Wednesday’s matchup between the Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets had some extra intrigue – not just because of the playoff implications for both teams and the firing of Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, but because a Sacramento legend was back. Jerry Reynolds came out of retirement like Michael Jordan returning from baseball, and like MJ, returned to form instantly.
Jerry filled in for Kayte Christensen for the night, who had the day off, and quicky reminded everyone why he is one of the most beloved people this franchise has seen. Alongside Kyle Draper, Jerry’s genuine insight, down-home wit and endearing, perfectly timed humor jumped off the screen like he never left. And quite frankly, he stole the show from even the players at times, making the loss to the Nuggets somewhat insignificant.
It was a great game to be on recap duty for and I took the opportunity to note my favorite Jerryisms of the night.
Let’s review the tape.
- “Well, if I can remember them…”
– Right as the game was beginning, Jerry shared his keys to the game and said the Kings needed to value the ball and not let Jokic rack up assists. Draper asked Jerry about the “four e’s,” which displayed on the screen. Jerry didn’t address the four e’s, but instead said, “if I can remember them,” which quickly set the tone for the evening. - “Yeah, I feel the buzz. Tell you the truth, I feel a lot of buzz sometimes.”
– Draper asked Jerry if he could feel the energy in Golden 1 Center. - “Just knows that Jokic isn’t a shot blocker — a little half hook… you can be my huckleberry.”
– Jerry said this after Sabonis dropped in a soft hook over Jokic. He went full Tombstone – a phrase from the movie that means “I am the man for the job,” said by Doc Holiday. - “High-flying wham-bam!”
– After Zach LaVine soared for a dunk in the first half. Simple, yet memorable. - “It’s tough to keep up with the Jones.”
– Just beautiful timing and a great play on words after Isaac Jones converted a basket. - “Stop, pop and drop.”
– He dusted off a classic here after DeRozan dropped in midrange jumper in the fourth quarter, finally getting into a shooting rhythm after struggling most of the game. It was the right moment to pull this one out of his bag. - “Boy, I can’t even remember 43.”
– It wouldn’t be a Jerry broadcast without a little self deprecation, right? This one came after Draper noted that that interim Nuggets coach David Adelman is 43 years old. - “Well, I live in Roseville, so that would really be tough.”
– This was my favorite: Draper said that Jerry is so popular that he could run for the mayor of Sacramento and pull off the win in a landslide, to which Jerry quickly deadpanned.
Before the game, I spoke to Jerry, and he had this to say to the fans:
“It should be fun, that is the idea. I am excited to give Kayte a break, she deserves it. I’ll go back in time a little and do some color commentary on our current Kings and see a lot of the fans, and hopefully the fans will enjoy it. I just want to express my appreciation of being able to do what I’ve done for so many years. I hope I don’t disappoint I’ll give you all I got. I should be OK – it’s basketball, we’re not talking about nuclear physics here.”
You didn’t disappoint, Jerry. I, however, am disappointed we only got you back for one night. We need to see you for at least one game a season!
(And of course, make sure you all check Jerry out on The Kings Herald Show.)
Oh, right, the game. The Kings lost.
Let’s chat about that.
With a chance to clinch the No. 9 seed in the West, the Kings couldn’t quite put together enough stops in the fourth quarter against the Nuggets, falling 124-116 with two games left in the season. Denver came into the game having lost four in a row and fresh off the news of Malone being let go. Desperate to reestablish footing in the playoff standings, the Nuggets responded with a balanced and aggressive attack that the Kings could never quite counter.
Denver set the tone early with a 33-point first quarter and maintained the lead for much of the game. The Kings couldn’t stop Christian Braun, who led Denver with 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting, and was lights out in the first half. Without Keegan Murray and Malik Monk, the Kings had a nice surge in the second quarter from the bench in Doug McDermott and Devin Carter, but the Nuggets responded and took a 66-58 lead into halftime. Nikola Jokic took sort of a backseat in the scoring department and played facilitator, and it helped the Nuggets ball movement and spacing. (Jerry warned about this! But was it one of the four e’s? That is the question.)
In the third, Denver maintained its edge as Jalen Pickett began to catch fire. He finished with 18 points and five three-pointers. For the Kings, Zach LaVine had another nice scoring night, finishing with 27 points and dishing out 11 assists. Domantas Sabonis finished with a double-double and every starter had double digit scoring. The Kings made multiple pushes in the fourth, cutting the Nuggets lead to four at one point, but couldn’t get enough stops or rebounds to halt Denver and its 30 assists and only 7 turnovers. The Nuggets would finish 50% from the floor.
In general, the Kings played well and there weren’t too many large gaps in the final team stats when comparing the two teams, aside from the Nuggets getting 7 steals to the Kings 2 and the Nuggets taking 31 free throws to the Kings 17. Denver just executed better and looked locked in and hungry for a win.
With two games left, the Kings have a 39-41 record and a 1 game lead on the Dallas Mavericks for the 9th seed.
Living in Colorado I never get to see Kings/Nuggets games on TV live, have to wait until the next day for it to be available on League Pass due to blackout rules. I was really happy this one was on ESPN so I could watch it live, but the downside it that I didn’t get to enjoy the Jerry broadcast, and that makes me very sad.
What the hell is wrong with Nuggets? No local tv broadcasts, they fire their coach and GM at the same damn time right before the playoffs, and now I just read that their owner is taking over basketball operations! Please, no one tell Vivek that the Nuggets owner is now the de facto GM. I don’t want to give him any ideas.
Wake up and smell the roses, Adam. Vivek is already there.
Noticed no kiss for Grant !
All kisses matter.
No kisses, just peaches.
.
I wonder what his thoughts on that were
When Doug came over and gave Jerry the big hug it really got me behind the old ballpoint.
What a privilege Jerry Reynolds has been.
I didn’t get to watch this one, but did Keon have as good a game as the box score indicates with 6 threes, a steal and 2 blocks? I also saw this morning that Keon is 5th in the league in total steals. I did some rough math, and if he had started from day one and averaged typical starter minutes of 30+ MPG, he’d be second in the league in steals behind DPOY favorite Dyson Daniels. Oh, he also 3rd in the league in 3PT%. LaVine is now first and some dude named Harrison Barnes is 2nd.
Yes, Keon was really good. He even got switched on to Jokic at times. I know he poked the ball away at least once from Jokic. Tough guard for a slight of frame guard.
Keon needed more shots in the flow of the offense, but that wasn’t happening with DeMar trying to draw a foul on some bad really bad shot attempts.
Not a specific Keon problem, but this team struggles against big lineups, and so does Keon.
Despite some nice blocks and deflections, Keon couldn’t really handle Braun or MPJ and mostly got clobbered when he got switched onto Gordon or Jokic. Same for DDR and LaVine. And you can only let one guy defend Picket…
Yep. Keon is fine against longer, lighter guys, but the guys that can straight muscle him are a tough matchup. Perfect world, he’s on the opposing team’s PG most of the time, cutting the head off the snake.
Jerry pointed out a couple things during the broadcast that we’ve discussed, and one of them was generating more looks for Keon (with the associated other one being getting the ball into Domas’ hands so that he could generate more open looks for his teammates).
I’m sure that Keon’s % would drop a little with higher volume. But when you are converting from deep at almost 44% on 314 attempts, the math would say that you could afford an efficiency dip in exchange for more volume.
I wish that we could wave a magic wand and improve his handles. He’d be a perfect lead guard for this team if he could just handle and create even a little bit more.
In a perfect world I still feel he’s a solid off guard in a classic Doug Christie tupe of role. He could hit an open three and guard the opponents best backcourt player. Sadly, that’s not happening with LaVine as this team’s off guard. Maybe there is a situation where you could slide LaVine into the 3 spot if the Kings could move DDR for a real lead guard, but that would be an awfully small lineup in a league that’s getting bigger and longer.
I’m not worried about Keon’s shot.
22-23 G-League – 44/101 – 43.6%
22-23 NBA – 6/12 – 50.0%
23-24 NBA – 70/168 – 41.7%
24-25 NBA – 137/314 – 43.6%
I think this is what he shoots.
Agree with the PG stuff. Just become a Marcus Smart level ball handler.
I think he’s second in the league in deflections, which is crazy given the minutes. Being a defensive star is underrated, Keon is as valuable as Monk, DeRozan or LaVine. He should be starting and finishing all games.
I’m of the belief that Ellis is MORE valuable than Monk. There a dozens of guys in the league that can do what Monk does, and probably more efficiently. There are few dudes that have the defensive impact that Keon provides. There is a reason it’s said “defense wins championships.”
I am so tired of seeing the ball stopping version of DeMar. It’s like he thinks the other 4 players on the team are solely there to get him the ball so he can get his shots. It’s just bad, and I can’t wait for him to be traded this offseason. He lost the game for the Kings, imo.
Trey and Keon were playing very well, and Domas was iced out of the offense again. He had that frustrated look again late in the game when DeMar kept fighting to get the ball every possession, only to flail around on a bad shot attempt, trying to draw a foul.
Please replace him with a player in the style of Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, MPJ, Jabari Smith, etc. Lower usage, good defender (not so much MPJ), and plays teams basketball. This roster has guys that can make shots, they just don’t generally get many shots with DeMar out there.
I respect the skills and career of DeMar DeRozan however, at this late part of the season with the playoffs only a reach if you stretch…
I have the feeling, and it’s just my feeling, that he’s looking to get his points as he climbs the ladder into the Top 25 points of all time list. Reggie Miller is currently at number 25 (and all lists for intents and purposes only go to 25) with 25,279. DeMar has 25, 268 after last night. He is 12 points away from passing Reggie and being placed in that select club. Steph Curry, with much more fanfare, is at 25,336 having made it into the Top 25 a week or so ago.
I think his teammates on board with that, and that’s understandable. After all, the dude on most nights, is a bucket. Just not so much last night.
Maybe he should be looking to get his points when he isn’t defended by Aaron Gordon?
He was just forcing up difficult shots against him with predictable results. Be a bit smarter, DDR.
I hope you feel the same way about LaVine. They had identical possessions for about half the 4th qtr; get the top of the key handoff, dribble for 10 seconds, pass to the PRV, reset, get the ball back, hoist a prayer.
They’re both really good. Until the defense corners them into that shit. Not a lot of offensive fire power to lessen the load on them last night, unfortunately, but that’s not a good looking offense at all. If it gets them wins, I’ll take it. More often than not, tho, its born out of an inability to do anything else and that’s a huge problem, especially when there’s a wide open all-star caliber big in the lane they can’t seem to figure out how to pass to.
Well, LaVine took less shots and made more shots than DDR. He wasn’t out there just chucking the ball while trying to get a foul call.
They both have their faults, and I think LaVine does a better job at not forcing bad shots. Plus his floor spacing is much needed on this team.
My DDR beef is that whatever plus you get from him, you have to subtract the efficiency and versatility that you get from Sabonis, as well as the other players that benefit when Domas touches the ball. I do not believe that this is as much of an issue with LaVine, and I can squint and see a vision of LaVine and Domas developing a two man game. With DDR, not so much.
Domas and LaVine need to spend a good portion of this summer working out together.
Or go to his Napa estate where Domas has a LaVineyard.
Let it rest. You really squeezed all the juice out of that one.
Quit your whining or you will be getting none of the new batch of DoZa LaVino.
Vintage Kfan.
Case in Point:
Maybe they can add the bubbly Justin and Julian Champagnie to join them!
Also:
I couldn’t keep this bottled up:
https://www.threads.net/@sean.cunningham/post/DCXI6cPSt4f/media
(the .gif is too large)
I hope he sells lots of his wine, Ones, but we fans don’t feel we’ve one anything yet.
I think I may have turned into vinegar.
when they made you Kfan, they broke the mold
I think I may be just moldy.
well, I think you are a fun guy
Yes, I am a mushroom.
This describes well how you decided to follow the Sacramento Kings:
we fans are kept in the dark, the team is in the cellar, and is run like s&%+.
Kangz vs. GSWhinos Year 3?
That is just outstanding.
I agree. Well said.
IMO if you asked me who would you keep and who would you try and trade. I’ll take LaVine over Derosan anytime. I know Lavine can’t defend but boy can he score. Threes, drives, pull ups dunks you name it. We haven’t had a 3 point shooter like Lavine Iin quite a while. IMO the two together on the court doesn’t work. You take Derozan completely out of the picture and LaVine is going to thrive. You have him for at least the next 2 years and pair him with Keon you have 2 out of 5 right now as the best 3 point shooters and LaVine is more of a team player. Go out and get a true point guard like Ty Jerome who can facilitate and get him the ball. By the way Jerome who is unrestricted this summer can also shoot(40% on threes) and playmake and is a good team player. Won’;t cost you a bunch like a lot of other point guards.
I already have Monk traded to the Rockets for Smith and Whitmore. Someone said last week that the Rockets wouldn’t need Monk Do a comparison with Monk and Dillion Brooks( who starts for the Rockets). Monk walks all over Brooks so there is a upgrade right now to replace Brooks in the lineup. Smith is an up and coming power forward who can defend and shoot. Whitmore IMO is starting to impress with defense and hustle. And he played for Villinova like so many other starters in the league. Jay Wright was my second favorite college next to coach K. He would be a great fit off the bench for the Kings
Now I have to find a trade for Derozan.
I like watching DeMar get buckets.
Just came down to defense. Lavine and Demar aren’t defending anyone.
Ellis looked great offensively: But an undersized guard is what the Kings love.
So Braun tore him up. Braun much length, reach and a lot of muscle. Ellis was no match for Braun or Porter( which is even more
hilarious. Ellis gives up about 7 inches in height alone.
Braun will also win MIP.
Kid is special. On both sides of the floor.Denver found themselves another baller.
Murray’s back up also tore up the Kings from’3.
Jokic didn’t even have to play well. Nuggets still won without Murray.
Would love Grant back. No filter. That’s what made him the best. Never candy coated anything. Vivek would never give him a shot. He would desecrate Vivek within a weeks time and get fired.’
Grant called a nice game, but I don’t miss that jackwad ass hole one bit. I’d rather hit the mute button than have him back.
Also, Grant never bit the hand that fed him. His specialty was inferring that injured players of color were dogging it (Bobby Jackson, Kevin Martin).
Grant was a douche and grifter for whoever he worked for, but I don’t believe he was a racist.
why do you have to be so mean to me? ????
All Grants Matter.
Motor Cade Cunningham. M.I,P., methinks.
I skipped going to the game live so I could listen to Jerry. I’m turning 31 this year and I felt like I was 10 all over again listening to Jerry. On another note, he sounded so sharp! Like he never left
My goodness Kyle sounded happy. I wonder what the difference was?
He just saved 15% on his auto insurance?
So did Mark Jones. Surprising considering his CC was Jay Bilas. I did appreciate Bilas’ ability to keep the commentary poignant and tight. He was adept at rolling with the production team, described the replays being shown with some insight, shut the hell up when it was done and left Jones plenty of room for the call. He’s a bit of a sourpuss, that’s for sure. Maybe he was mad he had to go all the way to Sacramento for the call…lol
But it was a decent broadcast that didn’t make me want to hit the mute button every 2 minutes.
I thought Bilas was good. Like you said, have some analysis, kept it simple, didn’t use a shilling tone and try to tell the fans they are dumb.
I don’t understand what happened with Denver’s FO but its crazy that they fired the GM who basically nailed every draft pick he ever had.
Zeke Nnaji, RJ Hampton, Bones Hyland, Peyton Watson, Christian Braun, Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett, Hunter Tyson and DaRon Holmes II are all decent players that are or were net positive for the Nugs. Amid salary cap hell with Jokic,MPJ and Murray being the foundation and being a perennial contender (so you’re lucky if you get a late mid-round pick,) that’s no easy feat.
Maybe if this Monte McNair thing doesn’t work out…
The beef from Malone was that the roster consistently lost better, more experienced players for younger players. A lot of that may have been cap/tax driven, but the contract extension given to Jamal Murray under Booth’s watch is not aging well. It would seem that when you have a Jokic and you’re the NBA champ, you go all in. Perhaps ownership tied Booth’s hands, but it would certainly be no different here, financially speaking.
If you talk to Nuggets fans, they sort of look at the Jokic era as an opportunity missed. And again, ownership might be the culprit here, but there are not many tears being shed by Nuggets fans over Booth’s departure.
Malone fighting with his GM is now 2 for 3, and don’t know how he got along with Tim Connelly.
Yeah, I’m guessing that MM does not earn high marks for playing well with others.
Worst thing about NBA head coaching: You are not at the top of the organizational food chain. You are often times commanded to make chicken salad out of something that sure ain’t chicken salad, and when you complain or fail, you get the axe.
MM seems like a curmudgeon.
Reminds me a bit of Jeoger.
I’m guessing his act wore thin around the organization.
Anyhow, two really good and experienced coaches available this offseason for openings.
The Nuggets have a top ten player of all time in his prime and have shat the bed with putting talent around him. Bloated contracts for MPJ and Murray, doled out by Booth.
Joker is too humble to ask for a trade, but he should. That franchise is a dumpster fire at this point.
for the Joker, high altitude might be necessary.
Super stoked about Terrance Davis joining the Kings again! He was a huge part of the 2022 2023 team energy – wise, along with Matthew Dellavedova. His ability to get hot and score in bunches can really help this team in the first round if he can reproduce his productivity from a couple years ago.
The guy is dumb as bricks. shimmied his way out of the NBA and hasn’t played in the league since.
I agree. With Monk out for a while and some other injuries on the team, TD is a good addition. He has good energy, plays aggressive, shoots well, attacks the basket. Capable of getting 20 off the bench.
Update on Monk’s injury:
So back in time for the WCF?
Have we seen the last of Malik in a Kings uni?
It behooves me to ask, but this seems a thinly vealed question:
Are you thinking that with a calf strain that Kings will want to mooove him?
maybe to the Bulls…
I’d imagine it’s more to do with fit and redundancy with LaVine and DDR. I also get the vibe that Monk hasn’t been too happy since Fox was traded. It’s debatable, but he have have even taken a discount contract to play with his BFF.
Fox getting traded and then a move back to the bench.
I’m thinking he may want out.
And he’s on a good contract that may bring back a player in a position of need, like a PG or big wing.
Or an undersized 2 guard. Can never have enough of those.
And hopefully we can work out a way to give up a draft pick or 2 to help move him. That has always worked well for us.
Nice, another punny thread we can milk for all it’s worth
Zach BoVine.
udder silliness
Al Hereford.
You guys keep churning out puns.
Attacks on tipping?
I hope to the Rockets as I commented above.
I think so.
Doug Christie with Adelman Jr as lead assistant next season??
I swear, if you stood young Adelman in front of me and told me that he was the son of a former Kings head coach, it would be five tries before I said “Rick Adelman” and even then it would be because I couldn’t think of another former coach at that moment.
Just no resemblance whatsoever.
Adelman is highly regarded. Wouldn’t surprise me if he wins the job. I’m guessing the Nug’s figured they’d see what they have in him down the stretch.
It was a blast having Jerry on board for the game, he’s so much fun to listen to. Can’t blame the old man for not wanting to take part too often, he’s more than earned his retirement. Still, I hope the org reaches out from time to time to see if he wouldn’t mind spending the evening strapping on the old headset.
Hard to be mad at the effort given that a hunk of the rotation was convalescing. Tre, Keon, and Carter all stepped up and made a difference at both ends. And Doug McDermott! His shot is as quick and pretty as anyone’s, and he definitely spreads a defense for guys like DeRozan who likes to operate close-in.
Speaking of which… There have been maybe half-a-dozen games this year where DeMar just shot the Kings out of a game. I get giving a player like him a longer leash; he can often turn things around, but he wasn’t taking great shots in the first half, and there were numerous times where someone was wide-open for a kick-out, and the rock was being pounded into dust. I don’t know if DC is willing to yank DeRozan to give him a quick pep talk, and put someone else in for a bit.
Speaking of which… If I had any say about how the offseason was going to go, I’d not be inclined to keep Doug as the head coach. I would definitely advocate the new coach to keep DC around, because I do think he’s a benefit to the organization. There aren’t any more Golden Era boys who I’d feel comfortable with having the keys, and that applies to the GM job, too.
Speaking of which… I do think that McNair has been as good of a GM as the ownership has allowed him to be. Most recently, the return for Fox was certainly not ideal, but with the trade request made in a very public way, teams knew that they could lowball Sacramento. Still, McNair pulled two solid rotation guys with Valanciunas and LaRavia, and got them for essentially nothing. I don’t believe that the current state of things is an issue of smarts, skill or having less experience. The organization is in a much better place than it was when it was finally cured of VD.
Jerry’s suggestion about hiring an experienced GM who will tell Ranadive to go screw is likely right. The potential issue there is that even if Vivek agrees to be told to go screw by his GM, he may not actually put up with being told to go screw. People can be funny that way.
And rid this organization of Marina Kolokotronis and her coterie of saboteurs. They have hamstrung this team for two decades, continually offering basketball advice with absolutely no expertise. She may know where all the bodies are buried, but until the team is free of her, nothing truly great is going to happen for the Sacramento Kings.
Well said.
It seemed 2 games prior DDR was better, even working with Domas to move the ball around. Last night was back to excessive hero ball, yucking fucks
National TV game. Coincidence?
I think will be fine. He just needs guys he knows and trusts. Someone like Elston Turner and/or Bobby Jackson. Assistants that can work with Doug to help his view of how the team should play.
Swap out Monk and DDR for a big wing and a more “traditional” PG to help get everyone involved. My main issue with Monk is that he tends to be too reckless and inconsistent
When DDR gets to his spots off of movement and in the flow of the offense, the mid-range shot is fine. Like you said, eroding the rock to dust in after of 10 seconds just ain’t working for the team.
DEI move.
Well he didn’t say anyone would punch anyone’s dick in the dirt.
Yeah, it was a great evening. Not perfect.
Offense has way too much isolation without ever touching paint. Defense remains far too porous and unable to stop penetration or 3 point shots.
Coach Christie needs a more structured offense. And we need Keegan and Monk back on the floor.
PS I loved having Jerry Reynolds and Kyle Draper call the game.
Not surprised with this loss. Kangz back and road weary from an East Coast trip and an emotional Nuggets squad out to prove they are not done. DDR iso’d one to many again despite seeing how team play actually makes winning plays i.e. Cavs and Pistons. Where did that version of DDR go?
OT: When i saw that game-winning three by HB last night to beat GSW, it was a cruel twist of fate by the basketball gods that HB couldn’t do that 2 years ago against the same team, at the exact place in the hardwood. Things might have been different, methinks. *le sigh*
Purple Isn’t Real, Science Says. Your Brain Is Just Making It Up.
On my news feeds this morning, I see this. The science is interesting, it is discussing visible wavelengths and there is some neuropsychology to explain our perceptions, but why is it, at the end of this revelation all I can think of is – That is just so Kangz
Red and Blue on opposite ends of the spectrum like Title contender and Tanking. Brain creates purple by combining them.
We are firmly in the Purple of the league. Stuck in that .500 range.
Perhaps this is why the Red-and-Blue-clad Roy Al was too confusing vs the Purple-clad Slamson.
Badge Legend