Kings win! Big nights from LaVine, DeRozan, and Sabonis. Full recap to follow, but for now let’s see those gifs!
Postgame Thread: Kings 127, Pistons 117
Light the Beam!
By Greg Wissinger | 53 Comments | Apr 7, 2025
NBA: Sacramento Kings at Detroit Pistons
Apr 7, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8) dribbles defended by Detroit Pistons guard Dennis Schroder (17) in the first half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
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Chicago West absolutely kicked butt tonight. Drags me back into looking forward to the Play-in.
Bulls beat Pistons
Yeah, it seems about 100% the play-in is happening and the pick is gone. Might as well cheer them on and hope they make some noise. The only problems with that is
MonteVivek rolling it all back next season. That would bum me out.Look to Cleveland for some hope. They “rolled-back” the same core that under-performed last season, leaving the impression of mismatched talent. Suddenly it’s matched. Add a healthy Carter, with a piece, or two, in FA to replace LaRavia (he’s gone.) Trade Malik for a PG. Maybe one of the Stockton guys breaks-out. Vlade brings some charisma to the front office as president, now with a GM (MM) who knows the business, and how to draft. It sounds better than starting over, and wasting another 16 seasons before they sniff they post-season again. IMO.
Dude, their core is significantly younger than the Kings. Their aged veteran in Donovan Mitchell is 28. Jarret Allen is 26, Garland is 25, Hunter is 27 and Mobley is is just 23. They have years ahead of them.
The Kings have DDR at 35, LaVine at 30, Sabonis at 28. The Kings’ only viable youth is Keegan at 24.
Comparing them is apples and orangutans.
…and the fact that you said “Vlade brings some charisma to the front office as president” is laughable.
Agree. Running it back would be a terrible idea….so that’s probably what Vivek will do.
The only thing I like about this game was that Carter got some minutes.
Sacramento seems to be the only team that hasn’t figured out that the worst place to be is right where they are. Nobody is trying to be in this middle ground of barely getting into the play in and not having a pic.
if the kings run it back next year and or fire Monte and bring in Vlade or Vivek son I’m done. I’m almost done anyway. This owner is such a piece of shit.
Not a great comparison IMO. Cleveland younger, more talent. Amd weren’t they in the playoffs last year/still winning.
I agree that they could make it wirk but that would require grading DDR and Monk and setting O around Sabs
Vlade? Are you joking? He was one of the worst GMs this league has ever seen. He shouldn’t even be around the kings in any capacity other than Fan.
and we wouldn’t have to wait 16 years if they did a real rebuild.
Just wait until the kings trade our next 3 first round draft picks plus pick swaps and keegan Murray for Zion or Lauri lol
Vlade Divac can go to basketball hell.
No wait, not that one! Please.
Vladevil
You can’t be serious?
Zach doing his best Mount Vesuvius impression can make anyone besides my ex-wife excited. That was barely believable.
Car lot.thingy dance! Kings Win!
Winning on a SEGABABA and 3 straight after losing againts the Wizards? Damn this team really is bipolar. LTB!!
Nucking Futs. I’m ironically on a plane right now, looking out the window at the city of Detroit. Hard to figure these guys out. Will this same team show up in the play-in and potentially beyond, or will the Kangz return? Well anyway, might as well try to win as many as possible at this point. We’ve pretty much relinquished the draft pick.
I think it’s almost a foregone conclusion that the Kings going to beat the Mavs and then loses to the losers of the first game. I’m thinking the Clippers. Our best shot would be the Grizzlies?
But what IF, and stay with me here, I know this is crazy — the Kings actually play relatively well (as they did tonight) and win the play-in game?
2 game winning streak with Lyles in the starting lineup instead of Keegan, and it does look like DDZ are starting to figure it out.
Go Kings?
Predictably unpredictable
I know that this last two weeks, the Kings have found a way to disappoint in both their losses and their wins.
So…is best case scenario getting smacked down in round 1 against OKC? What does that accomplish? That just may give Kings brass reasoning to run it all back next year.
Being an 8th seed ceiling team with one of the oldest rosters in the league really doesn’t excite me. It would be a completely different scenario if the Kings were young and on an upward trajectory.
A first round match up with OKC is literally the “best” outcome for the team at this point. Would likely be a demoralizing sweep – massive double-digit losses in each game, like every game so far this season, but it’s technically making the playoffs, it’s the outcome that prolongs the season the most, and it gives Moronadive something to point at as an “accomplishment”.
After 16 (17?) years of no playoffs, making it in 2 of the last 3 years would be okay (even if swept by OKC). Sure, it’s not the best case scenario, orayne a sustainable approach, but dammit, I like watching the Kings in the playoffs.
For sure. If they somehow make it to the real playoffs, I’m cheering them on 100%. A playoff game or two in Golden One would be outstanding. I just worry about how ownership will spin it for more the same next season.
I figure that’s probably going to happen at this point. Even if Domas asks out. They’ll just swap him for the Kuzma pupu platter and keep treading water.
My nauseous stomach senses a flip of Domas (wanting out) for a PG like Jordan Poole and change, only to run it back with JV as the team’s starting center. How does Poole, LaVine, DDR, Keegan and JV tickle your fancy?
There is no need to worry about this ownership, you know what they are.
Hurrah, we’re not terrible with no future?
Unless changes are made. But the owner will think his genius is working.
This is all so ass backwards.
I liked watching the Kings vs Warriors in the playoffs. Fun, back-and-forth, 7-game series. Kings/OKC would not be that.
What if—-and then get stomped by OKC.
No draft pick. Nothing helping the Kings raise their incredibly low ceiling.
I think either the Grizz or the Wolves would be our best chance. We haven’t done so well against the Clips this year and I don’t think we match up well with the Dubs right now.
Maybe, just maybe.
…said Charlie Brown to the football.
I really do want to believe but I’ve seen this movie too many times to ignore the ending.
How many times does lightning need to strike a pile of poop before it turns into a diamond?
I hear that the poo catches fire first.
This evokes a vivid image.
If the Warriors beat the Suns tomorrow, the Kings are guaranteed a 9/10 play-in spot. One up on Dallas with the tiebreaker.
Oh well, since it seems like it is inevitable that we’re going to the play-in, let’s see what they got. If they win the first play-in game, whoever they have to play in the 7/8 seed will be much tougher.
The Kings have played well in Minnesota – I think they have won the last 5 there- and the Grizzlies recently fired their coach. The Grizzlies look vulnerable. But anyone can beat anyone in a “one game playoff” to get into the real playoffs.
Play-in magic number is 1. 9th seed magic number is 2.
It’s nice to read some hopeful comments here again. I want this to be the real Kings. At least we get some drama… and the plot thickens.
Hopeful? Where? And what you’ve been reading here are honest takes in the future of the Kings.
I think everybody’s going to root for them to win in the play in
I really hate this win. A lot of you probably don’t understand why, but it’s easy for our veterans to put up empty numbers against young players in the second half of the season. Oh well, guess I will start cheering for them again since Derozan and Lavine are on a hot streak to put up a stinker in the play in game.
Another good win …
Fantastic offensive performances by DeRozan and LaVine. Sabonis was an absolute stud as well, what a joy it is to watch him. Two good wins against good teams.
On the other hand, I just hope this doesn’t make the FO/ownership think this team will work out at some point. It won’t.
Don’t dismiss the potential of this team Dutch. If they had a true point guard, it is likely the could be very close to being slightly above average.
They need to get rid of the play-in tournament already. It was something that was needed for the COVID bubble playoffs because they canceled part of the season. With a 16-team playoff, that’s already more than half the league which is higher than any of the other major sports. With the play-in, 2/3 of the whole league makes the postseason!! That dilutes the brand which is something I don’t think Adam Silver fully grasps in general. If you’re not good enough to be one of the top eight teams in each conference, you really shouldn’t be in the postseason.
Yeah, I don’t think Adam Silver, the commissioner of the league, and the guy that came up with the idea, understands the ramifications of the play in tournament.
Yeah. Play-in tournament = diluting the brand. Advertising on jerseys and on the court = diluting the brand. In season tournament = diluting the brand. Proposing 10 minute quarters after 80+ years of 12 minute quarters = just plain out of touch. What Adam Silver understands is making more money for owners year over year in the short term. But he’s compromising long term integrity to do so. That almost always spells disaster for any business in the long run.
I think the play-in tournament has been very successful. It’s not going anywhere.
I know it’s the way the NBA (draft) works, but I hate tanking, even “tanking-light”. And it is a lottery – I believe we could miss the play-in and still lose the pick. In the same way that it’s a bad idea for players to get ahead of themselves, i.e. focussing on the play-in instead the next three games, I think it is unhealthy for a franchise to dwell too much on how they will be set up in 2027, 2028, … instead of focussing on success in the current season. I want the Kings to do as well as they can in 2024/5; those saying the ceiling is a 1st round exit against OKC are probably right (but maybe we can still dream… ). I think the difference between not conveying the 1st round pick to ATL now or next year or two 2nds in 2027 is marginal, and should be dealt with then. Enjoy the wins now; lament the losses now. Cross the 2025/6,m 2026/7 bridges when we come to them. Just my sentiments.
4 through 8 in the standings are all within a half-game. Kings’ next two games are against two of those teams.
I definitely want the pick over getting punked in the play-in/offs (not gonna happen) but I will mildly to moderately enjoy either outcome. Go nowhere Kangz!
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