{"id":37780,"date":"2024-03-10T19:06:40","date_gmt":"2024-03-11T02:06:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/?p=37780"},"modified":"2024-03-10T19:06:40","modified_gmt":"2024-03-11T02:06:40","slug":"rockets-112-kings-104-another-inexplicably-dumb-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/articles\/rockets-112-kings-104-another-inexplicably-dumb-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Rockets 112, Kings 104: Another inexplicably dumb loss"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Kings’ game was a tale of two halves, marked by a strong start and a wet fart of an ending. <\/span>The first half showcased the kind of performance we\u2019d hope to see, where the squad competed fiercely on defense and didn\u2019t settle for the first open look on offense. At one point, the Kings held a lead of 13 points in the second quarter, seemingly poised to maintain a double-digit advantage by halftime. However, the game’s dynamics shifted dramatically when Fred VanVleet splashed back-to-back three-pointers from well beyond the line. This brief yet pivotal 45-second period was arguably the most significant turn of events in the game.<\/span><\/p>\n

Apart from the initial spark of promise, The Kings’ performance was rather lackluster, especially from their key players. Domantas Sabonis had a rough time with his ball handling and passing, ending the game with nine turnovers. De’Aaron Fox’s impact was significantly diminished due to his inefficiency, recording a disappointing 7 out of 21 from the field. Keegan Murray, seemingly battling an injury, upheld his defensive prowess but was largely ineffective on offense. <\/span>Kevin Huerter seems to be going through possibly his toughest season yet, and Harrison Barnes, unfortunately, lived up to his reputation of underperforming when it matters most.<\/span><\/p>\n

Furthermore, The Kings continued the Kangz trend of falling short of expectations, especially on their home turf. With a strategy heavily reliant on three-point shooting prowess, they shot a dismal 6 out of 32. In stark contrast, the Rockets had rather impressive accuracy, netting 12 out of their 29 shots from beyond the arc. Heck, even Amen Thompson nailed a three from the corner and he shoots just 13% from downtown. <\/span>Other key team stats were mostly balanced in fouls, turnovers, and assists underscoring the importance of the three ball for the Beam team.<\/span><\/p>\n

Give credit to the Rockets though. They were down big early in this game and never conceded or packed it in. They continued to battle, fight over screens, play within themselves, and trust the process. <\/span>The Kings, however, became complacent and lethargic, which was evident in their gameplay and lack of energy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Malik Monk emerged as the silver lining for the Kings, especially in the dying minutes of the fourth quarter, contributing 13 points and displaying remarkable passion on the court. The Kings did succeed in narrowing the deficit to a certain extent but were ultimately forced to resort to fouling in an attempt to turn the game around. Unfortunately, this strategy backfired as the Rockets’ free throw shooters, who consistently perform at over 80%, capitalized on these opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n

This loss was a disappointing one, adding to a series of frustrating defeats this season. It’s clear that the Kings require some significant changes. Even though the trade deadline has passed, I believe there is ample talent within the roster and it might be beneficial to contemplate benching players like Barnes and Huerter who haven’t been performing up to the mark. Instead, giving players like Keon Ellis and Trey Lyles a chance may enhance the team’s defense and could also serve as a wake-up call for Barnes and Huerter. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Kings’ game was a tale of two halves, marked by a strong start and a wet fart of an ending. The first half showcased the kind of performance we\u2019d hope to see, where the squad competed fiercely on defense and didn\u2019t settle for the first open look on offense. At one point, the Kings […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24107,"featured_media":37783,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,24],"tags":[5200,32,777,383,58,50,1391],"coauthors":[5158],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRockets 112, Kings 104: Another inexplicably dumb loss - The Kings Herald<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/articles\/rockets-112-kings-104-another-inexplicably-dumb-loss\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rockets 112, Kings 104: Another inexplicably dumb loss - The Kings Herald\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Kings’ game was a tale of two halves, marked by a strong start and a wet fart of an ending. The first half showcased the kind of performance we\u2019d hope to see, where the squad competed fiercely on defense and didn\u2019t settle for the first open look on offense. At one point, the Kings […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/articles\/rockets-112-kings-104-another-inexplicably-dumb-loss\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Kings Herald\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheKingsHerald916\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-03-11T02:06:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_8333.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Zack Venero\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@thekingsherald\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@thekingsherald\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Zack Venero\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/articles\/rockets-112-kings-104-another-inexplicably-dumb-loss\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/articles\/rockets-112-kings-104-another-inexplicably-dumb-loss\/\",\"name\":\"Rockets 112, Kings 104: Another inexplicably dumb loss - The Kings Herald\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/articles\/rockets-112-kings-104-another-inexplicably-dumb-loss\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/articles\/rockets-112-kings-104-another-inexplicably-dumb-loss\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_8333.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-11T02:06:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-03-11T02:06:40+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b92694a8360457d89f8a0a109f69bdbc\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/articles\/rockets-112-kings-104-another-inexplicably-dumb-loss\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/articles\/rockets-112-kings-104-another-inexplicably-dumb-loss\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/articles\/rockets-112-kings-104-another-inexplicably-dumb-loss\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_8333.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_8333.jpeg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"Mar 10, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) shoots against Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes (obscured left) during the third quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/articles\/rockets-112-kings-104-another-inexplicably-dumb-loss\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Rockets 112, Kings 104: Another inexplicably dumb loss\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/\",\"name\":\"The Kings Herald\",\"description\":\"Independent Sacramento Kings News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b92694a8360457d89f8a0a109f69bdbc\",\"name\":\"Zack Venero\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/db9ae6f64875e64b2632520287245466\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9480c5093bfbdfbc38023946f86a6db2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9480c5093bfbdfbc38023946f86a6db2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Zack Venero\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/author\/zvenero1\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Rockets 112, Kings 104: Another inexplicably dumb loss - The Kings Herald","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/articles\/rockets-112-kings-104-another-inexplicably-dumb-loss\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Rockets 112, Kings 104: Another inexplicably dumb loss - The Kings Herald","og_description":"The Kings’ game was a tale of two halves, marked by a strong start and a wet fart of an ending. The first half showcased the kind of performance we\u2019d hope to see, where the squad competed fiercely on defense and didn\u2019t settle for the first open look on offense. At one point, the Kings […]","og_url":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/articles\/rockets-112-kings-104-another-inexplicably-dumb-loss\/","og_site_name":"The Kings Herald","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheKingsHerald916\/","article_published_time":"2024-03-11T02:06:40+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":675,"url":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_8333.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Zack Venero","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@thekingsherald","twitter_site":"@thekingsherald","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Zack Venero","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/articles\/rockets-112-kings-104-another-inexplicably-dumb-loss\/","url":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/articles\/rockets-112-kings-104-another-inexplicably-dumb-loss\/","name":"Rockets 112, Kings 104: Another inexplicably dumb loss - The Kings Herald","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/articles\/rockets-112-kings-104-another-inexplicably-dumb-loss\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/articles\/rockets-112-kings-104-another-inexplicably-dumb-loss\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_8333.jpeg","datePublished":"2024-03-11T02:06:40+00:00","dateModified":"2024-03-11T02:06:40+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b92694a8360457d89f8a0a109f69bdbc"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/articles\/rockets-112-kings-104-another-inexplicably-dumb-loss\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/articles\/rockets-112-kings-104-another-inexplicably-dumb-loss\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/articles\/rockets-112-kings-104-another-inexplicably-dumb-loss\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_8333.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_8333.jpeg","width":1200,"height":675,"caption":"Mar 10, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) shoots against Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes (obscured left) during the third quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/articles\/rockets-112-kings-104-another-inexplicably-dumb-loss\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Rockets 112, Kings 104: Another inexplicably dumb loss"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/","name":"The Kings Herald","description":"Independent Sacramento Kings News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b92694a8360457d89f8a0a109f69bdbc","name":"Zack Venero","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/db9ae6f64875e64b2632520287245466","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9480c5093bfbdfbc38023946f86a6db2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9480c5093bfbdfbc38023946f86a6db2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Zack Venero"},"url":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/author\/zvenero1\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37780"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37780"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37780\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37785,"href":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37780\/revisions\/37785"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37780"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingsherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=37780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}