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Writer's pictureMirann Tsumura

1/9/2021, Kings vs. Trail Blazers

I'm getting tired of writing these split posts, where the top and bottom halves completely contradict each other. Either I start off by writing about how the Kings are amazing and going to win a championship only to then end up writing about how they are disappointing losers on the back end, or vice versa. I just want some consistency. And I want that consistency to include good basketball. And I want that good basketball to include winning basketball games. And I want those winning basketball games to ultimately lead to an NBA championship. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?!

So for tonight I'm just going to remain as neutral as my dramatic personality will allow to start this one off. No highs, no lows, just indifference. I am an emotionless void who couldn't care less about whether the Sacramento Kings win another basketball game. Do you believe me? Neither do I.


The Backdrop

The Sacramento Kings entered this game 4-5 and seeded at the 11th spot in the Western Conference.


The Portland Trail Blazers entered this game 4-4 and seeded at the 8th spot in the Western Conference.


Tonight is the second game of a back-to-back for the Kings, and after releasing the reserves halfway through the 4th quarter last night, the Kings' main rotation shouldn't be too fatigued for tonight's matchup. In a last minute update, Richaun Holmes was listed as out for tonight due to left ankle soreness. Tyrese Haliburton will get his first NBA start to replace Richaun. De'Aaron Fox will still be on restricted minutes to monitor his hamstring soreness.


How the Kings respond tonight will tell a lot about their character as a team. To become a serious competitor in this league, the Kings have to continue to evolve and grow game after game. If they remain comfortable with lazy defense and lackluster offense, they will never move forward. They must relish the discomfort, push themselves & each other, and play with some real accountability. Otherwise, we're looking at consecutive year #15 of torment and horrible basketball.


The Portland Trail Blazers are led by their blazing backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Coming off of an 18-point victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves from Thursday night, these two are rolling on offense, often their team's top two leading scorers every game. On Thursday, they combined for 59 points, with Damian Lillard cashing in for 39 of those. With eight games under his belt, Lillard is averaging 27.8 PPG, so it's safe to say that Dame D.O.L.L.A. is not here to mess around.

Despite the steady offensive production from their backcourt, the Blazers have been scrutinized for their defensive deficiencies so far this season. Ranking 25th or lower in the league for opponent points per game, opponent fast break points, and defensive efficiency, the Blazers have received some chatter from media about how their defense may be cause for concern. But Portland has started their season with one of the toughest schedules, already having to face the Western powerhouses of the Lakers, Clippers, Jazz, and Warriors. So I'm not going to rely on their bad defensive numbers here and I hope the Kings don't either - the Kings will need to come aggressive on both ends of the floor and treat Portland with the respect they deserve.


Oh, wait, but I don't even care who wins, remember?


Quick Stats

Because numbers make things make sense.


Outcome: Kings lose, 99-125


Sacramento Kings: 99 PTS, 40.7% FG, 26.7% 3 PT, 21 AST, 15 TO

Portland Trail Blazers: 125 PTS, 44.0% FG, 41.5% 3 PT, 26 AST, 8 TO


Marvin Bagley III (SAC): 15 PTS, 8 REB

Tyrese Haliburton (SAC): 12 PTS, 8 AST

CJ McCollum (POR): 37 PTS, 6-11 3 PT


I lied. I very much still DO care about whether or not the Sacramento Kings win basketball games. In fact, one could argue that I care TOO much. This became self-evident when I wanted to start drinking to the point of oblivion before the halfway mark of this game. I am not an emotionless void. I am in fact stuffed with emotions. I am disappointed, disgusted, overwhelmed, frustrated, and exhausted. Did I leave any out? Let me know, Kings fans.

Did someone in Sacramento kick CJ McCollum's dog or something??? Because that man came to assassinate tonight, John Wick-style. As a Kings fan, I feel like he just killed me with a pencil. But as an NBA fan, I'm rooting for him to be the last assassin standing. For those that have not yet been blessed with the John Wick universe and need some context:


The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

Because all three are consistent parts of Kings basketball.


The Good:

  1. Today is Saturday: The only respite to tonight is that I don't have work tomorrow and can therefore afford to drown my feelings in a heavy, self-medicated dose of alcohol. The only thing that could make this night worse would be if I had to wake up tomorrow and pretend to engineer things.

The Bad:

  1. Straight to Voicemail: I said at the top of this that the way in which the Kings respond tonight would be indicative of their character as a team. Well, it turns out that this team is just a bunch of deadbeats. After getting beat down on Wednesday by the Raptors for their lack of defense, the Kings had a chance tonight to respond with grit, determination, and accountability. Instead, they answered this call by ignoring it and reinforced the notion that they just don't care enough to work harder.

  2. Soft Screens: When the Kings defend a pick & roll, the on-ball defender will have to decide to either go over or under the screen and there is significant recovery that needs to be made after fighting around it. That's how a pick & roll is intended to work. You know who doesn't have to decide how to battle a screen? Anyone who is playing the Kings. During the rare moments when the Kings attempted to initiate offensive movement, Hassan and Marvin set THE softest screens for their ball handler and did more harm than good by essentially just bringing more bodies around the ball.

The Ugly:

  1. Consistency: I guess I did ask for this. Instead of continuing to take us on the rollercoaster of their up and down play, it seems the Kings have settled on just keeping us on the downhill part. Tonight was consistently ugly - on both ends of the floor, through every quarter, and with every lineup. They didn't even give us the classic 20-point lead before they got blown out. Tonight the Kings were presented with two battles, one to recover some defensive credibility and the other to institute some offensive strategy, and they showed up for neither.

  2. Death Dollar: Every Kings fan is familiar with the Death Quarter, known to all other 29 NBA teams as the 3rd quarter, where the Kings are currently ranked 27th in the league for point margin (-3.4). But tonight, they managed to lose not just the one quarter, not even just two quarters, but EVERY quarter of this game (-14, -3, -7, & -2, respectively). Four death quarters = death dollar.


Royal Court Jester

Because someone is always actin' a fool.


It's a very #Kangz phenomenon that the leading scorer for the team would also be the Royal Court Jester. Although, "leading scorer" is a pretty meaningless title in a game like tonight, as this player only managed 15 points. I had high and happy hopes about Marvin Bagley III coming into this season, but we are officially 10 games in now and the rose-colored filter has expired.


One of the most obvious deficiencies in Marvin's game is that he cannot put the ball in the basket. It seems as if the game is still too fast for him, as he fumbles a lot of passes and misses close-range shots. This would all be easier to forgive and accounted for as a side effect to his inconsistent play due to injury the past two seasons if he wasn't so utterly awful on defense. As much as his athleticism and quickness gives him some advantages against slower bigs, it makes him an absolute liability on defense. Portland capitalized on this, with switches for Dame to easily fly by Bagley for a layup, or even bully ball from Enes Kanter to beat him to the rim. Yes, ENES KANTER, who is maybe half a step faster than Hassan Whiteside.

My biggest question of the night is how can Marvin be a starter AND one of the five players on the floor for the remaining garbage minutes of a 30-point blowout? Make it make sense, Luke. I haven't lost all hope for MB3, but for now he needs to be moved out of the starting rotation until he earns his way there.


The King of Kings

Because at least one person does at least one good thing, usually.


Since there's no one from the Sacramento Kings team that deserves this honor tonight, I want to take this time to officially acknowledge and appreciate the absolute blessing we have in Mark Jones. With 30 years of broadcasting experience with ESPN and ABC, Mark Jones is a gem. Here is tonight's King of Kings side by side with the GOAT, Doris Burke:

I mean, you can't climb any higher than that. Mark was announced as the primary Kings TV play-by-play announcer back in November, officially filling the spot previously held by Grant Napear for 32 years. I appreciated Grant's passion and clear love for the city and its team, but Mark Jones is just such a breath of fresh air. While Grant was ALL VOICE, ALL THE TIME, Mark brings a great voice and even greater analysis and knowledge. He is smooth, smart, and always professional. My favorite line from tonight was his play call of CJ McCollum taking the Kings on by himself and nailing a fancy fadeaway: "CJ McCollum going deep into his bag and... yup, that's a DUFFLE BAG, it's LARGE."


Up Next

Monday, January 11th vs. Indiana Pacers @ 7:00 P.M. (PT)


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doan916
10 Jan 2021

I can’t imagine if the Kings didn’t end up with Tyrese how depressing this year would be. Bagley’s develop alongside Buddy’s struggles after the offseason of trade request make the future seem bleak.

Suka
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