Before getting the chance to enjoy a team Thanksgiving on the road, the Kings had to try to exorcise their latest demon by redeeming themselves after their 36-point loss to the New Orleans Pelicans just two nights ago. With rested legs and a long list of mistakes to learn from, the Kings entered tonight with fewer excuses to lean on. It is a rare opportunity in the NBA to immediately play the team who just molly whopped you, so tonight was a chance for the Kings to make a statement that Monday’s loss was out of their norm. Let’s see how they did:
Quick Stats
Outcome: Kings lose, 112-117
Sacramento Kings: 112 pts, 44.7% fg, 34.1% 3 pt, 82.9% ft, 22 ast, 38 reb, 16 to
New Orleans Pelicans: 117 pts, 47.1% fg, 23.3% 3 pt, 75.7% ft, 23 ast, 48 reb, 10 to
No excuses here, the Kings just lost this one. Over the course of four quarters, the Pelicans were the better team. In what first seemed like a possible rerun of Monday’s matchup, where the Kings competed early on, fell behind, and entered halftime behind by 14 points, the script took a slight turn in the third quarter by the insistence of Harrison Barnes. When his team needed anything on offense to go their way, Barnes scored 12 of his 22 points in the third quarter to keep the Pelicans from running away with this one again. By the fourth quarter, the bench unit flipped the script entirely and decided to show up to eventually give the Kings their first lead halfway through the period. Final possessions resulted in some unfortunate misses and turnovers by the Kings, rolling out the carpet for the Pelicans to best them for the second game in a row. Zion Williamson (25 points) and Brandon Ingram (23 points) iced the game with big shots at the end.
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
The Good:
- First Eighth & Last Quarter: Things were super fun at first. The Kings came out at a lightning pace, pushing the ball at every opportunity. The ball was whipping around the perimeter, inside and back outside of the paint, and shots were falling. They started out shooting 5-8 from the 3-point line. When the Kings play this way, they are nearly impossible to beat. The tiring ball movement that ends in a the third made 3-pointer in a row has such a compounding effect on any defense, and it worked well for the Kings in the first six minutes of the game. Things slowed way down from there once Domantas Sabonis (23 points, 9 rebounds) got his first break (more on that later) and we didn’t get any return to this efficient style of play until the fourth quarter. Trey Lyles hit three quick 3s to start the final period and Malik Monk connected on one of his own as well as cashed in on all three free throws after getting fouled. All of a sudden, the Kings had cut a 17-point deficit to just 2 points. Their defense also picked up during the fourth quarter as they focused on walling off Zion Williamson’s drives to the rim, forcing him to take tough shots and commit turnovers. Unfortunately, when you only play an early eighth and a late fourth of good basketball, the math usually don’t math in your favor. The Kings needed more of this kind of play through the bulk of the game.
The Bad:
- Stunted Offense: The Pelicans are pesky, physical, and long as hell on defense. Jose Alvarado got 3 steals and a handful of deflections just by being annoyingly relentless on the ball. Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones, and Jonas Valanciunas (15 points, 11 rebounds) all have extraordinary length that would make any offensive player think twice about getting in the paint. With all this credit given, the Kings fell right into what the Pelicans’ defense wanted for most of this game. After starting out hot from deep, the Kings then went 2-16 from the 3-point line for the rest of the half. Their offense looked worse than it was because they weren’t hitting their shots, but it was still bad because they were settling for these shots constantly. Discouraged by the size of the Pelicans, the Kings went away from attacking the paint for too long and ultimately lost that battle, 28-62. The flow of their offense was also very disrupted by the Pelicans’ defense. The ball moved slower, decision making took longer, and almost everyone seemed hesitant.
The Ugly:
- Stale Meat: The meat of this game was gross. The middle 30 minute stretch of this battle was dominated by the Pelicans. The Kings showed some of their worst defense tonight as they sent the Pelicans to the line 31 times and gave up 10 offensive boards through the first three quarters. The salt in this wound comes when you compare these numbers to the Kings 20 free throw attempts and 2 offensive boards. During this stretch, the Kings also showed a loss of composure during adversity, as Trey Lyles and De’Aaron Fox (26 points) were both given technicals.
The King of Kings
It would have been all too sweet to get to celebrate Trey Day with a win started by the man himself. Making his season debut, Trey Lyles led the bench with 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 made 3-pointers in 28 minutes. His heater to start the fourth quarter is what ignited the Kings’ comeback to put them in a position to compete down the stretch. With Lyles’ size versatility, the Kings were able to go both small and big at times as they tried to crack the Pelicans’ code.
Up Next
Friday, November 24th @ Minnesota Timberwolves – 5:00 P.M. (PT) (In-Season Tournament Group Play Game)
Trey Lyles was the silver lining. Great to see him back.
If you had told me before the road trip that the Kings would finish it 3-3 or 4-2, I would have happily taken it.
Live by the 3, die by the 3.
Recurring theme.
We got back into the game by a handful of 3s by Lyle and Monk, but went cold again after that.
Some bad offense and telegraphed passes at the end.
Getting beat defensively at the PoA.
Recurring theme.
But that’s how it is sometimes on the road. Move on.
Last nights game reminded me of 2 years ago when in the fourth quarter we folded when it came to crunch time. Mistakes just killed us. I would rather have Sabonis miss free throws somewhere else other than the foutrh quarter. One was a dying quail and didn’t even get to the rim. Barnes had a good offensive game but let’s face it he can’t play defense anymore. At 31 he has lost 1 or sometimes 2 steps on defense a nd can’t stay in front of his man.Now all he does is flay his hands around. He scores 14 but let’s his man score 20. Not a good statistic. Huerter relies only on his 3 point shoot. He had multiple chances to drive and at least shoot a midrange but doesn’t seem to not want to. Maybe he doesn’t like contact. Duarte plays good defense but fouls way to much. Vezenkoz is just nonexsistant on the floor. Supposed to figure out how to play in the NBA. Has not done it yet. Nice inbound pass last night. LoL.McGee just hasn’t got it anymore. Too many mistakes. How about the pass under their basket. LoL. Mitchell has no offense what so ever. Ellis plays defense but also facilitates. Enough said on that. IMO we need heip or we might not even get in the playin. We live and die by the 3 ball. So far ain’t going to happen. Monty we need help. Besides all this I love the Sacramento Kings no matter what. Just being for me honest.As an old coach of 41 years maybe the game has changed but I don’t think so. Defense is defense for example. GO KINGS!
If we’re talking about Barnes keeping his man to 20 pts., and his “man” is Zion or Brandon Ingram, I’m pretty much ok with that. Those are 2 all star level players that can get shots anytime they want on most anyone, so its actually fairly admirable. Barnes scoring 14 pts is an unexpected bonus. Barnes wasn’t the reason we lost this game. He also wasn’t why we won it, I’ll give you that…
The Pelicans were hungrier than we were.
My God Pelicans are brutal birds. I don’t know if any of you have seen the videos somewhere in Rome where the Pelicans wade into the Piazzas and just gulp down a bunch of innocent pigeons.
Mirann, as usual…….great summary. Happy Thanksgiving.
Pigeons are just rats with wings.
Why aren’t there more pelicans in NY, one wonders…
I’ll have to watch the replay. Good to see Lyles back.
Luke Walton burner account?
Nice write up Miranda.
At around the 2:45 left in the fourth, crunch time, there were three, maybe four possessions with two turnovers and zero points. That was the tipping point. The second and third quarters were played looking for the quick strike 3 pointers, eventually delivered by Lyles and Monk, but little effort at attacking the rim. I was glad to see the Kings start to attack the rim in the second half. Happy with the comeback. Looking forward to the next game.
Trey and Monk carried the come back, and that inflated balloon just saw the air go out.
As you note – with 3 min or so- Turnovers, Missed shots, missed free throws (what is with Domas at the charity stripe? He had a touch of the Chris Dudley gene tonight) and the game was gone. To their credit, Ingram and Zion did what they needed to do to secure the win.
Fox out – the Kings go 2-3
Keegan out – 0-2
Get healthy, Kings!
A lot of disdain was directed at the national media who questioned whether the Kings could sustatin their health and level of play.
So far, not great.
Hm. I am pretty satisfied. The Kings are 8-6, with 9 of 14 on the road, Fox missing 5 games, Lyles missing the first 13, and Keegan’s shot being off.
Idk. Seems like a pretty respectable start all things considered. I think Brown needs a bit more time figuring out the rotation, which having Trey back will help. Duarte is fine, I suppose, hopefully he continues to improve. To me the only genuine disappointment is Davion, as I do not think Ellis is ready to play a lot on a team that is looking to go deep in the playoffs.
I will give you “not great”, but again, I am pretty satisfied overall.
Agree – I thankful on this day that we feast and give thanks for that which we have.
Funny how just one season of winning (out of 17) has us greedily jaded for more and better.
I’m thankful for this community and the Sacramento Kings being once again competitive!
Thanks to Vivek/Matina/Aneel/Anjali, Monte McNair/Wes Wilcox, Coach Brown/Asst Coaches (Fernandez, Triano, Loucks, Doug Christie, Leandro Barbossa and the hard working unsung player development and athletic trainers, scouting and video staff, Thanks to the players- the whole roster and my sincerest thanks to this community who have been through mostly thin with a trickle of thick for so many days of so many years.
Have you seen how hectic the upcoming schedule is? Hard games galore. Staying over 0.500 would be beyond good
I didn’t watch the game, but Duarte +22? Did he actually contribute or is this a weird anomaly?
That has to be an error. The dude is a foul machine.
last night, certainly. He does bring some defense and scoring, thankfully 😉
we’re having cyclical conversations about Huerter.
Cut McGee
Sasha been a letdown
Sasha is basically Nemanja?
2 below average games and he’s now a let down…lol
I had zero expectations to start the season and I ate crow 10 games in after he showed he actually can play defense to an extent. More so than I expected, certainly. But yeah, he’s played 2 subpar games his first season in and HES ABSOLUTE TRASH.
LOL
Also let’s cut McGee without a backup to Domas right now? Jeesh…
Thankfully you don’t run the team.
Sasha looks lost, almost like this is too much for him, way over his head. But he was one of the top Euro players so I doubt that the Kings will give up on him. He’s going to need lots time and coaching to make in this league. I’ll be rooting for him, but right now it doesn’t look promising.
Entirely expected. They’re not equipped to beat teams like this, especially without Keegan. They might fare a little better against the Wolves on Friday with Mcdaniels out but I expect more of the same. We need wing upgrades or a rim protector or we’re going to keep bumping into our ceiling against teams like the Pels, Raptors, Wolves, Magic etc. Best way to improve is to know your weaknesses and then go fix them. Monte knows what’s needed so let’s see what he can pull off before the deadline.
Thank you for pointing this out. Anytime I make this point, I get accused of attacking Domas. When the reality is, we’re not equipped athletically or with length to beat these young up and coming teams that have just that (Okc, Pels, Hou, Wolves etc).
In a seven game series against a long and athletic team in the playoffs, we have no chance. Keegan/HB and Domas trying to hold up inside against Gordon and Joker would be laughable. We couldn’t hold up inside against Looney and old man Green for goodness sakes.
In a first round playoff series, the ideal matchup would be one of the old guard teams (lac, lal, phx, duds).
MM missed on Davion, Sasha doesn’t solve the length and athleticism issue, nor does Trey. It’s going to be an extremely interesting trade deadline this year with MM attempting to acquire some defense and length. I would love a trade that gets us off HB and perhaps KH with a pick attached and nets us a legit defensive 3/4 with length and athleticism.
Easier said than done.
If you want a legit wing defender someone like Anunoby then you are going to give up somebody to get somebody. Huerter and Mitchell plus a first and 2 seconds might do it. I don.t know if that would work. I would trade Barnes if possible after Dec. 15. Also Vezenkoz any time. I would not trade Fox, Sabonis, Murray, Monk or Lyles. Duarte to me is on the fence.
For someone like OG yeah we’re looking at multiple firsts. The question MM will have to ask himself in making a big trade like this is if the trade puts in position to be legit contenders now. Because that would be a now move that weakens the franchise long term in terms of not having picks.
I do think this franchise should be in win now mode before these other younger more athletic and more talented franchises mature in the next few years.
I think my ambivalence towards OG is that he will be both expensive to get, and expensive to keep as an expiring contract, for a guy who has had durability issues. I wouldn’t want OG if it cost draft capital, a starter who fits the system very well in Huerter, and then Monk if they had to sacrifice him to free agency to pay OG.
Have you filed a suite on them for using your catch phrase, yet, Grant?
Man I’m just struggling to stay relevant with my Youtube channel which isn’t growing.
Yes Grant actually has a YT channel, the guy just needs to go away at this point.
Yeah I think this is the right analysis. Sabonis is a very good player but his defensive limitations are very real. Keegan is definitely the right type if guy to put around him but he’s not enough. When I look at Minnesota there’s just no way we can match up with them at full strength. We have to have outlier 3 point shooting to even have a chance.
Well said and agreed on all points. The Kings struggle with lengthier opponents.
Yeah I think we knew this was the problem going into the season. We’re just a big wing short. Now we just need to figure out who that is and how we acquire them. Keegan and somebody like OG or Siakam just make this team a lot harder to deal with and at least give us a chance against some of these teams. The Kings generally are small and in order to win playoff series we need to be bigger.
The live by the 3 and die by the 3 offense will come with its ups and downs. I’ve joked with friends that Kevin is the worst elite shooter in the league lol. The pels are a really long and pesky team full of 3&D players who play their roles well though, and big centers like JV really seem to give Domas trouble as well.
I know it’s early in the season, and his nba career is an adjustment, but Sasha has not looked like the elite shooter as advertised so far. He’s had some really easy looks that he’s bricked. Long season ahead though but if he could hit the shots Monk and Harry hit it would be a real boost.
Kings drop both in Houston then drop both in New Orleans. The only logical explanation for their play is that there’s some sort of Kings kryptonite in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Or they just don’t matchup well with either squad.
Kryptonite or another million gallons of crude oil from the leaky pipeline they’ve barely reported on this time.
Humans suck sometimes.
How many careless mistakes the whole team had during the whole game..
McGee silly mistake, the ball being stolen, at least twice………
Sasha, same. the bal being stolen, and out-hustled…
Those are the tiny things that can lead to win/loss..
Disapointting loss…
I have to say though the last drive by Ingram who almost decapitated Sabonis whom ever the ref was under the basket should be fined. Just the right call could have changed the outcome of the game. Either the ref was blind drunk or bias. Maybe all 3. Just an opinion.
I would rather said those “Soft foul” on Duarte called by the refs just sucks….
Those are “tough defense” rather than foul, just let those guys play…
How is it that Lyles has a better game in his first game back than the Euro MVP has ever had in his first 13 games? I know its early, but Sasha is bordering on bust territory. He can’t shoot for shit. He runs around logging empty minutes. The hype was unreal.
I don’t have to check the logs to know thatSasha has never made 3 three pointers in a row. Aren’t hot capable shooters suppose to get hot? Lyles did in Game 1. His shot is butter. He has beautiful arc and a serenity about his game. Lyles has more poise in his pinky than McGee in his whole 7’1 frame.
Losing Len was underrated because it forces McGee back onto the floor where he has NO business being. Like I said before the season, McGee was 3 million wasted. He was -16 in 5 minutes, including gifting the ball to the Pels on an in-bound, no defense at the rim, and a manic presence about him that portends failure.
The beauty of Lyles is that even when he is run off the three point line he can drive and dish. Sasha can’t do this. When Sasha doesn’t pull the trigger on one of his bricks (34% on the year) he passes the ball about the exterior. This does little to nothing to further the offensive possesion.
Sasha sprays the ball. A lot of misses are wayward clangers.
Great shooter don’t tend to miss as bad as he does.
Is the NBA too fast and too good for him?
Eight ball says “Signs point to Yes”.
Davion and McGee have become futile useless players. That’s three players amounting to didly squat in our rotation. Davion’s confidence is shot. The offense stalls like a clunker in a snowstorm when Davion is running the show. You cannot be a formidable PG when you are afraid to look at the basket, when you are zero as an offensive threat.
Keon has NOT been impressive since taking over. Granted growing pains are expected, but I am disappointed he has shown nothing since HOU garbage session. Those minutes were fools gold, an anomlay relative to when the opposition is putting forth effort. Our lottery pick does not have the mental fortitude or talent to get his minutes back relative to his underwhelming competition, sad!
This game may have had a different outcome if Duarte did not get his third foul in the second quarter. contributing mightily to us playing catchup in the second half.
Duarte should be our starting SG if and when he gets his fouls in check. The guy is friggin good. He did a impressive job on Ingram and relocating and moving without the ball. I believe in his shot more than Sasha’s at this stage. Duarte is complementary to Fox and Ox, he only needs to temper down the overt physical contact and not bail out his man with ticky tack reaching.
With Duarte promoted, which probably would have happened from Game 1 if not for the bone bruise, we slide Huerter to SF, where he will defend better, replace Keegan with HB. It could be this lineup lacks sufficient size, but it is worth the look.
The prevailing observation is we can move forward with Duarte and Lyles as integral pieces, separating the wheat (Duarte, Lyles) from the chaff (McGee, Davion).
Fox looks to have lost his LIFT jumping off his right ankle, maybe 60-70% of his normal explosiveness. We’ve seen it a couple of times when he attacks the rim. Instead of finger roll at the 10 feet level, he’s laying it up at 9’6”. That’s not him, and that has hurt his ability to close games like we are accustomed to seeing.
Fox may be more prone to look for his three ball, or midrange, knowing he does not have the unstoppability at the cup.
For all the incompetency from Huerter, back to slumping, 5 for 19 from 3s over his last three games, Davion, McGee and Sasha, Fox still could have bailed us out with heroics at the end if not for the gimpy ankle that manifests on straight line drives requiring elevation to finish.
Our next two games are the hyper competitve Tourney Games. I expect us to come out like gangbusters. We are going to see nothing if not ferocious effort so we get 1 of 2 at a minimum with differential suffice to secure the wild card. The swing variable may be Monk. We need Playoff Monk, not the careless out-of-control Monk that rears its head when he’s on the floor with McGee, or with Davion, compensating for his stagnancy with forced plays.Colby Jones, fresh off an 8-steal performance in the G League, has to be watching the play of Keon and Davion, and thinking “put me in coach, put me in!”. I can surpass what these scrubs are generating on my average day. Our coach would be wise to heed the request.
Who can we get for Barnes after Dec. 15. Some one mentioned Barnes for Hachimura or maybe Jonathan Issac. Rui can score and rebound somewhat and is more consistant. Issac when healthy and he is now is one of the best big defenders in the NBA. Just a couple of ideas. Both are a lot younger than Barnes.Another defensive PF I like is Tari Eason. He seems to be stuck in the middle of the Rockets lineup. Might be able to get him also.
I could only get through the first paragraph, but here’s all I’m going for:
Easy. Sasha, though a Euro League MVP last year, is a rookie in the NBA. Its a different game and I personally didn’t think he’d be as good as he’s shown to this point. He has more difference making plays than Davion on the season, which may not be a good metric, but again… rookie. He’s played more games than he’s ever played in such a short time and traveled more miles than he ever has in his life in that short time.
I can only imagine your commentary gets more acrimonious across the many paragraphs. Thankfully, I skipped the rest.
Try to be more concise. Vezenkov and Lyles should compete for the (backup) 4 spot – I thnk that was clear when both were (re-)signed. Lyles will not always hit 3 of 4 threes.When did Keon “take over” what? Back up PG? Keon has not played last 2 games due to injury. FWIW Keon has a better +/- Davion, I think. Both guys should continue to battlke for the backup defensive PG spot.
Even with the disappointment of the pair of losses in New Orleans, I’m thankful that our 8-6 record is the same as last year’s record at this point. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
well stated, I’m thankful for this comment…!
Tough Loss, not seeing much progression from last year…maybe just Fox a little improved. You need to be able to win at least one of two against the Pels, they’re not that good. Problem with Kings is they have good role players but they are inconsistent and of course the whole team doesn’t play much defense. We’re in a solid spot right now, I see this team finishing in the 3-6 seed range if they stay mostly healthy. Didn’t see either of last two games but we gotta be better than this at full strength. I need some of that unanimous coach of the year energy Mr. Brown because coaching does matter. I like where we’re at, love getting Lyles back, this team still hasn’t hit its’ full stride.
Also, long big teams bother the Kings and that’s a recurring problem. Doesn’t help our chances as a contender…which I don’t think we are a legitimate one yet. Lastly, I hope y’all are having fun! I have fun every year as a fan of basketball and the NBA or else I wouldn’t bother and would be doing it wrong.
Well, I suppose we should just fold the rest of the season, ladies and gents. Sasha sucks, Huerter is terrible, Domas isn’t a franchise center, we can’t beat teams bigger than us, Davion watch, and all the things.
Whoo, what a read y’all were this morning.
We’re not even a quarter through the season and we have the same record at this point as last year. I think we have some things to figure out, most definitely. I’m encouraged the team seems to be making a concerted effort to be better defensively and I think Fox has arrived. Domas arrived a while ago, whether you like his game / shortcomings or not, I’d take Domantas Sabonis over DeMarcus Cousins 100 percent of the time, every time. Toughness is so underrated, without him this team isn’t going anywhere, and I’m thankful he is here and committed to this team just like De’Aaron.
I am also thankful that a whole bunch of people on this forum who seem to chirp the loudest after losses don’t run this franchise. Y’all have some terrible ideas but even worst are the knee jerk reactions these ideas are sprouted from. Not even 20 games in, after every single loss its a pattern, unlike LeBron’s balding.
So
I’m thankful there’s Kings basketball to watch in Sacramento. And I’m thankful to TKH for bringing us together, even the Sully Sallies, and to you all; may your turkeys be moist, the mash potatoes be lumpy (or not if that’s your preference) and your hearts be full on this awesome holiday.
Go Kings
Peace for a day.
GO KINGS! Peace everyday.
Okay the day is over. We all according to you have some terrible ideas I would like to hear some of yours. IMO most of us including myself love the Kings and want the best for them so we put out ideas right or wrong to try and help situations. In my case I wan’t negative but just telling it like it was at this time. If you think we don’t need to improve and just want to turn on your television and have fun watching the Kings play that’s your perogative. Some of us and the organization believe in order to get better need to improve the King’s chances. True we might be all wet and have terrible ideas but at least we are trying not crying. A lot of these are not knee jerk reactions but have been trying to help over a period of time.For what its worth MM and the organization have been saying some of the same ideas we are putting out and are trying to solve them. In my case I believe in MM and is willing to wait along with him. The buck stops with him. GO KINGS!
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