The Sacramento Kings are down to their final two games of the regular season and will face off against a Warriors squad that is very much still fighting for their playoff lives. The Kings on the other hand, have wrapped up their spot in the playoff race and, content with their third seed in the Western Conference standings, will sit a plethora of key performers tonight. How many Warriors fans that are in the building tonight paid more than $300 to see the much hyped Steph/Klay/Draymond hydra square off against Harrison Barnes, Kessler Edwards and Richaun Holmes? What’s the over/under on quick Mike Brown timeouts tonight? IS KEON ELLIS STARTING AT POINT GUARD?!
Let’s talk Kings basketball!
When: Friday, April 7th, 7:00 PM PT
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
TV: NBC Sports California
Radio: Sactown Sports 1140
For Your Consideration
In Kerr the Wrath: So let’s just list these out for ourselves real quick:
– De’Aaron Fox – Questionable, Left Ankle Soreness
-Kevin Huerter – Questionable, Right Popliteus Injury Management
-Keegan Murray – Questionable, Right Foot Soreness
-Domantas Sabonis – Questionable, Left Ankle Soreness
-Davion Mitchell – Questionable, Left Knee Soreness
-Malik Monk – Questionable, Lower Left Legs Soreness
-Trey Lyles – Questionable, Right Shoulder Soreness
-Matthew Dellavedova – Out, Bryant found his home address
I’d comment that this is a decent to large group of people to suddenly be hit with soreness, but they were immediately eclipsed somehow by every Lakers fan on Earth in the hours since the injury report was release. I believe the term the kids would use, or used sometime in the last few years, to describe Lakers fans right now is “big mad”. It’s what they deserve for taking advantage of poor Danny Ainge in a moment of senility. It’s what they deserve for just plain existing. The Warriors winning tonight and sending the Lakers into the play-in could cause enough psychic distress to summon Vecna from the Upside-down and I literally can’t be bothered with feeling anything but smug satisfaction.
“Wait Will, this is a WARRIORS game. Talk some smack about the Warriors bud!”
The Los Angeles Lakers and their crop of fans deserve to feel, if even for a moment, the fear and humiliation of a one game death match against a Timberwolves squad with the talent to beat them. Or a Thunder squad with the talent to beat them. Or the Pelicans or Clippers or who the hell ever else is fighting way down there in the cellar. I get hair splinters in my hands from my work every single day of my life, tiny, sharp and needle splinters of dirty hair in my hands and arms and even I can find someone more annoying than a Lakers fan that suddenly believes again in their basketball destiny. Rob Pelinka is a rube. Lebron James is using you for producers credits and free lunch meetings with Judd Apatow. For the second time in his career I get to say De’Angelo Russell isn’t the point guard of your future.
I don’t care about the Kings taking a loss in this game, or the elimination of the chance at winning 50 games this season. The Kings are in the three seed, have the luxury of resting their players and as a cute little bonus, get to hurt the Lakers in the process of probably losing this game. GOOD.
Prediction
Sacramento wins this game by 40. Neemias Queta goes for a triple-double with blocks. Keon Ellis holds Steph to single digits. Kessler Edwards with 30. Harrison Barnes with 15-6-4. Lakers fans worried for nothing, which is somehow, even more embarrassing.
Kings: 137, Warriors: 97
The season is nearing an end
And the playoffs loom just ‘round the bend.
We may not play our best;
Instead choosing to rest.
Give our players a good chance to mend!
To “mend”
Dammit Chuck! No!
https://twitter.com/cameronsalerno1/status/1644127734053113856
I’m looking forward to seeing our bench guys get real minutes, and how they do. The outcome doesn’t matter, but I’d love it if we wore out the Warriors.
Those bastards.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the starters all play tonight, IF the Grizzlies are getting their asses kicked by the Bucks, and the 2-seed is still in play.
Bucks are sitting their guys. I’d expect the Grizz to win. I think the Kings are expecting the same and Fox, Sabonis, Monk and Huerter don’t play at all. Barnes will likely play limited minutes as well.
Couple of things:
I’ve been enjoying the fact that the Kings took control of their destiny much, much earlier in the season. Their goal was to make the playoffs, not the playins and dammit it felt good to see them not give in and hold on through a couple of brutal stretches over the last 2 months.
Second, the fact that teams like the Lakers, Warriors, T-Wolves, Pels, etc. are still fighting for their playoff lives, and will likely end up beating on each other for a game or 2 before the playoffs start, while our team is chillin’, eating home cooking and resting up is absolutely badass.
Last, I’ve been hearing a lot of “we want the Kings” from almost every other team in the West and I get it, for the most part. They think they’re gonna be able to bully us out of our play style, but we’ve been getting that all year. We may not have prolific defense but I’d put our offense against any defense in the West any day.
I’d put our offense against any defense in the history of the NBA. The numbers are historic.
IMO, it depends on the rules of engagement as well, if using today’s NBA’s enforcement of rules this Kings offense would destroy a fantastic defensive team like the 03 Detroit Pistons defense with Ben W/Rasheed W/ Corliss W/ Tayshaun P/ Rip H/ & Chauncey B by raining down 3’s and getting to the FT line, BUT I think the script would be completely flipped and I doubt we score 100 if the Pistons are allowed to defend as the NBA allowed during their time. Not too mention all the carrying/travelling calls that would be called on nearly every Kings player sans Fox since they were also called back then and aren’t called at all in today’s game unless its egregious.
off-topic: the Mavs are going to lose so they can keep their 1st round pick, like the Kings did when they traded Cousins. they were going to lose that Kings game also until the Fox missed dunk and the ensuing crowd noise made it too irresistible to perform an Uncle Drew episode for real.
Good opportunity for the Kings to get everyone in game-shape. TD and Metu have not played in a while. Holmes could benefit from a full game. Maybe some practice for another backup pg. plastic parsley: you can use it over and over and over. I’ll be surprised if anyone remembers that commercial.
Banquet on a Bun Bob
I like it
I feel this is still winnable with effort– the right effort from the good guys, especially on defense, and a bad effort because of entitlement from the Warriors.
A win-win game. If the Kings win, lovely. If the Kings lose, adds to the Lakers miseries, even more lovely. Go Pels! Go Kings!
I just had to look it up
I don’t know why but this made me throw up in my mouth a little bit.
OT: Substack now becoming a haven for those displaced SB NBA blogs. Man, SB really screwed up big time, I’m just glad that TKH is here and it’s like it hadn’t missed a beat coming from StR. Even more glad that the Kings are finally good and we get to really enjoy it together in this online community.
Anyways, I don’t know if it’s allowed here (apologies in advance if it’s not allowed), but I’ll just put this one here. Because I also love reading other teams/fanbase’s perspective, anyone who knows where those displaced SB blogs are right now? I know some, like the Bulls blog they just moved to substack, and so as the Thunder one, but that’s the only two I know thus far.
Again, really blessed to have this community really up and kicking. Kudos! #LTB
https://twitter.com/James_HamNBA/status/1644495862633226240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/James_HamNBA/status/1644496814060748800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
In resting vs the Warriors, the Kings are basically handing the #6 spot to the Warriors. Warriors are tied with the Clippers but Clippers own the tiebreaker. Lakers own the tiebreaker vs Warriors, while Lakers are a game behind the Warriors. The Suns are resting as they are locked into the #4.
Clippers schedule:
Portland – win
Phoenix – win
Warriors schedule:
Sacramento – win
Portland-win
Lakers schedule:
Phoenix – win
Utah – win
If Warriors lose to Sacramento tonight, they get the tie with the Lakers for #6 if everything is according to the above predictions.
So, a win by the Kings would have created a matchup against the Lakers. Opting to rest and give the Warriors a win creates a first round match vs the Warriors.
Badge Legend