Update: 8:15 pm
The Sacramento Kings lost to the Portland Trail Blazers Sunday 122-110. Sacramento finishes the season 22-60. Tied with the Utah Jazz for the fourth-worst record this season.
In the loss, Precious Achiuwa had another solid outing with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Nique Clifford finished with 24 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Maxime Raynaud had 21 points and 9 rebounds.
All attention now shifts to the NBA Lottery.
From Earlier Preview:
We did it, Kings fans. Game 82 of what I can honestly say might be the worst season of Sacramento Kings basketball that I can remember. The Kings have had worse records, technically (the 08-09 Kings went 17-65) and if you’ve been here long enough, you know those last Maloof years were brutal. But I don’t know. The longer we sit here under Vivek Ranadive’s ownership, the stronger that feeling of we’re never going to win with these guys in charge grows.
Ranadive has the money the Maloofs didn’t at the end, so it’s different. But the hopelessness feels very similar. Anyway, one last ride for the sickos still watching this mess.
Who: Sacramento Kings (22-59) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (41-40)
Where: Moda Center, Portland, OR
When: 5:30 PT / 8:30 ET
Watch: NBCSCA / League Pass
We discussed this in detail prior to the Warriors game on Friday night, but the Kings had an opportunity to lock in the 4th position in the lottery following a Utah Jazz win over the Grizzlies. Instead, the Kings defeated the Warriors and remain stuck with the Jazz in a 4/5 race with one game remaining. The Jazz will play the Lakers to close out their season.
I can’t hate that hard on the Warriors win. Doug Christie and the Kings did it on the back on their young players. To understand the frustration a lot of Kings fans are feeling, you’ve got to zoom out. The Kings should have been limiting their veteran players months ago. The Warriors win didn’t need to be back-breaking for the tank if they had traded more veterans at the deadline. If they had started Devin Carter months ago. If they didn’t insist on playing DeMar DeRozan 30+ minutes post-deadline.
There are a million different ways the Kings could have played this where a late season win over the Warriors via young players isn’t a negative, but that would require significantly more tact than this organization has shown. A true season from hell, and I’m glad it’s over.
Prediction: Kings 117, Portland 105.
Once again we’re the NBA’s jokes
And all of the angst that provokes.
With the Blazers we end,
And with Vivek descend.
Hoping soon he says, “That’s all Folks!”
+1 SELL THE TEAM!!
I’m in an abusive relationship that I cannot leave behind me completely.
But thanks for the shoutout, I suppose?
Hopefully this is the last unlistenable television broadcast. Saying changes need to be made is a massive understatement.
I know Mark Jones is calling his last game for ESPN. Has there been any word on his future with the Kings? Is he retiring or possibly becoming a full time Kings employee?
He says he plans to stay with the Kings a long long time.
Him and Kayte seem entrenched. It’s not as if vivek cares about what fans want.
Expect status quo.
Who is worse Kayte
or Jenny Cavnar?
Cavnar has gone from rough, to average, to good, very quickly.
That’s the kind of quick growth you would expect to see from somebody who’s really good at their job. She doesn’t bother me one bit.
A’s broadcast is excellent all around. Seems more fun to discuss that than anything Kings related.
Agree with this take, and was just talking about it on the A’s board today.
Cavnar started out trying way too hard to prove she belonged in the booth.
Now, in Year 3, she is noticeably more relaxed, she’s letting the action come to her, and she’s letting the game “breathe” a bit more.
It’s subtle, but very noticeable if you’ve been listening regularly from Day 1.
For all the crap she’s received (much of it deserved in her first season) it’s clear that she cares about the craft, and wants to be good at it.
Terrible season with a few positives among young players but overshadowed by depressing Owner, F.O., Coach and Broadcast team . All need to go !
Vivek is going nowhere. But Perry, DC and the broadcast team should be ahown the door. But expect the same clown show to be back.
Already reported Doug coming back
The Kings were the first team in the league to be eliminated from the playoffs on March 11th. They were 16-51.
Since then they have gone 6-8 and have dropped to 4th place tie in the lottery standings and are a coin flip away from finishing 5th
From the worst team with the best chances to stay in the top 4 to the 5th worst team with the best chances to draft 6th or 7th…in just 14 games.
Kangz.
Thank the Gods it’s over and at least PDX has a reason to win tonight.
Kangz
Amick says, over at the Athletic, that the Kings are expected to bring back Christie next season. He has one more guaranteed year at around $2M. His third year is a pricer team option.
Not surprising. The team is going to continue to suck and Doug comes cheap.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7188984/2026/04/12/nba-sacramento-kings-doug-christie-contract-return/
Would anyone feel comfortable putting the first year of development of a top rookie (hopefully) into the hands of Doug Christie?
Nope, but you are also assuming the Kings are getting a top rookie. If the Kings drop below #5 I feel there is a strong chance they trade down or attach said pick to LaVine or Sabonis.
As I alluded to in another comment – the Russian Roulette of Kangz fandom is that as much as we spin the chamber hoping to fire a round of hope, there is also the head shot to finally terminate those remaining heartbeats of fandom.
IF the Kings trade away a “top rookie” to jettison a contract and move down the draft I think that will be enough ammunition to carry many of us up and away.
No, I wouldn’t put it past them, but that will move them past me. Not a threat, just that’s where I am right now.
I don’t think Vivek would hesitate to trade away the #5 or #6 to Dallas for the #7 or #8 for the opportunity to bring Klay to the Kings for a career send off like he’s given DDR and Russ.
Would the #5 and Monk for #7 and Klay surprise anyone?
No. It would not surprise me.
Someone please correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t the last time the Kangz tried the trade down thing was when they went after Jimmer? I remember that didn’t go so well and I have no reason to believe that it would go well this time. We can’t evaluate talent nor develop it. Under our current system we are screwed.
The Kins traded back twice under Vlade/Vivek. They traded the #8 in 2016 for the #13, #28 and rights to Bogi. They did it again in 2017 the #10 for #15 and #20.
The Jimmer trade was #7 for the #10 under the Maloofs and Adelman. That trade was a 3 team deal that also involved Beno and Salmons.
If Doug is coming back seems time to trade with the Pelicans and see how many number ones we can get for it.
Other than excuses for the loses, are there any positives to his coaching?
My answer to this question is not yes. The reply, (not the answer) is this. I can say with conviction that he has not been “bad” for Plowden, Cardwell, Max, Nique…and… Spock
DC should step down. He’s clearly not cut to be a HC. He’ll return to a cushy job in the organization calling games or whatever.
Jesus, $2 million dollars? No wonder Vivek is gonna hang on to him with a price tag that cheap.
I’ve been following the Blazers these last two seasons, and it’s interesting to watch the contrasts between these two teams. Last year, the Blazers were still ina sort of no-mans land, with their main player, Afrenee Simons, just not being viewed as a main cog for a good team. Rightfully so, his defense is awful and his offense not enough to overcome that.
They had pricey vets in Ayton and Jerami Grant, some youngsters that they weren’t sure about yet what they were (Sharpe, Scoot Henderson and to a lesser extent Clingan). and two up and coming youngsters; Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara. Oh, and Chauncey Bilups as HC.
This season, they manage to flip Simons for Jrue Holiday, stretch Ayton to make room for Clingan, bring back the stretched Dame Lillard (out for the season), lose Billups to gambling issues and promote a young up and comer in Splitter. They put the ball in Deni’s hands, especially when Henderson and Holiday are out with long-term injuries, and somehow this team fights through adversity (many injuries, the sudden coaching change and ownership change) and claw their way into the play-in.
Not sure what the new owner will do, but they have a pretty exciting core of 25-year and under, with Avdija, Camara, Clingan, Sharpe and (possibly) Henderson, with a motivated Dame poised to return next year (he can shoot, but wat else?), and probably some nice pieces off the bench (Robert Williams III, Mathise Thybulle) and some expensive vets they have to decide on. I feel that they would like to retain Holiday, flip Grant. If Dame is a shell of himself, they need another star next to Avdija, but in general, that can be a nice team.
Does nice cut it in the brutal Western Conference? I don’t know, but it looks a bit more exciting than the Kings, and if new ownership will decide to clean house, they have a nice bunch of tradeable pieces.
In the meantime, The Kings are trying to prop up Keegan, Max, and hopefully a high pick to find some solid footing in the swamp of Kanziness. What a mess…
I dunno Rick_Smits.
Deni is a delight. But I don’t know that there is that much there for another 2-3 seasons. Tiago seems to be a place holder for a next step up. Maybe Mike Brown after the Knicks move on from him type of thing. Scoot is not raising eyebrows as a 2023 #3 pick in the draft. Clignan is nice. Toumani is nice. Shaedon is Shaedon.
They have a better outlook for the future than the Kings but they don’t appear to carry the same hope as the other notable “young squads” – Atlanta, Orlando, Indiana and no one seems close to the elites: OKC and San Antonio. Phoenix as a tribute to coaching perhaps – jury’s not out on them, let’s see where next season takes them. Portland likewise has something to build on for next season, but until then, I remain unimpressed.
Ok, not unreasonable, but I seriously wonder what the view on the Blazers would be if they would be in the East, just as these 3 teams you mentioned. Or, to flip it, would anybody be scared of the Magic if they were in the West?
As a Kangz stalwart I can’t help but look around and hope that I find fancy with another team – like you have with Deni and the Blazers.
I want to be enamored with the Magic – they went all in on Desmond Bane, they have RoY Banchero, Franz is (maybe) the premium version of Jaime Jacquez Jr. and Anthony Black is poised to “make the leap”. Tristan DaSilva (sigh, Kings chose Devin Carter) seems nice (Max Christie nice). Suggs and Wendall Carter,Jr – meh. And please please please don’t even mention Jonathan Issac (he’s a version of Marvin Bagley, III without the dick Dad if you ask me).
Wait – where was I?
The East is where those Magic, Atlanta, Miami hopes flourish. And I have to admit, there is a grass is greener effect there as well as in Portland. So Yes – Portland could be thrown in with that bunch.
Goodness, not Very Goodness? A Star away? If so, the Kings are outside that Milky Way for sure. Give Portland Boozer or DyBantsa and they are much more interesting.
Deni is nice, but without a step back he’s gonna stall out as a borderline all star. Scoot I wouldn’t say is a bust, but he’s gotta make a leap soon. Don’t think he has all star potential. They would be around the same spot in the east and they really just scream middle of the road as constructed.its near impossible to become more without a top 10 guy in the league in this deep of a league. League is just leaps and bounds deeper than the adelman years in sac.
My 2nd least favorite Kings team, surpassed only by the Cousins / Matt Barnes/ Ty Lawson team. This team should be shipped to a farm upstate, where it can frolic and play with my boyhood dog, Lucky.
Barnes is an even bigger douche now than when he was playing for the Kings. Some of these dudes never grow up.
Even Cousins has seemed to mature from clips I see of him on pods.
Nah. He’s the same douche. He’s just in the media now so you see more of him. But he’s definitely been that way his whole life.
At least that year of DMC, Barnes and Ty the Kings shipped off Cousins during the all-star break. There was a glimmer of hope to end that season with a “young” Buddy and a pick coming in from the Pels. Kings had two top 10 picks going into the offseason that year.
What could have been. Kings took Fox and #5, but shipped off #10 for two later picks, and missed out out on Donovan Mitchell at #13 and Bam at #14. Instead, the Kings picked Justin Jackson (#15) and Harry Giles (#20). Just sooooooooo Kangz.
This ^^ is a concise summary of my current relationship with this Sacramento Kings franchise under current ownership/management.
I stay just enough over the full apathy line to continue be hurt and annoyed. That’s on me. Why I don’t just go full write off – I guess I can blame this community. Kangz fandom – you are both good for nothing and good for something. Like washing your hair by flushing the toilet.
I am looking for a reason, poking through the trash bin, to put hope into the formula. Hope is a funny thing: If you want it enough, it don’t take much to spark a little heat and wish for a flame. Can the Kings provide some spark?
It’s all about the tenth of next month. It’s May – be or May – be not. Pitifully pathetic when you think about it.
I am looking forward to tomorrow and discussing Play-In and Playoffs.
Can TKH do a predictions page? Maybe Will/Tony/TGJR can tell us their brackets? What you expect to see, what you hope to see? What teams are built for the playoffs and will surprise or disappoint? What matchups are you pining for? Does the Eastern Conference have any chance to be NBA champs? What consequences are in store if teams don’t emerge from the Play In to the Playoffs? First round exits? Second round exits?
It’s been a season of basketball. So there’s that.
Thanks Vivek. Asshole.
it’s been a season of something.
Finally
https://share.google/8Uc2U1WENsYXZ9fBj
Finally
It’s really just kind of bizarre, even while not surprising, that the broadcast team has talked so much about how great the Kings have played since the break. This team is f-ing terrible. This is them tonight performing against a botton of the barrel borderline playoff team.
To your point, they were 10-16 after the break. That’s a .385 winning percentage, which would make you the 21st ranked team this year. They did not beat a top half team among those 10 wins, and they only had 7 wins against top half teams all season.
H/T to the Kings Herald writes/crew. This has not been an easy season to cover our Kangz and there is definitely no light at the end of the tunnel. But everyone at the Herald has shown up when it would be very easy to write this team off. Also a big THANK YOU to Jerry for all his appearances on the podcasts. Jerry is the breath of fresh air and his transparency is appreciated. If there is a plan for a special/live/virtual podcast I’d be more than willing to contribute.
This awful horrible season is finally over
Well, here comes Doc Rivers, your new (future) Kings coach, after December this year!
Vivek: We wanted a coach with championship experience, and we finally got one!
Part of me feels that deep down Vivek still wants Mark Jackson.
All right, I’m sold—Doc Rivers it is!
50/50 chance that Mike Bibby is the next coach of the Kings.
If Bibby or Jackson are the next head coach I may have to think about taking my fandom elsewhere.
Perry is setting himself up for a huge success.
I always thought that before getting to solutions you have to really understand the problems, but I heard that on a Wednesday…
But his solution at PG created a list of new problems, so..uh, yeah.
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