I keep pinching myself to make sure this is real. The Sacramento Kings are UNDEFEATED and have a 2-0 record to start this new season. A fun fact floating around the Kings twitter-verse last night was that this is the first 2-0 start for the Kings since 2003. That was 17 years ago, folks. I was still a happy, naive, and proud 11-year old Kings fan at the time and Tyrese Haliburton was just 3 years old. I cannot stress enough just how foreign these emotions of happiness, hope, and excitement are for us die-hard Kings fans.
The Backdrop
The Sacramento Kings entered this game 2-0 and seeded at the 1st spot (!!!) in the Western Conference.
The Phoenix Suns entered this game 1-1 and seeded at the 9th spot in the Western Conference.
Tonight is the second of a back-to-back matchup between the Kings and Suns. Last night's game was a hard fought battle, coming down to final possessions and decided by only a 3-point difference. I expect tonight's game to be another close contest. I am almost certain that the Suns will show some strategic adjustments, but I am not confident in what the Kings will do. While the Suns are led by a great head coach in Monty Williams and veteran court general in Chris Paul, the Kings still have to prove their ability to successfully adjust and grow from past mistakes in these kinds of consecutive matchups.
The happy and proud fan in me wants to believe the Kings can continue this historic start and pull out another win, but the burned and traumatized fan in me wants to protect myself and expect them to take their first loss. I guess I just need to "Let go & let [basketball] God[s]". *emoji prayer hands*
Quick Stats
Because numbers make things make sense.
Outcome: Kings lose, 100-116
Sacramento Kings: 100 PTS, 47.4% FG, 43.5% 3PT, 21 AST, 15 TO
Phoenix Suns: 116 PTS, 48.9% FG, 40.0% 3PT, 34 AST, 9 TO
Tyrese Haliburton (SAC): 15 PTS, 6 AST
Mikal Bridges (PHX): 22 PTS, 7 REB, 4-8 3 PT
Well, I guess it was wise of me to trust the history of being a Kings fan. These are those familiar feelings, as Mark Jones described, of being "busted and disgusted" that come with the territory of being a Kings fan. There were some good things, there were a lot of bad things, and the Kings ultimately fell apart for their first loss of the season. I guess it had to come sometime.
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
Because all three are consistent parts of Kings basketball.
The Good:
First Quarter Adjustments: Much to my surprise, I thought the Kings executed their early adjustments better than the Suns. Early on, you could see the Suns were trying to get Ayton going early, constantly looking for him inside. However, the Kings met this strategy with good help side defense and even deflected some of the Suns' entry passes.
Zone Defense: The Kings have been working on incorporating a zone defense into their arsenal. When executed correctly, this is a useful thing to keep in a team's back pocket, as it can be used to quickly throw off the offensive momentum of an opponent. Tonight was the first time I thought the Kings' zone defense was effective and worked in the way its intended to. Their rotations were fast and fluid with their best sequence being at the end of the 1st quarter where they forced the Suns into a shot clock violation.
The Bad:
Marvin Bagley in the Post: There are so many things I love about Marvin's game - his soft touch on mid range floaters, his skill in transition, and his athleticism against slower bigs. But the slender frame that allows him to be so skilled in these areas is also keeping him from developing a stronger presence in the post on both ends of the floor. Ayton and Kaminsky each have about 15 pounds on Bagley and it shows. Marvin struggles to defend when the ball gets deep into the paint and also came up short on some deep position possessions on offense. If he can invest in strengthening his body and still maintaining his agility and guard-like skill set, he can become a more complete player for the Kings.
Luke's Losing Lineups: My skin crawls when Buddy Hield is the majority ball handler on the floor for us. Until we can reasonably expect more ball-handling responsibilities from Tyrese, we need either Fox or CoJo on the floor at all times. When Luke leaves Buddy Hield hanging on the floor without any ball handlers, he is asking Buddy to do more than he is capable of and therefore sets the Kings up to fail on offense.
The Ugly:
3rd Quarter Clusterfuck: What. A. Mess. The Suns really caught their stride and pulled away in the 4th quarter, but it was the 3rd quarter where the Kings fell apart and gave the Suns the momentum they needed to win this game. The Kings were outscored 34-25 for the quarter where their immaturity as a team was revealed. As leader of this team, Fox set the bad example of committing emotional fouls and letting the valleys of the game get to him when he was seen throwing a water bottle in frustration on the sideline. To become a playoff team, the Kings will need to learn how to suck it up when things get tough. The best and winning teams are able to keep their composure when faced with adversity, much like how the Phoenix Suns did tonight.
Royal Court Jester
Because someone is always actin' a fool.
I never would have anticipated that our superstar would be receiving two out of the first three caps to start the season, but here we are. De'Aaron Fox gets named the Royal Court Jester today for his foolish insistence on getting called for offensive fouls. When we needed him on the floor the most, De'Aaron took himself out of the game by picking up his 5th foul in the final seconds of the 3rd quarter.
Earlier in the quarter, he was bailed out of getting his 4th foul on a questionably successful challenge, but ended up getting his 4th on an offensive foul a few possessions later. His 5th foul was also committed on the offensive end. This kept De'Aaron out of the first five minutes of the 4th quarter, when the Suns continued their run and solidified their lead to easily close out the game. Even when he did re-enter the game in the 4th quarter to see if he could spark a comeback, his five fouls kept him from being aggressive on offensive or contesting on defense.
The King of Kings
Because at least one person does at least one good thing, usually.
I like Cory Joseph because I trust Cory Joseph. He gets tonight's King of Kings crown for being the consistent Cory I have come to love and rely on. When giving Fox early relief in the first half and during his temper tantrum in the second, Cory stepped on to give the Kings a calm and collected presence on the floor. He knows who he is and always plays within his range. Tonight he contributed 9 points, 2 assists, and went 4-4 on free throws. Especially without Fox on the floor, Cory stepped up in attacking the basket to create offense when no one else would.
Up Next
Tuesday, December 29th vs. Nuggets @ 7:00 P.M. (PT)
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