If that's what home court advantage looks like, I'd prefer the Kings to never come back to the Golden 1 Center. The Kings concluded their seven-game home stand with a 2-5 record, a three-game losing streak, and broken records for the worst defense in the history of the game of basketball. Is this rock bottom yet?
I keep thinking we have reached the point where up is the only direction left to go. But the Kings laugh in my face, get their shovels out, and just keep digging. Five of their next six are away games, so maybe a change of scenery will evoke a new identity from this team. Otherwise, I am going to ask the Kings to just pile the dirt on and bury us in this dark hole of despair they've dug us all into because I cannot watch 58 more games of this shit. Am I being dramatic? Yes. But is it warranted? Also yes.
The Backdrop
The Sacramento Kings entered this game 5-9 and seeded at the 13th spot in the Western Conference.
The Los Angeles Clippers entered this game 10-4 and seeded at the 2nd spot in the Western Conference.
Can we get a break??? It was only five days ago that we had to suffer through the prolific point production of the Clippers, as they shot 58.4% from the field and 51.4% from the 3-point line to bury us in a 38-point grave in Golden 1 Center. Since the Braidy Bunch took care of the Kings by barely breaking a sweat, they returned back to their home court and easily defeated the Indiana Pacers, getting additional contributions from their bench and role players. The Clips are on a four-game winning streak and are only half a game behind their next-door neighbors in the Los Angeles Lakers.
In this league of growing "super" teams, there are two general defensive strategies: either you focus on limiting the super stars and force role players to try to beat you, or you let the super stars fill their stat lines and you focus on stopping role players from adding enough to hurt you. In both instances, you're choosing to allow some open looks in hopes that limiting others' will be enough to win the game. So far, the Kings have proven to be bad at both of these strategies as they've demonstrated that they can guard no one, from the top of a team's roster down to the last man on the bench. Since it's likely that Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will find ways to score against this lame Sacramento defense, the Kings should start tonight by focusing on stopping role players such as Marcus Morris Sr. and Luke Kennard from contributing any significant numbers.
Quick Stats
Because numbers make things make sense.
Outcome: Kings lose, 96-115
Sacramento Kings: 96 PTS, 45.3% FG, 46.4% 3 PT, 25 AST, 18 TO
Los Angeles Clippers: 115 PTS, 47.7% FG, 45.7% 3 PT, 24 AST, 16 TO
De'Aaron Fox (SAC): 25 PTS, 7 AST
Kawhi Leonard (LAC): 32 PTS, 5 AST, 6 STL
Paul George (LAC): 19 PTS, 12 AST, 7 REB
Well, at least it wasn't 38 points, right? *eye roll* Placing my sarcasm on pause, the Kings did some good things. Looking at the numbers, they actually achieved the defensive goal of limiting role players while giving up the 51-point combined damage from Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Ivica Zubac and Nicolas Batum were the next leading scorers, each contributing 11 points. All in all, they were able to hold the Clippers to 115 points, breaking the eight-game streak of allowing 120+ points. Taking that risk on the defensive side ended up not being worth it since the Kings weren't able to produce enough on offense, but at least they didn't allow a career night for Patrick Beverley.
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
Because all three are consistent parts of Kings basketball.
The Good:
Defensive Effort: The Kings started this game with noticeable defensive effort and it paid off. They broke the 30+-point quarter curse and held the Clippers to 25 points in the 1st quarter. The last time they managed to do this was 12 quarters prior, on January 11th against the Pacers, where they allowed 29 points in the 4th quarter. The Kings even showed some defensive strategy, doubling Paul George when he had the ball and forcing shots from Patrick Beverly and Nicolas Batum. If the Kings can put this level of effort and awareness together for more than one or two quarters, they may have a chance at winning a basketball game again someday.
The Bad:
Slow Pace: In what is possibly the only edge the Kings have, the Clippers are ranked 29th in the league in pace, while the Kings sit at 12th in the league. Instead of trying to capitalize on this advantage, the Kings came out with a slow and measured pace. While this worked in their favor in some aspects, it ultimately favored Kawhi Leonard the most. As one of the most controlled and fundamental scorers in the game, Kawhi thrives in his own pace, which is usually on the slower side. He is known to lull defenders into a trance before knocking down a mid-range fadeaway. After two days of rest, I expected the Kings to try to thwart the Clippers' flow with high energy and some floor sprints. Instead, they tried to play the slow game, something that few teams will ever beat Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers at.
Buddy Hield Dribbling: I thought we had finally entered the year where Buddy would no longer have to dribble other than to side step after a pump fake for a 3-point look. We have the pieces. De'Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton provide enough ball-handling and playmaking ability for Buddy to only have to focus on shooting. When Buddy puts the ball on the floor, I get an instant stomachache, knowing that there's a 75% chance that it will be leading to a turnover or a missed 2-point attempt. He is currently the worst on the team at 2-point attempts, averaging just 36.7%. Although with the best intentions, when Buddy attempts to work outside of his range, he ends up hurting his team more than helping.
The Ugly:
Zero Adjustments: Great teams are consistently reacting to situations and tweaking strategies throughout a single game to better their chances at winning. Good teams make their significant evaluations and adjustments at halftime and play with a more educated style in the second half. Bad teams make the same mistakes throughout an entire game and only make changes after having a few days to go over things at practice. The Kings are barely a bad team. We are fifteen games in now and although we see some clear efforts to work harder, we are also still seeing the same mistakes and the same game-time story: the Kings enter and leave the game without making any noticeable adjustments. One of the main reasons that the Kings are murdered night after night in the Death Quarter is because other teams make adjustments and the Kings simply do not. Tonight, the Clippers came out of the half targeting the Kings with their defense, forcing five turnovers in the 3rd quarter, and pushing the Kings into taking tough shots. The Kings? From the defense to the rotations, not much changed, and the offense just got worse under the Clippers' pressure.
Royal Court Jester
Because someone is always actin' a fool.
Man, this guy has really done a 180 ever since I talked him up as the King of Kings early on in the season. Tonight's Royal Court Jester goes to Cory Joseph, first for his all around decline in effective play, and second for his foolish attempt to score against Paul George in the open court.
Cory's best contribution to the Kings has always been his lack of mistakes. The team has never expected him to be a scorer, a spark plug, or even a playmaker. We just need him to be a life jacket to keep us afloat while De'Aaron Fox gets some wind. This means being a pest on defense, hitting open shots, and most importantly, taking care of the ball. But lately, Cory keeps trying to load more responsibility on his shoulders and ultimately crushes himself with it. Tonight, the perfect example of this was when he got a great steal on the defensive end, pushed the ball down the floor with a full head of steam, saw Paul George running with him in transition, and decided to go up against him. He ended up throwing up a weak off-balance heave that may or may not have even touched the rim. Cory wears the cap tonight for wasting his defensive effort with a foolish decision to challenge Paul George.
The King of Kings
Because at least one person does at least one good thing, usually.
Tonight's King of Kings goes to De'Aaron Fox for his sweet swing through on Patrick Beverley, the infamous defensive specialist for the Clippers. Beverley is known for his pestering on-ball defense, always looking to get in a guy's face and mental space. He feeds on the frustration of those he guards and has gained the reputation of being "that guy" whose biggest value is being annoying. Well, De'Aaron was having none of it. As Beverley invaded De'Aaron's personal space, De'Aaron kept his cool and threw a strong swing through move to weasel out from under Beverley and get to the rack for the and one.
It was especially gratifying to see Beverley display his usual disbelief that he could ever possibly be called for a foul. Patrick Beverley could roundhouse kick a player and then immediately throw his hands up in shock that the whistle is blown. So for winning that battle and giving me a small something to feel good about tonight, De'Aaron gets to wear the crown.
Up Next
Friday, January 22nd vs. New York Knicks @ 7:00 P.M. (PT)
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