As a young child, my fascination with romance combined with some hypochondriacal tendencies and a sprinkling of general anxiety all earned me constant criticism of being "so dramatic." I used to feel ashamed of this label, but have embraced it in recent years, understanding that being dramatic allows me to feel life in extreme intensities. So I created King's Landing, where we are dramatic Kings fans, with heavy emphasis on the dramatic. We exist in a space where either the sky is falling and the rapture is just around the corner or we are on the brink of world domination and infinite glory. There is little room for anything in between.
And right now, we get to be unreasonably, illogically, and prematurely EXCITED to be Sacramento Kings fans. De'Aaron Fox is on an All-Star tear, Tyrese Haliburton continues to amaze, and Harrison Barnes is checking all of the boxes as a veteran leader. It feels like pieces are falling together and the Kings are growing into a real NBA team. Next stop: WORLD DOMINATION.
The Backdrop
The Sacramento Kings entered this game 10-11 and seeded at the 11th spot in the Western Conference.
The Denver Nuggets entered this game 12-9 and seeded at the 4th spot in the Western Conference.
After starting this season 1-4 (thanks to two big Ls to none other than your Sacramento Kings), the Denver Nuggets have corrected themselves and have won 11 of their last 16 games. The Nuggets are 4th in the league for offensive efficiency, averaging 115 points per game. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are still leading their team on offense, with Jokic averaging 26 points and 8 assists as a center.
Although the Kings were victorious in their first two matchups with Denver early on this season, they can expect to need their A game tonight to take the third. I hope Richaun Holmes and Marvin Bagley III got a lot of rest these past two days, as they're going to have to battle Nikola Jokic all game long. Their best shot is to body up to him before he receives the ball, make him work for any positions, and tire him out early. Without Jamal Murray this afternoon, who is out with knee soreness, the Nuggets will be relying on Michael Porter Jr. and Will Barton for more point production. My guess is the Kings will need to hold the Nuggets to 107 points today to win.
Quick Stats
Because numbers make things make sense.
Outcome: Kings win, 119-114
Sacramento Kings: 119 PTS, 48.4% FG, 40.0% 3 PT, 30 AST, 7 TO
Denver Nuggets: 114 PTS, 46.4% FG, 37.1% 3 PT, 30 AST, 9 TO
Harrison Barnes (SAC): 28 PTS, 7 REB, 5-7 3 PT
Richaun Holmes (SAC): 21 PTS, 10 REB, 2 BLKS
Nikola Jokic (DEN): 50 PTS*, 12 AST, 7-7 FT
*Career-high
The Kings allowed seven more points than my prediction and three more points from Nikola Jokic than his previous career-high, but they still got the W!!! Jokic lost his mind and put up a monster 50 piece for his Nuggets. Normally, I love me some 50 piece nuggets, but I prefer them in chicken form. Despite Jokic's unbelievable performance, the Kings had five players in double digits, four of which had 20+ points, and put just enough together to seal the win. When the Kings are able to score at this efficiency and contain secondary threats, they put themselves in a position to be successful and ultimately to win basketball games. AND SO THE DRAMATIC STREAK CONTINUES!
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
Because all three are consistent parts of Kings basketball.
The Good:
Valuing the Rock: The Kings are averaging 14.5 turnovers per game and often lose in this category to their opponent from game to game. But today the Kings managed to value the basketball like the precious jewel that it is. With only seven turnovers, the Kings minimized their chances of being killed in transition and optimized their chances to score. In a game that had lead changes happening through most of the game, taking care of the ball is crucial. Had the Kings given up more turnovers, the outcome may have been different.
Buddy Gives Back: Buddy had a rare ice cold night. And when I say ice cold I mean Alaska in the dead of winter and the sun hasn't shown itself for over 72 hours ice cold. He shot 0-9 from the 3-point line, unfortunately breaking his streak of 87 consecutive games of a 3-point make. But instead of letting this ruin his game, he found another switch to flip and had a season-high of seven assists. My favorite ones were his two dribbles off of a screen and slide bounce pass to Richaun Holmes for an easy push shot. It was great to see Buddy find a way to keep himself on the floor and valuable despite an odd shooting night.
Containing Everyone Else: The Kings picked their poison tonight and got a strong dose from Nikola Jokic. The Kings chose to focus on stopping everyone else and challenged Jokic to beat them on his own. They chose not to send double teams on Jokic when he had the ball, which I thought was wise. Jokic is too big and too good at passing that double teams do little to stop him and ultimately just leave someone wide open for him to whip a bullet pass to. Instead, the Kings remained in single coverage so they could contest all other shots fairly. And it worked.
The Bad:
Too Easy for Jokic: The Kings executed their defensive strategy well - Nikola Jokic got his and then some and the Kings stopped everyone else. But they could have still made it a little bit harder on the big guy. As I mentioned already, the single coverage was smart, but that single body should have been used to tire him out. Jokic was able to get position too easily without having to work for it. I would have liked to see the Kings pick him up full court and make him work for position as soon as he entered the offensive half. Unless you're Hassan Whiteside, I promise Jokic won't beat you down the floor.
The Ugly:
Second Unit Defense: Before Nikola Jokic really got rolling, his supporting cast kept the Nuggets in the game. While starters for both teams were getting rest in the 2nd quarter, the Kings' second unit failed to carry over the defensive momentum from the first unit. The Nuggets took advantage of the released pressure and scored five of their eight 3-pointers in this quarter. Shooters had more daylight and the momentum quickly shifted in the Nuggets's favor. For the Kings to defend for all 48 minutes, the second unit must maintain the same defensive presence established by the starting unit.
Royal Court Jester
Because someone is always actin' a fool.
Today's Royal Court Jester is a rare cross-team pick. Coach Mike Malone gets to wear the cap today for making me laugh just a few minutes into play. As Monte Morris attempted a pass to Will Barton, Buddy Hield got a fingernail on the ball and sent it on a crooked path straight to Coach Malone. The ball flew straight to Malone's stomach where he caught it and immediately snapped into shooting form. It was adorable and hilarious and made me giggle. I miss that guy.
The King of Kings
Because at least one person does at least one good thing, usually.
As the reigning King of Kings, Harrison Barnes now holds the title for longest King of Kings streak at two consecutive games in a row. I. Love. Highlight. Harrison. He is always referred to as this young team's veteran leader, and he has certainly filled that role this season. But we often forget that Harrison is just 28 years old and today he showed that he still has some juice in his legs and show in his game. Step back 3s, the up and under reverse layup, the big man pump fake and one on Nikola Jokic - it was all beautiful and worthy of a lengthy highlight reel for Harrison.
Up Next
Sunday, February 7th @ Los Angeles Clippers @ 12:00 P.M. (PT)
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