To Kaaangz or not to Kaaangz? As the inevitable glow of a Kings win and simultaneous Lakers loss is beginning to fade, I am once again left feeling conflicted. Like I said before, any day where the Kings beat the Lakers is a day worth living, and my emotional side is placated. But my rational side won't shut the hell up. The cynical part of my psyche keeps reminding me that Lebron James & Anthony Davis didn't play, the Lakers' bench squad still scored 120 points, and it keeps replaying Jared Dudley picking De'Aaron Fox's pocket like a grandpa stealing a kid's lunch money. The tug-of-war between my passion and my reason continues and the thread they are pulling on is continuing to thin. I am afraid to find out where my mental state will fall once it finally snaps.
The Backdrop
The Sacramento Kings entered this game 14-21 and seeded at the 12th spot in the Western Conference.
The Portland Trail Blazers entered this game 20-14 and seeded at the 5th spot in the Western Conference.
We finally made it - the final game before a desperately needed week off for all of us. This will be their third time facing the Trail Blazers so far this season and the Kings will be looking to notch their first victory against Damian Lillard and his shorthanded squad. Riddled by injury once again, the Blazers are missing CJ McCollum, who wreaked absolute havoc on the Kings earlier this year, and big men Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins. Without his right-hand assassin, Damian Lillard has been doing all he can for his team, averaging 29.6 points, 8.1 assists, and 11.1 3-point attempts on 38.0% from behind the arc.
For the fourth, and hopefully last, game in a row, Tyrese Haliburton will be supporting his team from the sidelines, resting a calf injury. His absence these past three games has only furthered his candidacy for Rookie of the Year, as we have all suffered to witness what this team becomes without him. To put it succinctly: no Tyrese Haliburton means more Cory Joseph. To elaborate: Tyrese provides a unique energy that Cory simply cannot emulate. While Cory plays with his body, attempting to contribute with full-speed effort that often results in careless turnovers and fouls, Tyrese plays with his mind, fluctuating between calm and calculated defense and timely explosive offense. Tyrese truly is the glue that holds this team together, being able to play fast with De'Aaron Fox while also being able to slow it down when things get frantic. Without their glue guy again tonight, the Kings will need to find another way to not fall apart.
Quick Stats
Because numbers make things make sense.
Outcome: Kings lose, 119-123
Sacramento Kings: 119 PTS, 47.6% FG, 37.9% 3 PT, 25 AST, 7 TO
Portland Trail Blazers: 123 PTS, 47.7% FG, 39.5% 3 PT, 20 AST, 8 TO
De'Aaron Fox (SAC): 32 PTS, 12 AST, 8 REB
Buddy Hield (SAC): 21 PTS, 6 REB, 5 3-PT
Damian Lillard (POR): 44 PTS, 8-15 3 PT, 10-10 FT
Enes Kanter (POR): 22 PTS, 21 REB
I feel personally insulted. Damian Lillard is so rude. I was foolish enough to feel good about the Kings' chances down the stretch. De'Aaron Fox was heating up for his usual 4th quarter takeover and I was feeling hopeful. And then the clock struck the 5-minute mark and Dame Time ensued. 4th Quarter Fox is real, but Dame Time is REALLY REAL. Dame took my foolish hopes and calmly buried them as if he was making his morning coffee. It's like he knew exactly how this would all play out and honestly, I should have too.
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
Because all three are consistent parts of Kings basketball.
The Good:
Transition Ball Movement: De'Aaron Fox set the early fast pace we love to see. The Kings were able to capitalize on this momentum and translate it into their ball movement. With the Blazers on their heels, the Kings kept them in a scramble by whipping the ball around and keeping them out of shape. Even when they used most of the shot clock, they were able to keep the ball and bodies moving to get them open looks. Their unselfish play sacrificed good shots for better ones. The continuous movement forced the defense to take their focus off of the ball, even for just a moment, and that created openings for the Kings. It was fun, refreshing, and relieving to know that they can do more than stand around and ball watch.
The Bad:
Bagley Hedge/Drop: The worst part of Marvin Bagley III's defense is his indecisiveness. When defending the on-ball screen, Bagley needs to make a decision and commit to it. Whether he decides to drop to protect the roll, or hedge to stuff the ball, he just needs to pick one and actually execute it with certainty. Right now, he fails to do either and instead floats in a middle zone between these two options and renders himself useless. In tonight's matchup, he needed to hedge hard and at the right angles to keep Damian Lillard from pulling up and blowing by. By playing half-drop in no man's land, Bagley gave Dame the options to either shoot or attack him on his heels for a dump pass to his screener.
The Ugly:
4th Quarter Execution: I was always a believer, but now I am also a victim. Portland's point god scored 10 straight points in the final three minutes of the game and did it so effortlessly that I feel personally victimized by Damian "Regina George" Lillard. I know I should have expected it, but I also didn't expect the Kings to crumble so rapidly. Compounding on Dame's clutch shot after clutch shot was the Kings' inability to execute on their end of the floor. After a few amazing finishes by De'Aaron Fox to keep the Kings on top, Portland figured out who they had to target. And once again, the Kings failed to adjust. Three possessions in a row resulted in blocked shots at the rim. One on possession, the Blazers doubled Fox to get it out of his hands. Fox quickly passed to Buddy Hield who then waited for the defense to recover before deciding on an attack. The Kings gave up an offensive rebound that resulted in one of Dame's 3-pointers and then a Buddy turnover on the other end. It all unraveled so quickly. It is these situational lapses that will continue to hold the Kings back from closing out games.
Defending Dame: Just as she explained so professionally and accurately for Shaq recently on NBA on TNT, Candace Parker needs to break down for the Kings how the NBA works now. To relate her main point to tonight's game: YOU CANNOT GO UNDER SCREENS WHEN DAMIAN LILLARD HAS THE BALL. And just as she incredulously stared at Shaq when he tried to question her, I, too, incredulously glared at the Kings as they continued to slide under Enes Kanter screens which allowed Damian Lillard the little space he needed to launch. The NBA has become a game where the 3-pointer is attempted nearly as often as 2-point field goals. And as players are only increasing their accuracy from this range and beyond, defending the 3-pointer has become all the more important. Dame is among the best of the best and is notorious for logo lacers. The Kings need to push themselves out of their comfort zone by getting up on the ball, fighting over screens, and staying on the hips of shooters.
Royal Court Jester
Because someone is always actin' a fool.
I really didn't want to do this, but he's left me no choice. For the third game in a row, tonight's Royal Court Jester goes to Cory Joseph. At the 5:01 mark in the 4th quarter, Harrison Barnes got wrapped up in a jump ball with Damian Lillard. The Kings were up by just two points, and the ball could not be valued much higher. Anticipating Dame Time, everyone knew it was important for the Kings to value the ball and get good looks to stop the onslaught that Damian Lillard was sure to bring. With his size advantage, Barnes was able to get his fingers on the ball before Dame, and tipped it back towards the Kings' 3-point line. The ball bounced off a few hands and eventually landed in Cory Josephs'. Kings fans everywhere breathed a sigh of relief that we were able to maintain possession and potentially increase the cushion of our lead. But, unfortunately, Cory Joseph mistook this spotlight pressure as a sign to try to be the hero. He took one dribble and launched a 3-pointer that missed the entire basket, aggressively banked off the backboard, and into Portland's possession.
The King of Kings
Because at least one person does at least one good thing, usually.
Tonight's King of Kings goes to Harrison Barnes for what was quite possibly the slowest Euro step I have ever witnessed. In the 2nd quarter, Barnes received the ball on the right wing and was guarded by the long and lanky Derrick Jones Jr. Understanding that he wouldn't be able to beat Jones in athleticism, Barnes decided to slow it waaaaaay down and basically lulled Jones to sleep as he slow-motion bulldozed his way to the basket for the and one. It was just another reminder of why Harrison Barnes' fundamental game is so satisfying. You don't see his plays on SportsCenter, but they're the ones that always get the job done.
Up Next
Thursday, March 11th vs. Houston Rockets @ 7:00 P.M. (PT)
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