DeMarcus Cousins did play off the bench after his one game suspension paid leave of absence, and he once again had a tough time finishing at the rim, going 1-5, but continued rebounding well, grabbing 8 in 22 minutes.

The Kings lost this one early as Memphis came out blistering, shooting 60+% to start the game, getting out to a 17 point lead early. Getting out to a strong start is something the Kings have had trouble with in almost all of the games they have played to date (they actually started strong against the Blazers). The Kings eliminated that lead in the 2nd quarter with scrappy defense and hustle to close the half, and went into the break only down 2. Unfortunately, that break came at a bad time, and Memphis regrouped and easily took care of business in the 2nd half.

In each of the losses, the Kings guard duo of Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton have struggled. That trend continued tonight, with the two combining for just 14 points on 18 shots. They didn't play much in the 2nd half once the game had essentially been decided. I really don't like how this offense seems to undervalue Marcus Thornton, who is our best scorer. Very rarely do I see plays run for Marcus aside from spot up three opportunities. Most of Marcus's shots are created through isolation opportunities. It is a similar situation for Tyreke.

The Kings continue to be playing much worse than advertised. I've made excuses for the team in the past week about the extraordinary circumstances leading to the season and the impacted training camp/pre-season. But this cannot continue. Would an interim head coach do any better? I'm not sure. But I don't know if he could do any worse. This team needs a breath of fresh air, because whatever is being tried now is not working.