DeMarcus Cousins had his best game of the season by far for the Kings, scoring 26 points on 9-12 shooting in just 25 minutes while also playing decently on the defensive end. About the only thing he didn't do well was rebound (only 3 rebounds) and the team as a whole was killed on the boards by Denver (49 to 37). This might be explained by the fact that Denver scored 60.5% of their shots while the Kings managed a paltry 32.6%. Aside from Cousins, Marcus Thornton was the only one able to get anything going, scoring 23 on 8-20 shooting. Take those two players away, and the Kings only shot 13 of 60 or 21.6%. Let that sink in for a moment.

Tyreke Evans only played 23 minutes and missed most of the 2nd half after throwing up during halftime, likely because he watched some first half highlights (H/T Heuristic Lineup).

This team looks lost out there. They give up way too easily and it just seems like they aren't putting in maximum effort. Even when Denver emptied out their bench at the end of the game, they continued to build up their lead and play with energy. You could say the Kings are suffering from tired legs, playing their 4th game in 5 nights, and while I believe that's an issue for some (particularly the rookies who really struggled with their shot tonight), I think the bigger issue is that the team at large isn't putting forth 100% effort, and that is a major problem.

The start to this season has been more frustrating to me than any season in recent memory. We weren't supposed to be this bad. I don't think most fans thought we'd be contenders or even necessarily in the playoff hunt, but at least be competitive night in and night out. Especially after the craziness of last season and the relocation issue, and then the months of no basketball due to the lockout, I, as well as many other fans, were so pumped up for the Kings to be returning to Sacramento and to hopefully begin their rise to relevance once more. Instead it looks like our annual tradition of getting screwed in the lottery will continue for the foreseeable future.