What is football? The Super Bowl? Who is Tom Brady? All I know is that Sunday, February 7th, 2021 has so far been the greatest day in sports this year, as the Sacramento Kings defeated the Los Angeles Clippers to push their season record above .500, extend their longest winning streak of the season to four games, and give further fuel to my ridiculous rhetoric as a Kings fan.
What a glorious eight days it has been to enjoy winning basketball. It is so unfamiliar, it almost feels awkward to be in this position. Am I allowed to smile this much? Can I start talking shit to people? What do I do with my hands? I've spent so many years being cynical and sour that I'm not sure what the socially acceptable behavior is to be a happy fan. This is a growing experience for us all, players and fans alike.
The Backdrop
The Sacramento Kings entered this game 12-11 and seeded at the 7th spot in the Western Conference.
The Philadelphia 76ers entered this game 17-7 and seeded at the 1st spot in the Eastern Conference.
As the Kings begin their next five-game home stand and conclude their four-game powerhouse matchup tonight, the Philadelphia 76ers stand before them as the final boss character that the Kings must defeat before a respite. Under new leadership from Coach Doc Rivers and President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey, the Sixers are looking to solidify their position as a championship contender this year. Falling short in the playoffs for the past three seasons, the Sixers find themselves approaching a crossroads - either they will continue to build around Joel Embiid AND Ben Simmons, or they will choose just one of them and unload the other for surrounding pieces and assets. That being said, the Sixers are motivated and eager to be successful this season to make that upcoming decision an easy one.
Joel Embiid is having his best season and is firmly seated at the table of MVP talks. Embiid is averaging 29.3 points and 10.7 rebounds and shows no signs of slowing down. Crediting his offseason work, Embiid has improved his overall fitness and makes his presence felt on both ends of the floor. Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris act as Embiid's main supporting cast, with Simmons providing defensive clamps and Harris averaging 20.2 points a night. With this formidable cast coming off of a big win over the Brooklyn Nets, the Kings are facing one of their biggest tests tonight.
Quick Stats
Because numbers make things make sense.
Outcome: Kings lose, 111-119
Sacramento Kings: 111 PTS, 43.4% FG, 33.3% 3 PT, 24 AST, 11 TO
Philadelphia 76ers: 119 PTS, 48.2% FG, 45.0% 3 PT, 24 AST, 17 TO
De'Aaron Fox (SAC): 34 PTS, 10 AST
Buddy Hield (SAC): 20 PTS, 6 3 PT, 8 REB
Joel Embiid (PHI): 25 PTS, 17 REB, 13-14 FT
Tobias Harris (PHI): 22 PTS, 10 REB
This is a weird feeling. The Kings lose tonight, but I don't feel that bad. I don't want to punch a wall, pull my hair out, or smash things, all of which are familiar feelings after a Kings' loss. I guess you feel different when you've been winning. Interesting. Even if the Kings hadn't been coming off of a four-game winning streak, this was probably their best feeling loss so far this season. For all but the last few minutes of the game, I felt as though the Kings had a legitimate chance at winning. The Kings battled all night long and even had the 76ers on their heels for a good portion of the game. The Sixers just made plays and stops down the stretch when it mattered most, like a top team tends to do. Against the fully loaded #1 team in the Eastern Conference, this is a loss we can all live with.
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
Because all three are consistent parts of Kings basketball.
The Good:
Defense to Offense: The closing of the 2nd quarter was the best stretch of Kings basketball and something we aren't accustomed to seeing. In the final three minutes of the half, the Kings went on a 16-5 run to give themselves a five-point advantage heading into the tunnel. During this stretch, the Kings controlled the pace on both ends of the floor and generated their offense from their defense. De'Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, and Tyrese Haliburton made back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers and energized the Kings' defense with big stops to keep the momentum in their favor. Although they couldn't replicate this ending in the 4th quarter, closing out quarters has been a big focus for the Kings and doing so in the 2nd was a big step for them tonight.
You Can't Fox with Him: De'Aaron Fox has finally started to get the recognition he deserves, as he was named the Western Conference Player of the Week. But while the rest of the league is starting to take notice of Fox's excellence, we've all BEEN knowing how good this guy is. He had another big night, finishing with 34 points and a handful of highlight plays. My favorite was the Fox Freeze he casted on Ben Simmons in the 2nd quarter, where it felt like time stopped for a few seconds as Simmons glitched in confusion at De'Aaron's shiftiness and the rest of the world stopped to see what De'Aaron would do next. Of course, he nailed the jumper. Fox has gotten so good that he doesn't even have to put the ball in the basket to score anymore. In the 4th quarter, he took a tough, fall-away baseline shot as the shot clock ran down and Dwight Howard was so afraid of him scoring again that he snagged the ball on its path down and got called for goaltending.
The Bad:
CoJo Minutes: Big yikes, Cory Joseph. I've been wanting to root for and rely on you again, but I find myself yelling at my screen every night I see you anywhere remotely close to the basketball. After another night of watching Cory dribble into obvious traffic and cause an unnecessary turnover, I am beginning to wonder what exactly else he has to do to get benched. In a game like tonight, where size matters, why not use Nemanja Bjelica? Where is Nemanja Bjelica? Is he still in Sacramento? Nemanja has completely fallen out of the rotation, but with the aggressive regression of Cory Joseph, tonight would have been a great opportunity to utilize Nemanja's size and shooting. And if not Nemanja, literally anyone else would probably work better at this point.
The Ugly:
42 Piece Quarter: The Kings reverted back to old habits when they gave up 42 points in the 1st quarter. Some of this could be attributed to foul trouble and the fast pace of the game that allowed for a lot of offensive possessions for both teams. But if the Kings want to thrive in a fast-paced environment, they have to learn how to defend in it, too. I can't help but do the math and realize that even allowing the Sixers to score 33 points in the first 12 minutes could have given the Kings a W.
Royal Court Jester
Because someone is always actin' a fool.
Post-game footage with Kyle Draper and Kayte Christensen-Hunter showed this guy practicing free throws after the game as they praised him for his dedication and hard work. I had a slightly more aggressive response as I yelled, "WELL YOU'D BETTER BE OUT THERE YOU MISSED THE WHOLE DAMN BASKET TONIGHT!" If you haven't figured it out yet, tonight's Royal Court Jester goes to Hassan Whiteside for missing every part of the basket in his first free throw attempt of the game. To compound on this embarrassment, he front-rimmed the second one to finish 0-2 for the night.
The King of Kings
Because at least one person does at least one good thing, usually.
WOW. I never would have thought that tonight, of all nights, would be where we get Marvin Bagley III's breakout performance. I'll be honest, I had a very bad feeling in the pit of my stomach when Richaun Holmes got into early foul trouble in the 1st half and the responsibilities of handling Joel Embiid fell upon Marvin's shoulders. Just standing next to each other, Embiid makes Marvin look like a child, outweighing him by approximately 45 pounds and about three different muscle groups.
But Marvin held his own tonight and surprised us all. When we needed him the most, and expected the least, he came through. Although completely outweighed, Marvin did all that he could to battle Embiid, frantically fighting to front him, clawing his way around him, and actively bodying up to him the best that he could. While Richaun had to sit out for big stretches of time due to foul trouble, Marvin filled his place with valuable defense while managing to keep himself out of foul trouble. He even took two big charges to the chest, one on Joel Embiid and one on Ben Simmons. Even though he looked like a rag doll being thrown around on both, a charge is a charge and I am so proud of him. I love seeing him do well and hope he continues to earn valuable minutes on the floor.
Up Next
Friday, February 12th vs. Orlando Magic @ 7:00 P.M. (PT)
Comments