For the second consecutive game, the Sacramento Kings drubbed the top-4 lottery bound Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that has lost 25 of their last 27 games. But before we dive into the details, let’s stop for a moment and give thanks for Delon Wright. Sure, his box score numbers have been a bit inflated as of late due to his increased role and because of who he’s faced over the last couple of games, but let’s also remember that this could have been Cory Joseph. Thank the basketball gods for the tanking Detroit Pistons and second round picks!
As far as the contest is concerned, it wasn’t much of a contest. The Thunder actually led for much of the first half, but the game never felt particularly dangerous, as Oklahoma City simply isn’t playing with much NBA talent right now. After heading into halftime down by three, the Kings used a 41-18 third quarter to catapult themselves to an easy win over an easy opponent. Delon Wright was the catalyst for Sacramento on the evening, putting up 21 points, 4 boards, 8 assists, and 4 steals, while birthday boy Terence Davis torched the Thunder off of the bench for 25 points of his own. The Thunder were led by starting point guard Kenrich Williams, who recorded 20 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals for Oklahoma City.
Quick Stats
Sacramento Kings: 122 points, 51.2% FG, 48.7% 3P, 40 rebounds, 28 assits, 13 steals, 6 blocks, 15 turnovers
Oklahoma City Thunder: 106 points, 46.4% FG, 39.1% 3P, 45 rebounds, 22 assists, 9 steals, 5 blocks, 18 turnovers
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
The Good:
- Monte’s Deadline Additions: As has been the theme for several games in the latter half of the season, Monte McNair’s trade deadline acquisitions put up huge numbers for the injury-decimated Kings. Delon Wright and Terence Davis combined for 46 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists, and 6 steals.
- Three-point Marksmanship: Oklahoma City’s defense isn’t exactly world-renowned, but it was still good to see the Kings knock down their open shots. Sacramento tied their season-high with 19 made three-pointers on the evening, with Buddy Hield, Terence Davis, and Delon Wright each hitting five on their own, a career-high for Wright.
- Will Griffith, seer?: In his pre-game prediction, Will stated that the Kings would win the game 122 – 106. Nice job, Will! He also predicted that Poku (I’m not gonna pretend that I know how to spell his full name) would score 30 points, but if you combine his points, total rebounds, assists, blocks, block attempts, field goals made, field goals attempted, and offensive rebounds, you get THIRTY!
The Bad:
- End of Bench Performance: There isn’t too much to complain about in a blowout win, but Sacramento’s end-of-bench contributors got demolished as soon as they entered the game. The Thunder almost immediately went on an 11-0 run when guys like Louis King, Kyle Guy, and Jahmi’us Ramsey hit the floor, forcing Luke Walton to go back to a few of his rotational players in a game that was already decided. It was not a great look for a few fringe players trying to show out a few games before the season expires.
The Ugly:
- End-of-season Injury Report: A team like Sacramento certainly isn’t going to risk unecessary injury at the end of another lost season, and tonight we saw that caution, as Marvin Bagley was held out of the game due to a groin strain, despite not appearing on either injury report in the morning or afternoon. De’Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes, Tyrese Haliburton, and Robert Woodard also missed the contest, as expected.
The King of Kings
Delon Wright was the most complete player for either team on the evening. He stuffed the stat sheet, led the teams on both ends of the floor, and once again proved himself as a capable replacement for De’Aaron Fox when our young star must miss games, a luxury the Kings have been missing since De’Aaron was drafted.
Up Next
Thursday May 13th vs. Memphis Grizzlies – 5:00 P.M. (PT)
Kings better than OKC ! I tried to watch and enjoy the game but failed miserably !
I’m gonna laugh if the Sunday games end up deciding who gets the 10th seed.
The 10th seed went out the door when the Spurs beat Milwaukee last night.
It ain’t over til it’s over. Until then I’ll root for the potential outcomes that bring me the most enjoyment.
Kings needed to handle their business when they played the Spurs last week. I bet that will be the deciding game.
THAT’S WHAT HEROES DO
Celebrate with some snacks.
proved himself as a capable replacement for De’Aaron Fox when our young star must miss games
This is good
That Roby kid looks better every game!
Okay that’s my last one ð
I thought you were told you must not watch OKC enough not to see the brilliance of that trade. Have you seen enough now ð
I have officially seen enough….and I stand by my statement lol
That’s it for me friends. I cannot listen to Doug’s cartoon character schtick anymore. I’m out on the broadcast. Do better.
Unlistenable. Unwatchable. Like this entire Kings org.
Going for the 10… what a fucking joke. Tank and build was obvious but Vivek keeps having delusions of success. Despite constant failure.
Same shit amd it ain’t changing.
Walton isn’t becoming good. Vivek’s interference is never going to help and surprise surprise, Bags is injured again and isn’t going to be a star.
Time to get rid of it all and build or descend into the abyss
Just spittin the truth
I am also growing tired of every dunk being “room service” and I never knew that “jelly” was such a significant part of life. 😉
It’s just a parade of catch phrases from everyone.
(And yes, I know the old crew had their catch phrases too!)
Buddy Hield + Marvin Bust for Al Horford + Isaiah Roby …who says no?
(Probably OKC…)
I’m conflicted over the numbers of Davis and Wright over these last couple of games. On the one hand they look like solid bench players, but on the other they played three of the last six games against a G-League team, a crumbling Pacers team and two so-and-so teams.
Yeah, there is nothing about these last few wins that give me any confidence going into next year. We are in that Ike Diogu part of the season where average players put up solid numbers against shit teams who give zero fucks. Color me unimpressed.
your comparison maybe way too extreme, and I think both Wright and Davis are way better than Diogu……..
Wright and Davis can be a solid 2nd unit.
They may be better players, but the comparison is apt. I’m sure there were plenty of Kings fans thinking Diogu (or Brockman or Ray MacCallum, or dozens of other guys) could be a solid rotational piece going forward.
Hell, you don’t even need to go back that far, people were saying this about guys like Bazemore and Len last season.
Are Bazemore and Len not receiving rotation minutes on their respective teams? 16-20 minutes a night seems to qualify, but I concede that I don’t know a precise definition.
Sure, but would Bazemore and Len be doing anything more here than Mo Harkless or Chimezie Metu?
These are easily replaceable guys, as would be Wright and Davis most likely.
Dunno, I just can’t get too excited about anything I’m seeing right now.
Same. The Kings are real good about rearranging the deck chairs.
There’s nothing wrong with keeping a few vets as rotation if they fit the roster construction. The Kings issue in the past is they overpaid for the vets and asked them to do more than they should be doing.
Yeah, getting overly excited about the SSS performance back-of-the-rotation guys is an annual tradition. Don’t get me wrong, guys like Wright and Davis are certainly worthy of having on the roster. Wright is a really useful 3rd or 4th guard. Davis has quality 6th man upside and is a perfectly acceptable 5th guard type right now. But we have a real tendency to take 15 minute per game-or-less-on-a-decent-team types (like Len, Bazemore, Jones, and Harkless) and start mentally plugging them into roles larger than they can reasonably fill.
Well said.
It was this point in the season that lead me to believe that Skal was going to be a player (a belief that still lingers to this day, lol!)!
In April of his rookie year, he had that 11, 19, 25, 12 stretch and I was sold! 😉
Wright’s basically doing the same thing in Sac that he’s done at every single stop throughout his entire career. He can easily be a top 6 player in MP on a playoff team.
Davis’s situation is different though. He’s 23, and he’s played a total of 2200 minutes in the NBA. He was second team all-rookie, subsequently got arrest for domestic violence, lost custody of his kid, and is still facing a looming suspension. I don’t want to downplay the offcourt stuff, but obviously that’s the type of thing that’s going to have an impact on a 23 year old’s developemental curve.
I think I’m fine with the Kings offering him a second chance. He’s obviously talented, and it at least appears to me like he understands the consequences of his actions. It really comes down to the contract details though. It should be a team friendly deal with as many conduct clauses as you can legally include.
Respectfully disagree re: Davis. He is absolutely a talented player, and young, and “people make mistakes.” But there will probably be a dozen or more options available in FA this summer who will command roughly the same amount of money, have roughly the same skill level, and who don’t have a history of domestic violence. He’s not worth the baggage or the stain on Sacramento’s image. Again, just my opinion.
yeah everyone has to make their own mind up about these types of situations. Personally, I’m willing to give people a second chance most of the time.
Seeing as how the DA dropped every one of the assault related charges in the case, it doesn’t weigh in my preference for keep/release. That said, the child endangerment charge piques my curiosity, even though there’s a wide berth for what qualifies under that.
What’s worse domestic violence or rape.
Playing against OKC now with Poku is like playing a summer league game. It would be alarming if you struggle against them but try not to get too excited about playing well against them. That being said, the newcomers Davis, Wright and Harkless have also played well against quality teams.
Nothing to see here. Kings will run it back in 2021-22. Buddy and Barnes have untradable contracts. No One wants Bagley. So, Kings will keep him. Holmes will sign somewhere else. Walton will get another year. Kings will be mediocre again next year. Playin is the goal for 21-22. That way they can extend Walton another 3 years. Wolves will pass the Kings in the standings next year. Spurs will trade for Markannen/ and or Duncan Robinson and still be better than the Kings. Dubs will get Klay back. Vivek will tell Monte to enjoy his Summer. He doesn’t have to do anything. Keep the Status Quo and this team has a legit shot at 38-40 wins necxt year and a playin.
I still think and believe McNair will work his magic and try to find a buyer for Bagley….
maybe A. Nesmith ? (Would that be calling sell-low ?)
Any way to get Rui Hachimura from the Wizards ?
Russ is making him look a lot better than he is.
And even then, he isn’t looking all that good.
Is a healthy Bagley better than Hachimura ?
(I think Hachimura plays some decent defense, and a stronger body)
Yeah, I’d say a healthy Bagley is better and has more upside. Though that “healthy” Bagley is a bit of a myth so far.
We’d probably need more then Nesmith, but Hachimura would be a good player
Turns out there might be another Courtside GMs story coming up, although to be fair the emotions might be jusssssst a little different.
Maybe if it were Petrie at Courtside? But even then, Petrie isn’t nearly the fan favorite Hinkie is.
It would be an absolutely incredible moment.
I get the frustration about conflicting GM moves, and seemingly being in purgatory again/still. But no fox, Barnes, Halliburton and still winning games. Not saying those games mean much considering the competition, but time to let it go. Don’t blame the Kings that their bench beat G league teams.
“But we simply must blame someone for our misery!”
Personally I don’t blame the Kings for beating bad teams, but I also give them little credit. Yes, the Kings have won 6 of 7 games, but three of them were against the Thunder, One was against a Zingerless Mavs, and one was against a Pacers team missing Turner and Brogdon. I tip my hat to beating the Lakers, but that win also seemed hollow as those devils seemed a miss. In the one game they really needed, against the Spurs, they fell flat.
There are 3 players looking good right now in Holmes, Wright, and Davis. Two of them hit free agency his summer. If the Kings are to keep both Davis and Holmes, with the current roster construction, they will have to spend over the cap. Until the Kings show a willingness to keep and pay players I’m not holding my breath
And, then, of course, they’re going over the cap to keep a sub .500 team together.
I don’t know if the salary cap is the best benchmark though. The Kings could do what you’re saying, use the NT full MLE, sign their 2021 FRP, and still end up in the bottom 12 in payroll next season
There are plenty who feel that Zingerless Mavs are a better team than Zingerful Mavs
They seem to have Dallas’ number, similar to how they handled the Clippers the season before.
Ultimately, these are the dog days of the season, and these games mean little. I mean, if we’re really applying meaning, maybe we can start asking if this team could be better longterm without De’Aaron Fox.
Kings defensive rating, last 10 games: 6th in the NBA. Last 7 games: 1st in the NBA.
Kings winning percentage this season with Fox: 41.4%
Kings winning percentage this season without Fox: 63.6%
There’s an old saying: nobody is untradeable.
I really wish Bruski was telling the truth when he said earlier in the year that he wasn’t going to be covering the Kings anymore due to his busy schedule of spamming the TL with gambling shit.
He’s a weird dude.
Whoever is teaching Bruski to speak English ought to be fired.
Still yelling it from the rooftops…
Trade Fox for picks.
I’m not sure anyone’s blaming these guys for beating a really terrible (and tanking) basketball team twice in a row. That’s the very least they should do.
Applying any meaning to it? That’s a problem, IMO.
Marvin injured himself leaning the wrong way going for a rebound. Pathetic! How crazy do you have to be to still be a fan of this guy? Hes a total loser as a basketball player, a total loser, and his teammates quietly know it and he is in denial about it but at a fundamental level he knows it too.
How do I make this claim? Because he gets injured as manifestation of his subtle perhaps subconscious recognition the team is more unified without him, that he is ultimately a divisive and a black hole player, and he projects this sense of separation onto the court and is more susceptible to injury to manifest the reality aligned with the truest sense of who he is in this context.
Marvin also sees the emergence of Ty. That was suppose to be him. He was suppose to make the game look easy, the ROY frontrunner, the future max player, he was suppose to follow in the footsteps of Fox, and instead he is following in the footsteps of Willie Cauley Stein, who will soon be out of the league. .
Marvin is the outsider on the team, and what is more outside of a team than not playing on the team, besides high tailing it to Arizona and Mommy and Daddy because you’re “in a bad headspace”. The writing could not be more on the wall this guy is a fail a bust, Willie 2.0, and McGenius will be bidding him farewell in due haste. There is 100% chance Marvin will never play another game for SAC after this week. The team has more sprit de corps with him off the floor. The whole mood spirit and energy picks up in his absence. Teammate on the bench also cheer more when Metu makes a play. And the cheering is organic because Metu is more explosive athlete, more fundamentally impressive.
Game recognizes game so of course players are going to get more excited by Metu, even setting the personalities aside, because Metu has more game than Marvin.
You don’t think McGenius sees it all, of course he does, he’s McGenius!
But back to that play, Marvin was leaning towards the paint, anticipating the rebound in direction of the paint and when it veered to the baseline, his lower body apparently could not absorb the change of direction without tweeking something. Sad! That is the 50 year old YMCAer with elbow pads knee pads heabdand player who does that, or Greg Oden.
Terrence Davis continues to kill it, Donavan-esque, a young more talented Bobby Jackson, just like I envisioned from Day One, yet the Doomers are in rationalization and justification mode to try to put a negative spin on an emerging star or discount his extraordinary talent and competitive fire.
It is insane to bemoan about the fate and direction of the franchise and when you cannot even recognize a star born right under your nose, when part of the solution is before you, yet you compare him to some 12th man from yesteryear, then pretend simultaneously to have the answers and remedies when you cannot discern the obvious.
And as much as I love Jerry Reynolds, and agree with him, I have to call him out for his RIDICULOUS comment last Pod only “one of Wright or Davis” may return next year. Hey Jerry, Mrs. Reynolds may be slipping something funny in your morning coffee because we are NOT letting Davis go, and certainly it is NOT an either / or with Delon and Terrence. There is room for both, even if we do end up keeping Buddy, which is probably 50/50. The coach is gone, Bagley is gone, and Buddy is probably gone too.
Hyperbole much?
😉
Definitely NOT BestHyperboleEver
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