The Sacramento Kings won their 20th game of the season on Saturday night, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 113 to 103. Every Kings starter finished with double digits, led by Harrison Barnes’ 24 points.
This wasn’t a victory to be particularly proud of, as the Kings narrowly managed to avoid giving up multiple double digit leads despite the Thunder missing their two best players in Shai Gilegeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort. With just 3:50 left in the 3rd quarter, the game was tied up at 77 and was up for grabs. The Kings responded well for once however, and managed to close out the 3rd quarter on a 12-2 run to take a 10 point lead into the 4th quarter. Sacramento continued to extend the lead to as much as 17 points after Chimezie Metu scored with 9:14 left to make it 98-81. Oklahoma City would respond with a 9-0 run of their own to cut it back to an 8 point game, but the Kings were able to hold them at bay and seal the win.
Harrison Barnes scored 24 points to go with 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals, and honestly probably should have had an even better game than he did. At times it looked like he was toying with the Thunder, and it seemed as if he could get whatever he wanted.
The starting backcourt of Davion Mitchell and Tyrese Haliburton continued to play well in De’Aaron Fox’s absense. Mitchell finished with 17 points on 7-15 shooting and Haliburton only scored 13 points but had a career-high 17 assists to go with 6 rebounds. Mitchell struggled from three, hitting just 3 for 9, but did hit a big shot with about 2 minutes left to extend Sacramento’s lead to 12 points.
Davion hits a CLUTCH three ???? pic.twitter.com/IygboQZrT1
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) February 6, 2022
Maurice Harkless was the engine that got the Kings going early, and he finished with an 18 points, 11 rebound double-double. Harkless shot 4-8 from downtown, one three pointer off from his career-high. He also had a very cool double-clutch dunk early on.
Two-hand flush by Moe pic.twitter.com/7ldLFKNohT
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) February 6, 2022
Richaun Holmes also had a nice game after struggling recently, finishing with 14 points on 6-7 shooting. Also, note to the NBA: please stop hitting Richaun Holmes in the face. The man plays for the Kings, he suffers enough. Tonight he caught an Aleksej Pokusevski elbow to the face, and that’s one bony elbow.
Sacramento’s bench didn’t particularly shine in this one. Buddy Hield and Chimezie Metu both scored 9 points and Damian Jones added in 7. Hield in particular had a couple of blatantly bad turnovers and only played 20 minutes. For better or worse, I get the sense that the Hield-era in Sacramento is nearing its end.
Josh Giddey led the way for the Thunder with 24 points to go with 8 assists and 4 rebounds. For a 19 year old kid, he’s incredibly poised already. He just needs to add a three point shot to his game and he will be deadly (he shot just 1-5 from three and some were bad misses).
The Kings now have a couple days off before a back-to-back at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
I hate that we’re rooting for losses before the All Star Break… Again…
Damn we needed to pull out this L. This team is so frustrating in its inability to do literally anything right for years upon years.
With every win you can practically hear Vivek screaming about that coveted, elite play in spot.
Yeah, I dunno, I’m just rooting for Hali and Mitchell to be awesome. Whatever else happens, happens. It’s the healthiest outlook, I think.
Kinda where I am too. I like watching those dudes play so I’d like to see them succeed. The losses are going to come I’m not too worried about it and they refuse to tank anyway.
We can’t even tank right.
I’m sorry. I coached basketball for 47 years and never did I ever would try to lose a game. It breades a losing attitude. You want winners period.
Then you as a coach should not want anyone on this team.
Yes I would. There are four players I am thinling about right. Haliburton, Mitchell, Barnes and Holmes
Rese the beast.
Meh. Couldn’t even get to 20. Soft.
We beat OKC! Dance!
Announced crowd of 14000 ! G1 must hold 25000! Do enjoy Hali and Davion ( hope springs eternal ) .
I guess Fox is ducking the rest of the league??
Such a weird story. The least negative variation would be that they shut him down for a trade (setting aside what that trade would look like).
Perhaps McGenius has an offer for Fox on the table that he’s mulling up to the deadline.
If you are trying to trade for more than Fox then you might consider gettig this done and come to the end of the deadline and can’t do the other trades.
Two wins in a row. This is DEFINITELY a win now team.
Get ready for a stupid trade so they can make a run at the play-in.
First they weren’t two in a row You forgot the Warriors. Next any trades being made now aren’t for the playin but for the future of the Kings.
Mo Harkless did it again……….
Just keep this lineup. (two solid defenders)………
Maybe with the exception of Holmes until we need someone better at protecting the rim……..
Remember all that stuff when Monte was hired about him coming from an analytic driven org, where he had input on lineups etc. based on stats and stuff?
Walton > Gentry?
Or they equally suck?
The poo poo platter of King’s coaches since Adelman is sad.
Either the FO/analytics department and the coaching staff aren’t working together properly, or the anaylitics department isn’t analysing the data correctly, IMO.
But if people around here have been pointing out the obvious benefits of Moe on team play and the FO/coaching staff can’t see it, it’s not good.
How Monte McNair views analytics and how it could change the Kings – The Kings Herald
Analytics is okay as far as you want to take it. I believe heart has a lot to do with it.
Those two things aren’t mutually exclusive in any way.
Kenny Natt was the worst. This is close. He keeps telling a bunch of guys who can’t play transition defense to save their ass to keep pushing the pace. And it isn’t working.
This really is just too stupid to be true. I would bet my sack that a majority of posters here new that stat. So Kangz!
On a positive/negative note I have a friend who is on air talent for one of the local TV stations and I told him about operation M.C.N.A.I.R. tonight, and he seemed interested. Fingers crossed.
Oh, cool. That’d be nice.
I knew. You get to keep you sack!
LOL. is 9-9 some sort of godsend analytical breakthrough that the team is missing? A few games ago he was 7-8. If he had started during our whole 7 game skid, he would not have made a difference and would likely be 9-15 as a starter.
Some new trade chatter out there in rumor season with the Cavs and Buddy. Also Dallas and Buddy
https://kingjamesgospel.com/2022/02/03/cavs-examining-role-potential-trade-target-buddy-hield/amp/3/
https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/.amp/news/dallas-trade-buddy-hield-kemba-walker-james-harden-richaun-holmes-knicks
With our FO we will trade fox for Randle and then Buddy for a ransoms 4/5 and be left with 2 guards and Harkless for rest of the season.. maybe even trade Barnes for a center or future draft pick and then have only King and Harkless as SF/Wings… go big or go home! NBA 1.0
You don’t trade Fox for Randle straight across. You add one or two players and get one or two back. If I could trade Holmes and two other players and a first to the Pacers for Turner which would be better for our assets than Sabonis Playing Randle,who scored 32 and had 16 rebounds last night next to Turner you would have a great backcourt. I would’n trade Barnes, he is two valuable and would play the 3 .
Moving Buddy for a prospect, pick, expirings, or even smaller contracts would be a win for Monte. My fingers are crossed that Cleveland buys, but I think they want more of a combo guard. Schroeder or Dragic to the Cavs makes so much more sense for them.
I would trade Buddy to the Lakers for Nunn and THT. Everyoneis down on THT but I think if you get him out of LA and bring him to the Kings would be better forTHT. Nunn would be your backup to Mitchell
That is not a legal trade that can be made. It would have to be THT, Nunn, plus 3 of the minimum salary Lakers to make that deal work money wise. And I don’t know whether the league would allow the Lakers to go down to 11 players on their roster to legally make that trade.
Would or could the Lakers bring anyone up from their G league to make this possible?
No, doesn’t work that way. Unless the Lakers are moving Westbrook somewhere or a 3rd, or even 4th team, is involved there really is no way to send Buddy to L.A.
There’s also this. I could see them sending out THT and Dunn for Bertans maybe. That works.
It’s not the issue of replacement players as it is money.
And there goes Cleveland…
I think Cleveland is making a mistake but I’m not surprised. I wonder what the price is for LaVert ends up costing them.
A 1st and 2 2nds? I don’t love LaVert that much but I get it. I’d rather have Buddy if I were the Cavs but I’m not them.
I’ll wait to see the full deal, but LeVert makes some sense on a team that need a secondary playmaker next to Garland and obviously covets positional size and length.
Now I see it, I would have happily taken that for Buddy IF it were on the table. As hobbyists it’s always hard to know what actually is and isn’t on the table.
That wasn’t on the table for Buddy, let’s be real. Reality says the Cavs never seriously considered Buddy.
Probably not. We can’t really say one way or the other.
Would love to see LeBron try to go crawling back in the off season, only for the Cavs to say, “Nah, man, we’re good.”
Cavs sent protected first and a second (and an injured Rubio contract) for Lavert. Cavs get a guy who drives to the hole- they lacked that. and a secondary ball handler. Buddy is none of those things.
Throws Sexton to the bench next year
Sexton is a RFA. I don’t think he will be back with the way Garland is playing. The Cavs just go bigger and longer with LeVert joining the group.
Also read the raptors want a center. Rumor is they want Poeltl back from spurs. Spurs supposedly asking for a solid young player and a 1st in return. Holmes is way better than Poeltl! So curious what the market value for Holmes is. By the sound of what the spurs want for Poeltl it would be/could be/should be a really good return if Monte was bold enough to trade Holmes. Just sayin (traumatized kings fan)
Poeltl is a far better defender than Holmes. Overall, probably equal, maybe more a question of roster fit\needs.
I think that’s an accurate assessment. I personally don’t want either one as a starter. I think they are both high volume backups on good teams. If we can move Holmes for a late first rounder and an expiring contract, I’d take that deal. I don’t think there’s a dramatic drop off playing Jones and Queta. I go young at that spot hoping for a pleasant surprise and utilize the draft capital and cap space for other assets.
I think if you could trade Holmes and two other second tier players like Metu, Davis(out this year) Harkless,or Bagley and a first you could get Turner. He would play the five.As of now he wants to get more involved in the offense. Everyoneknows he can rebound, protect the rim, and shoots a pretty good three .
Most over rated player in the league !
Agree. He looks good in a uniform but has always been an underachiever. If all these guys on Indiana like Turner were good they’d be winning. Unlike the Kings, Indiana has figured it out that their roster is not that good and they already made one good deal for LaVert. I suspect they will get a lot more for Turner than he’s worth.
Poeltl is better, younger, does more of the things teams generally want from their Center, and is cheaper. What does Holmes achieve for a team with Siakam, Anunoby, Boucher and Barnes?
Two teams seeking a better roster. One team understands how the process works. The other is the KANGZ.
Give McNair a chance then put him down if he doesn’t ome thru.
Sure, what’s four more days?
OT: Yoooooo. Things are starting to heat up. Has anyone checked to see if Monte is awake?
LOL. Same as it ever was.
The Kings can move on from Bagley any time they want. The question is what are they willing to take in return. If no one is offering anything then let him ride out the season.
What a colossal failure it what is likely the best draft since Lebron’s 2003 year.
What? 2018 is not the best draft since 2003. It’s debatable whether it’s even as good as 2016 and 2017. Jury is still out on 2019…
Notable Top 2016 draft picks
Ben Simmons
Brandon Ingram
Jalen Brown
Jamal Murray
Domantis Sabonis
Caris Lavert
Pascal Siakam
Malcom Brogdan
Notable 2017 Draft Picks
Lonzo Ball
Jayson Tatum
De Aaron Fox
Malik Monk
Donavan Mitchell
Bam Adebayo
John Collins
Jarrett Allen
Kyle Kuzma
Dillon Brooks
Notable 2018 draft
Deondre Ayton
Luka Doncic
Trae Young
Collin Sexton
Shai Gileious-Alexander
Jaren Jackson Jr.
Mitchell Robinson
2018 has Luka and Trae. Those are two guys who lead their teams to wins and get MVP votes. Do the other drafts have that?
Trae’s hawks are a 10 seed. Luka has the Mavs at 5, and he needs to prove longevity and the willingness to put down the Twinkie. Donavan Mitchell is a leader on a legit contender. Tatum and Brown are legit too. Bam’s Heat are 1st in East. I think if you made teams of each of the draft classes, 2018 might be one of the worst.
Nope. Give me Luka, Trae, SGA, Ayton and JJJ. Find me a better 5 in those drafts.
Pretty much. And it continues to kill me that Luka was literally there for our taking and we crashed and burned.
Luka is climbing the all-time triple-doubles list so quickly it’s giving me whiplash. Also I’m dehydrated from crying the last four years.
Climbing the weight scales just as quickly.
Nope. I take 2017 over 2018 all day. Trae and Luka will put up stats, but they won’t ever be real contenders. I’m not so sure Luka will have longevity if he keeps reporting to the start of season overweight.
I don’t get this. At best, Bagley is worth a second round pick at this point. If you don’t get that and you want him gone, cut him. Not complicated.
Exactly
Team Bagley leak?
He rides the bench while supposedly and active participant on the team.
He rides the bench until the end of the season and they let him walk because they don’t want him anymore.
Either way…..same Marvin Bagley on the bench.
I personally would like to see the Kings publicly try to trade him. Put it all in the press. All of the teams that don’t want him. All of the horrible offers for him.
Maybe Bagley sees he is worth and steps foot on the court again to try to salvage his career?
Try and add him with other players to get what you might want.
Don’t cut him.Use him in a package and you will get more.
It’s Sunday. But he is aggressive and tireless.
This is the type of deal the Kings should be making. I would have done this with the Cavs for Barnes. You get both draft capital and cap space.
LeVert goes to the Cavaliers with a 2022 second-round pick via Miami for Ricky Rubio‘s expiring contract, a lottery-protected 2022 first-round pick and two second-round picks, sources said.
Prediction for Thursday post-deadline: Monte McNair “committed to winning with our current group,” deals on the table “just didn’t work for us.”
if That happens all you will read in my comments is how he is a complete fucking joke that’s simply collecting a pay check. I mean, good for him I guess, if you’re cool with everyone thinking you’re a complete fucking joke.
You left out Vivek .
I’m afraid you might be right.
Yeah, are teams starting to make deals and then get out of the market? That might be a problem if you actually want to change anything.
Hopefully it’s a sign that the pacers are willing to move for less than originally was leaked (good prospect and 1st for levert)
Lavert is gone. Go for Turner.
That also assumes that deal is there for the Kings. It may not be.
Took this caption from the picture on top…kangZ turning on each other???
Feb 5, 2022; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes (40) drives in against Sacramento Kings guard Terence Davis II (3) during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Thursday can’t get here soon enough.
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