this DDR slander. There is a Julius Randle-LeBron James-shaped hole at the forward position. That is the problem. That the Kings chose DDR over trying to fill that hole does not downplay the legitimate impact he has had on this Kings offense early in the season.
Negative impact?
Beef Stew won’t be playing much in Detroit, so a Huerter for Beef Stew swap could still happen. But that means that Ellis and/or Devin Carter would need to pickup those minutes. And Brown seems to have moved on from Ellis in this game, so who knows what the hell is going to happen.
I see Carter over Knecht being a replay of taking Mitchell over Segun
Or Ware. He might end up being good. Time will tell.
I’d argue he’s negatively impacted the offense by being a one-dimensional player, with that dimension not being beyond the arc. Swap him out with a player who was even remotely good from deep and we beat Minny by double-digits.
Kings just aren’t hungry
When you say what Fox said to the media recently, it’s not going to be good.
what did he say?
What did he say?
There’s more reputable sources that reported this, but here’s the link I found.
https://www.footboom1.com/en/news/basketball/1959998-de-aaron-fox-reveals-reason-for-not-extending-contract-with-kings
Wow. Wonder if that explains grasping for DDR? only one they could get in attempt to help get Fox a title run.
Terrible D but Keon doesn’t play?
Keon was terrible and didn’t develop at all in SL/preseason, junks the offense with low bbiq, and the team was better with huerter in the lineup last year
I said after watching preseason he brought the team to starting huerter
no
That dissent make sense. Ellis falling off th earth.
The flat earth?
I do think if Kings stay close they seem to potentially have closers
Ans maybe that’s their new style
Monk, Domas, Keegan, and KH are the only guys who showed up to play tonight.
Nice 10-0 run
Fox certainly gimpy-already
Huerter goes out, the defense picks up, and they close the gap. Huerter did make some shots and get some steals, but they are playing much better since he has been out.
Minus his first 4 months as a King, that’s basically been the norm.
Always. And, unfortunately, w DDR out the O looks normal again.
He’s gonna have to learn how to be part of that all fence
That would be a first for him.
Is that true of Derozen elsewhere? Gets his Not within flow of O ?
I am so tired of Heurter on this team-please please trade him already.
For a guy who preaches defense, Mike Brown sure doesn’t reward his best defensive players. Ellis and JMac are glued to the bench.
AD with a freakishly impressive offensive rebound over Keegan who had essentially boxed him out as well as you could ask. Extendo-reached up and over him to seal it before it fell into Fox’s hands.
Defender gets within 2 feet of AD and the whistle blows.
You’ll never see Keegan described as “athletic”, but damned if he doesn’t look at least slightly more so when he’s aggressive.
He’s attacking the rim with real confidence. He has looked scared in the past, passive. Now he asserts himself in the post, and looks like he may even be jumping higher – at least more authoritatively.
He looks real good this season, perhaps better than I even expected him to look (and I considered myself a Keegan-optimist). I would say he and Domas have been the Kings two best players to begin the year.
You can really see that 3rd year jump taking shape with him. He came to basketball late, and he was old for a rookie, but unlike Fox, Keegan’s game is going to age VERY well in part because he won’t have to rely on pure athleticism.
Murray is going to be one of those rare guys whose peak is noticeably later than most.
Fox, relying so much on his speed on little else, is going to decline considerably once he loses even half a step (likely by age 32 or so). At that same age, Murray will be playing the best basketball of his life.
La$er$ forcing the Kings into playing a half court game and our flow offense is not helping. Glad it is close. We can either figure out the halfcourt or hope the L@ker$ get stupid and let us flow.
Kings shoot like crap from 3. Opponent shoots high percentage from 3. That’s the story of the game. That’s the story of EVERY FRIGGIN GAME.
we shot better at 2nd Qtr…
and we just need to protect the defensive rebound, they ar letting the Fakers’s guards to grab the off. rebounds
That’s Brown wanting to be a 3pt team, but with terrible 3pt shooters.
A foul on the Kings looks much different than a foul on the Lakers.
Did Sabonis block LBJ?
yup
Brown prepping to lose another challenge here.
What a bad challenge. But hey, Kings are hanging in there.
it looked like a clean swat
Pizza Guy ads still cringeeeee as ever ????
As bad as the Pizza, but still a fun meme.
Kings win the challenge, but I don’t understand the why Brown did it. It doesn’t takes points on or off the board, it doesn’t change possession and it doesn’t impact the game with 9 minutes to go in the 3rd.
Save those challenges for a more impactful play.
successful challenge. Lebron doesn’t go to the line. one less foul on Keegan. plus it rattled Lebron for a while.
Defense leads to offense/ Offensive ball movement leads to open shots. Keep this style of play going
Defense is noticeably better this half.
Take advantage of the SEGABABA legs
For sure. push it in the 4th.
I’d like to see 22-23 Kings pace in the 4th. Just utterly gas the Lakers.
Good gracious the ads on LA TV are awful. Enough with the ads for a casino literally named “Moron go.”
Jerry Reynolds said yesterday he would have played Monk 30 minutes in the season opener, not 25. What do you all think?
100% agree.
I don’t see why not.
Fox is o for 2 with the fancy sidestep threes from the left side, including that airball
Lakers running out of gas. Hit the throttle and leave them in the dust.
J-Mac doing nothing. Why is he out there? They have mini guard limeup again like last season
If J-Mac is not handling the ball, then he is useless
TWO Big shots by Fox !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Malik Monk immediately outplaying his contract
Fox around and find out
Woohoo Foxy
Fox with the no, no, no , no, YES! three point shots after going 0-6. Bring on the 4th quarter!
Looking at the box score the scoring distribution among the Kings looks good. Everyone playing is scoring. That will help establish a rotation and not rely on too heavily on one or two players. Hopefully Huerter keeps this up. When he scores this team has so many options. If he doesn’t score this team is simple to defend.
I wish we would have taken Knecht
I would said, I hope other team took him before the Fakers did.
Ball movement stopped, lead gone
We’re soft as cotton
Two decades strong!
But I see the tide changing with Derozan and Sabonis.
Nah, they both fit in perfectly with a soft team.
Is that a joke ?
12-0 run in less than 2 mins ?
Welp…
Huerter started the 4th, Lakers went on a huge run in 2 minutes and swung the game.
You have a man crush on him don’t you?
Huerter is my favorite player. Are we not allowed to like Huerter?
Is it the red hair that does it or the shot?
Maybe change up the lineup after the 0-14 run, idk.
Aaaaaand LeBron just turned out the lights for us. We’d better not lose to Portland (though I’m not holding my breath).
Timeout was way too late. How do you let a team go on a 14-0 run without a timeout?
I read that we aren’t supposed to question Brown.
yeah, Brown has to call the timeout sooner.
The Kings don’t look like a good basketball team even when they have a lead.
Monk with a 33ft attempt is bad basketball.
He is definitely not Clark.
Alright, that’s it for me. There’s still a couple college football games that are more interesting than watching the Kings shit the bed yet again.
0-19 and counting…
21-0 run
Instant shitshow
Kings looking like the team on the 2nd night of a back to back this 4th quarter. Terrible
Letting a 40 year old on a SEGABABA run them out of the gym. It’s early in the season, and this is already a long season.
They got Lyles trying to defend him. Monte really needs to acquire another forward for this roster. Been an issue for years now
Kings haven’t even scored in the 4th yet
Mike Brown is still too slow to react…
No flow and zero half court.
If your roster is built almost entirely on outscoring the other team, being able to score seems kinda important.
They should be running like the D’Antoni Suns.
idk, maybe we should run a play?
“Flow”
I’m getting pretty tired of Kayte constantly praising Huerter. It seems forced. The dude is a for a -29 tonight.
Have you looked at the box score?
Yes.
still -29
You guys have a special box score. I appreciate you guys sharing the info.
We can still win this game. Need a shooter!
Special box score? Is that like an alternative box score?
Some people create their own realtiy
You chose yours. It’s all good. This team is fun. So glad that we have two players fighting for a spot instead of trying out five players every game.
It is the box score that shows the running plus minus during the game. The one I look at does not show it until the end of the game. You have a special box score. Thanks for sharing the info.
Which one says minus 29?
NBA.com
All of them.
I trust you. We need a shooter!
LOL, ok. A shooter would have stopped the Lakers from scoring 131.
No, but a shooter can score a three when down by three. Defense was never the intention tonight.
Fox is making a lot of mistakes
Has not been a good start to the season for him. In between game has been rough and some ugly turnovers/decisions in the 4th quarter these 2 games
Make him play in the half court and the game is gone. Has been that way forever.
Fox leaves D-Lo wide open for a 3
Why play defense now?
We can do this.
Abysmal defense
Maybe don’t give up 21-0 three minute runs to start the 4th. Without that Kings would be up 16 now.
No defense, players start doing stupid stuff rushing plays, hero ball….and then after 21-0 run, they decide to play defense and slow things down again. Part of this is Brown taking a long ass time to call time outs, just allowing them to keep running up the score.
Scoring 127 on the road and still losing. What happens when your defense reeks
IMO, that’s what it comes down to. The problem is not offense, it’s defense.
New trend. Be awesome to see that 20 year trend flip some time in the next decade.
Always has been with this team the last few years, always will be because the roster construction and now, for whatever reason, MIke Brown has opted to ice Keon Ellis out of the rotation now
Try seventeen years.
Well yeah but the team just sucked all around for much of that time. These last few years they’re actually good enough to be a playoff team but their ceiling is capped with this defense of theirs. Doomed to be a play-in/1st round exit roster at best with this core at this rate
I don’t think they care. That is the biggest problem. Sabonis and Derozan want it. The rest are here for the ride.
That sucked.
What in the actual f**k was Fox doing in that last possession???
Same thing he has always done. Bring back Haliburton.
The Kings are not going to get much better collective offensive play out of the top 6 guys. Brown has been carping about defense for years. It’s a roster construction and not a coaching issue, which has been as obvious as it is unaddressed for as long as Brown has been talking about it.
I mean I wasn’t expecting them to make the come back those last 20 or so seconds but what the hell was Fox doing those last couple possessions. Jeez
I cannot believe that the ball is in Fox’s hand, it should either be Monk or Demar
Defense wins games. The Kings don’t play defense. That’s about it.
They went all in on outscoring other teams without elite three point shooters. It’s a pretty questionable philosophy.
Yup.
Are they elite 3 point shooters? Guess we’ll see w DDR/Sabs-Fox?
Though Fox set or stepping in is deadly.
Yeah, I’m saying that it’s not a good three point shooting team, and that was known coming into the season.
and the hustle play by the Fakers….Rui, Reaves got 4 off rebound each…
And they went out and signed a defender…or not w DDR. And also why Heurter is extra weight. Can’t play him in 4th.
And I still don’t understand the no Ellis.
Too small and unathletic across the lineup. Only Fox and Monk offer explosion. Love Domas toughness and overall game, but not an explosive athlete. Randle in game 1 bully ball. AD anytime Keegan or Demar on him bully ball. LBJ with Huerter or Demar on him bully ball. Pelicans 6 f***ing time last year!!!! Bully ball. Easy lay up after easy layup. No length to contest 3s. This roster has no chance as is. Pathetic. Fix it Monte!!!! Need a true 4…open your eyes!!!!!
They need length and athleticism? Too bad they didn’t know that coming into this year.
Again, everything that’s been done for the kings. This year is counterintuitive to what they need.
The only way any of this makes sense of McNaor trades a few pieces. Even then? I don’t love where this team is starting.
I understand that preseason is whatever, but we are 0-7 to start the season, and coughed up a 21-0 run tonight. The issues from last season remain. Anybody working in the front office?
Fox has consistently shown he should not have the ball in the last two minutes if thinking is involved. If you are going to go so hard in on scoring let the guy with a -29 shoot the ball. It is the only reason he is playing.
I believe he was clutch player of the year 2 years ago?…. Def off last year. Not sure what is reality
He was clutch player of the year two years ago. He has also never won a playoff series.
I would rather have McDermott…..than Lyles
The positive is both games were winnable, but enough is enough. Monday is a must win game. No more BS. They talked all offseason about Ellis taking a step up and got 0 minutes?? Gave Jordan minutes over him?? He about to be involved in a trade?? What gives?
Keon gave them good minutes and helped transform their defense to middle of the pack late last season once he entered the starting 5 and the coaching staff just waved that off like it didn’t matter I guess. Not sure how you can declare him the starter to open camp only to do a 180 days before the opener, and now in game 2 he’s getting DNP-CD.
Ellis spit in Browns coffee? I mean, makes no sense
I don’t get it either. D-Lo and Reeves combined for 13-23 with 11 assists. Seems to me a POA defender could have made a difference.
Still makes zero sense. Brown seems to be overly harsh w Ellis/calling him out-(and only him) when talking about O concerns last game. . Not a single minute tonight?
Something is weird/off. Or there’s a brown explanation coming?
at least Keon will not let Reaves getting four offensive rebounds.
Sabonis is going to get tired of lying in these post game interviews. He refuses to say that Fox is an idiot in the half court.
Really, the team’s complete inability to play defense lost the game in early in the fourth. Brown saying more stuff about defense isn’t going to change anything. The Kings don’t have the personnel.
Well, they certainly didn’t have the personnel on the court. It was sitting on the bench.
Five on one.
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