For the past two days, I have been marching through the one hallway in my house singing HALILUJAH at the top of my lungs. If my dogs could talk, they'd likely be on the phone to have me committed right about now. Then again, if my dogs could talk, I believe in my heart that they would be singing with me. I just know deep down that my two huskies are Kings fans. In a way, huskies and Kings fans aren't that different - we are fiercely loyal, mostly brilliant, sometimes dumb, and quick to forgive those who we entrust our deepest devotion to when they fail to love us back with an infinite amount of treats/winning basketball games. I mean, just look at these dumb, adorable faces:
Those are faces of Kings fans if I've ever seen one. But, until they invent dog communication technology, I will continue to sing solo about our young savior, Tyrese Haliburton. Reminiscing on Tyrese's heroics from Wednesday night, I realized that the whole ordeal felt very cinematic. His performance gave all the vibes of - and this could not be more perfect - the epic 1993 film, Rookie of the Year, where Henry Rowengartner, a Little League tween, ends up suffering a wrist injury only to have a miraculous recovery and be so damn good that he saves the failing Chicago Cubs franchise by winning them the World Series. I mean... COME ON. If Tyrese continues on this trajectory, I might have to start believing in time travel, because it's likely someone from 2021 flew back to 1993, made some name, sport, and city changes, and cashed in on a movie deal. I'm just sayin'...
Hang that shit in the Crocker right now! All we need now is the rest of the Sacramento Kings to lock in so we can finally have our Hollywood ending. Helping their rookie win a second game in a row of a long home stand would be a good place to start.
The Backdrop
The Sacramento Kings entered this game 4-4 and seeded at the 10th spot in the Western Conference.
The Toronto (or is it Tampa?) Raptors entered this game 1-6 and seeded at the 14th spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Kings will be getting their motor back in De'Aaron Fox after he left midway through the 1st quarter on Wednesday night with hamstring soreness. He will be on limited minutes, so the Kings will likely be looking to their rookie again for some big minutes. Conversely, the Raptors will be without their point guard and leader, Kyle Lowry, who is listed as out for personal reasons. Coach Nick Nurse has said he will look to Norman Powell and Malachi Flynn to fill Kyle's minutes.
After one of the most memorable championships in 2019 and a deep playoff run in the 2020 bubble, the Toronto Raptors have quickly fallen out of the limelight, with a poor 1-6 start. They've lost big men Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka, but still have a strong nucleus of Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, and Pascal Siakam. Lowry described their woes by saying:
"Right now we have no swagger to us. We have nothing. Teams are looking at us like, 'All right, let's go eat.'"
Deeper analysis could link the Raptors' early failure to their All-Star, Pascal Siakam, and his steady devolvement that started in the bubble. An unquantifiable factor in the list of the Raptors' struggles is the fact that they are the only NBA team that has been relocated away from their home city. Due to safety protocols, the team is currently living and playing home games in Tampa, Florida, thus facing a separate and unique obstacle when it comes to playing during a pandemic. I love Coach Nick Nurse - I have his book, Rapture, currently on my bedside table - and I hope him and his Raptors can eventually turn things around, but just not tonight. Tonight, they can let the Kings eat.
Quick Stats
Because numbers make things make sense.
Outcome: Kings lose, 123-144
Sacramento Kings: 123 PTS, 56.8% FG, 44.1% 3 PT, 36 AST, 11 TO
Toronto Raptors: 144 PTS, 58.2% FG, 51.3% 3 PT, 29 AST, 11 TO
De'Aaron Fox (SAC): 23 PTS, 9-11 FG, 24 MINS
Harrison Barnes (SAC): 21 PTS, 8 AST, 2-2 3 PT
Fred VanVleet (TOR): 34 PTS, 7 AST
Chris Boucher (TOR): 23 PTS, 10 REB, 9-12 FG
Well, it looks like the Kings skipped their meal for the night and the Raptors found their swagger. Fred VanVleet certainly did, absolutely torching the Kings and giving his team their second win of the season. Ultimately, the Kings showed up big on one end, as the above numbers detail, and failed to execute on the other. And at the end of the day, a loss is a loss and the Kings are going home hungry.
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
Because all three are consistent parts of Kings basketball.
The Good:
Sharing is Caring: Tonight started out like the best type of Oprah giveaway - Fox gets an assist, Haliburton gets an assist, Barnes gets an assist, Bagley gets an assist! EVERYBODY. GETS. ASSISTS. The Kings finished with a total of 36 assists for the night, with 14 of those contributing to their hot start for a 43-point 1st quarter. It's a strange feeling to be on the other side of a 40+-point quarter, but I like it. Apart from generally sharing the ball, the Kings showed quick decision making and ball movement, giving the Raptors little chance to recover from any defensive breakdowns. Their worst offense often results from players being slow to decide their next move and thus stopping the momentum and movement of the ball.
The Bad:
Care Longer, Please: If sharing truly is caring, the Kings lose interest fast. After enjoying a honeymoon half of ball movement, easy buckets, and high fives all around, Kings fans were then suddenly dumped and forced to endure a second half of heartbreak and torture. The offense once again fell into lazy isolations, forced shots, and a whole lot of disappointment. After such a wonderful start, they could have at least finished this night out and let us down easy on the next date. Instead, they excused themselves to the bathroom, never came back, and we Kings fans had to pick up the check.
Defending the 3: The Raptors lead the league in 3-point attempts, averaging 43 tries per game. How did I know this? Because I have an internet connection. So I can only assume that the Sacramento Kings were equipped with this same knowledge going into this game. However, you wouldn't be able to tell from watching them tonight, as they allowed the Raptors to attempt 39 3-point looks, on par with what was expected. Of course, what wasn't expected is that they would make 20 of those attempts. As the Raptors started heating up from behind the arc early in the second half, the Kings did little to slow the momentum and ultimately the Raptors cashed in.
The Ugly:
Free Throws: BIG YIKES ALERT. The Kings shot a gross 16-28 (57.1%) from the free throw line tonight. While those 12 extra points wouldn't have changed the outcome, this consistent theme of missed free throws will eventually be a deciding factor in future games. The Kings need to clean it up before they let it bite them in the ass down the road.
Bad Defense Overshadows Good Offense: It's hard to imagine the Kings putting together a better offensive start than they did tonight. In the 1st quarter, they produced 43 points, 14 assists, and an unprecedented 81% field goal percentage. As Kings fans that come with built-in low expectations, we really couldn't ask for anything more. But while the Kings surpassed our expectations on the offensive end, they couldn't maintain the same success on the defensive side. Their lack of defensive execution allowed for the Raptors to hang around, despite the Kings' explosive performance, and the game was tied by the halfway mark of the 2nd quarter. The Kings failed to execute basic team defense - the help side came to stop attacks to the rim, but the secondary help (to help the helper) was too slow. This resulted in open looks or free throws for the Raptors. It's just a shame that such a promising and exciting offensive performance is ultimately nullified by an embarrassing lack of defense.
Royal Court Jester
Because someone is always actin' a fool.
Tonight's Royal Court Jester goes to someone you might not have even noticed. Nemanja Bjelica played only 9 minutes tonight, but for good reason. For starters, this was not a good matchup for him - the Raptors' bigs are too fast and athletic for Bjeli. But compounding on this was Nemanja's inability to play within himself. Right off the bat, I got the sense that he was a bit too eager to contribute, forcing contested looks. His new assignment as a role player will rightfully take some adjusting to, but he can't force his way into the rotation. Instead, for Nemanja to become a meaningful contributor, he'll need to hone in on perfecting what he can - moving the ball on offense, making open shots, and grabbing rebounds.
The King of Kings
Because at least one person does at least one good thing, usually.
Tonight has been a huge letdown overall, but let's not forget one of the best plays of the night. The King of Kings crown goes to Harrison Barnes for his old man SLAM in the 2nd quarter.
One of my favorite things about Harrison Barnes is his veteran swag of adding a slow motion frame to every attack he makes. It often throws off the defense and gets him to either slip through it or get fouled. And this play was no different. I didn't even think he was going to dunk it, since there was that split second where it felt like he froze on his way up to the rim, and then SLAM. I think Harrison threw that one down for all the vets.
Up Next
Saturday, January 9th vs. Portland Trail Blazers @ 7:00 P.M. (PT)
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