Listen. We’re in that endless span of time that takes place just after Christmas but just before New Years that no civilized nation should have people working on. For those of us that are fun and hip and utterly head in the sand about the world, you’re probably still trying to finish the last of the worst dish on Christmas before it shows mold and feel a tinge of a headache from previous festivities. For the practical and more wise of our group, you’re staying awake far later than you’re used to wondering what horrors the next year can bring to top the last three hundred and sixty something days. This strange partial week is unproductive, nerve wracking and absolutely the pits. If I were writing cheesy action-horror scripts, one of the days this week is where I would stick The Purge, just to truly punish everyone around me. Instead, I’m writing a game preview for you, somewhere in all this rambling nonsense. Kings play the Nuggets tonight in Sacramento. Mike Malone mad. Jamal Murray motivated. Nikola Jokic, indifferent to all things but horse racing. Why waste time say lot word when few word do trick.
Lets talk Kings basketball.
When: Tuesday, December 29th, 7:00 PM PST
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
TV: NBCSCA, Mark Jones on the call.
Radio: KHTK Sports 1140 AM
For Your Consideration
Murray Up and Wait: It’s Day 5,352 of playoff watch here in Sacramento and some of the natives have begun their semi-annual ritual of pointing at thin air and acting very excited. We haven’t quite figured out why they puff their chests out, scream in excitement or what exact it is that they’re seeing beyond it being the start of a new season for them, but what I can say is they are quite loud and if the last decade and a half of observation holds true, will be very aggressive in showing their sadness here in about a month and a half. Its quite entertaining at times, though some get overly aggressive in their celebration. I worry about their mental state on the come down as some get quite morose and dramatic in what amounts to doomsday prophecies and demands for human sacrifice.
The Nuggets are in town tonight to take on the Kings in a rematch of opening night, in which Sacramento came into Denver and beat them on a last second tip in by Buddy Hield in overtime. Since the loss, the Nuggets have split their next two games and now sit at a record of 1-2. Is there reason for concern in Denver this early into the season? Ehhh no, not really. Nikola Jokic has started this season as an absolute destroyer of worlds, averaging 24 points, 14 assists, 12 rebounds and over a block and steal a game, and carrying an unbelievable load for Coach Malone and Company.
But The Joker is only one man. The Kings really couldn’t stop what Nikola Jokic wanted to do in their first game, so how did they pull off the upset? Well, Bubble standout Jamal Murray basically drove his game off a cliff. For the season he’s averaging 17.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and only 2 assists, while also averaging 2.3 turnovers. In 34 minutes of play against the Kings, Murray shot just 1-9 from the field, had a single assist to two turnovers and fouled out in crunch time. The guy had himself a very bad opening night and it killed the Nuggets, but I truly don’t see it happening this time around. Wait? Why not? How could you NOT chock it all up to Sacramento’s amazing new defense? Because, I’m not a short-sighted fool he thinks 2-1 equals playoff destiny. To be fair, I am an unfeeling preview clown that wants gold on jerseys and liked mango on his pizza and I admit that is FAR worse than any lukewarm instagram take from some of these guys. No, unfortunately, for as good as the Kings have played on defense, I’m going to say that Jamal Murray caused that stinker of a game by his lonesome and the improved Sacramento defense just helped to progress it along to its natural conclusion.
So lets take an early look at where the Kings stand league wide for a moment in some very cherry picked and biased categories: they’re 19th in the league in opponents points per game (17th last season), 18th in defensive rating (20th last season), give up the second most opponent field goal attempts ( 2nd best in the NBA in that category last year) and they’re giving up about a point more than the previous season. So, returns on the defensive end are negligible early on.
Well, wait now Will, show us some positives. We know they’re there! They have had a massive turn in blocks per game, going from bottom four to top four in the league in that category and they’re a top 3 rebounding team in the league right now when they were 27th in the league last season. So, that’s something… right? Well now, hold on, I just flipped the page and saw the Kings are currently 26th in pace (20th last season), attempt the least amount of three pointers in the NBA and are 25th in three point percentage. Well now my peabrain is just fuzzy. I distinctly remember them preaching about upping the pace to being amongst the fastest in the NBA! They aren’t even the fastest in the bottom third of the league! And those three point numbers? The Kings averaged nearly FIFTY three pointers a game in the first two preseason games and they’ve taken a total of 77 through their first three games. Now I gotta remember that recency bias goes both ways, but these are the numbers and this is the team I’m supposed to think is going to forgo the draft lottery this year by shear force of will? These guys? I know they’ve played a fun game so far and that the W’s are the only thing in the end that matter but, woof. For getting off to a very good start to this season, the Kings don’t seem to be getting off to a very good start this season!
Prediction
Nikola Jokic gets held back by the combined superpowers of Hassan and Richaun. NO points. NO rebounds. Zero assists. The only pass the Joker makes is passing out from sheer fright.
Kings: 300, Nuggets: 10-piece
Denver comes in looking for payback;
As they’re trying to find their way back.
But they’ll be back to back
For tonight’s game with Sac,
Though Luke’s still rewatching the playback!
Things needing correction:
Holmes with less fouls (illegal screens especially)
Bagley has to move around and be a willing passer (no 3s either)
Things we need to continue:
Haliburton and Buddy green light from 3
Fox quick attacking drives with some kick outs
Staying tight on defense
Agree with all this. I’d like to also start seeing some of the young guys get some burn as well.
I feel a big win coming!
Jamal Murray revenge game me thinks.
i see us getting spanked.
Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. You’re just now telling us you like mango on pizza? F- in the revealing personal details part. You should be leading off your posts with this fact, not just sort of casually dropping them in the middle of a paragraph. Ay ay ay Will. What are we going to do with you?
Perfectly cromulent preview, though.
This whole crew has some…interesting…food likes. I think I’d rather live on RORDOG’s diet than what these younguns ingest.
It’s 2020. I’ll cut Will and everyone else slack for getting creative with comfort food during the end of the world as we knew it.
Since they put Feta and Spinach on pizza, I’m not really offended by mango’s. I’m just offended Will doesn’t announce this every day, honestly.
I made this tortilla soup thing with leftover turkey from xmas, but accidentally got the Rotel tomatoes with Habanero. That shit was harder on the ol gut than any fine cuisine that ampm has to offer. Tasted good though!
To be honest, this was a few years ago now… but it was damn good.
Didn’t bother to look up cromulent but I’m hoping nobody calls my dog cromulent. Mango on a pizza has to be at least 2 steps up over pineapple. What nobody has mentioned so far is that in the largest sense I have never seen a pineapple pizza without Canadian Bacon which I submit is the worst topping possible.
Mangoes to my taste can meld with a multiplicity of pizzas as long as it isn’t combined with Canadian Bacon. I like my pizza with sausage and pepperoni and not too much else. Mango isn’t something I’ve had to deal with here in Chico but if I accidently got a pizza with a Mango topping I wouldn’t send it back. Pizza with Canadian Bacon and Pineapple or any other topping (including anything with Canadian Bacon with other toppings) would be sent back immediately.
Nate I agree with you. Will just dropped that he will actually eat a pizza with Mango as a topping. It nausesites me to even think of it. How can you trust a person who who confesses to this strange vice and who just slips it in an overly long last paragraph. Like nobody will notice..
All we can hope for Nate is that Will will seek help for this minor vice and will come out of rehab with a heallhier world view and a more discriminating palette. Until then I’m not trusting a word this dude writes
The week between xmas and the new year is the best one of the year, because no one is doing shit. Plus, there are almost always plenty of things to eat laying around, and no one is all that surprised if you’re inebriated in the morning, even at work.
This is the most wonderful time of the year.
I worry about their mental state on the come down as some get quite morose and dramatic in what amounts to doomsday prophecies and demands for human sacrifice.
If we throw Luke Walton to the gods do the send that back at us like Whiteside protecting the paint? Sorry gods we built the area a where we did but it seemed like a good land grab at the time
Maybe we need Kyrie to loan us some of his sage, get the Vlade spirit out of the barn.
26th in pace!?!? With Fox? That is trash! And that is on the coach for playing CoJoSlo over Kyle Guy.
Buddy is taking more trash shots than I have ever seen him, he’s a train wreck, and Bagley is coming off one of the worst games I have ever seen him play, and that is partly because we are not getting enough easy shots and we are playing too much half court with CoJoSlo.
Despite this, I am at peace with winning or losing.
We win, it is likely Fox or our rookie or HB was very very special, and if we lose it is one more step towards getting rid of a loser coach. Walton is a loser and this GM cannot wait to have enough ammunition to kick this bum to the curb with the endorsement of the owner.
Walton is a braindead dud for not letting Kyle Guy play himself OUT of the rotation after his spectacular performance in pre-season.
How do you not give this kid the chance to make a name for himself while uplifting all those around him as he showed he was capable of??!
Do CoJoSlo have compromising photos or what?!
It is the machinations of a jaded left brained loser who knows nothing about the dynamics of success to think Cory Joseph is going to help you to anything but failure.
The definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result.
Badge Legend