The Kings entered the NBA season tonight after closing out the All-Star break with two wins over Denver and San Antonio. With momentum and good vibes on their side, tonight was an opportunity for the Kings to make a big statement and right some wrongs. The Los Angeles Clippers have had the Kings’ numbers so far this season, beating them by double-digit margins in their last two meetings. There’s a good reason why the Clippers are sitting in third place in the Western Conference, and no one expected the Clippers to lose easily. The Kings needed to play their best basketball. Let’s see how they did it:
quick stats
result: Kings win, 123-107
sacramento kings: 123 points, 49.5% FG, 40.5% 3 pt, 81.8% FT, 29 AST, 41 REB, 10 TO
Los Angeles Clippers: 107 pts, 48.8% fg, 29.6% 3 pt, 95.0% ft, 23 ast, 39 reb, 16 to
Looks like Quentin Tarantino Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, this game begins in a familiar manner and tempts you into anticipation of how it will end. Even without Paul George, the Clippers relied on Kawhi Leonard’s midrange expertise to score the ball well, scoring 12 of their 20 points in the first half. Norman Powell (21 points) made consecutive shots early on, making two of his five total 3-pointers early on. As such, it felt like this game was about to go in favor of the Clippers and the result would be the same as the previous matchup this year. But in a classic Tarantino twist, the Kings chose a different ending.
The good, the better, and the best
Good things:
- fight for the crown: This might have been the Kings’ best defensive game of the season. The statistical trend that suffocated the pregame broadcast was that the Clippers were second in the league in 3-point shooting, while the Kings were last in the league in 3-point shots defended. Tonight, the Kings said they would check out the statistical trends. They held the Clippers to just 8-27 (29.6%) from the 3-point line while shooting 15-37 (40.5%) themselves. This math is hard to beat in a basketball game. The Kings cleaned up the boards efficiently, racking up 10 steals and a ton of deflections, completing a physical defensive performance. Their defensive effort was evident from the start and most impressively, it was consistent throughout the game. It seemed like everyone on the floor was fighting for the right to the DPOG crown.
Better:
- efficient attack: The Kings played their best brand of basketball on offense. Domantas Sabonis, of course, had his 20th triple-double of the season with 17 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists. All five starters were in double figures, with Malik Monk (12 points) coming off the bench. In the early going, it was noticeable that Harrison Barnes (22 points) and Keegan Murray (11 points) were looking for opportunities to get involved in the attack. Their aggressiveness and activity with the ball set a precedent for the Kings offense, adding versatility and threat to it and showing the Clippers tonight that they have more layers to protect this team. Kevin Huerter got better in the second half, scoring 15 points on 3-6 from deep. The best thing about the offense tonight was the shot selection. Everything was in the flow of attack. Even when they couldn’t get shots early in the game, the Kings focused on ball movement and tried to make high-quality shots. They eventually fell behind, and by the end of the first half, the Kings had taken control of the game.
the best:
- big bench minutes: During the fourth quarter, the Kings led by eight points with eight minutes left. De’Aaron Fox headed to the bench for a final rest, and Kawhi Leonard headed to the table to get back into the game. This was the most important point of this game. Either the Kings will maintain their success and stop the Clippers, or Kawhi Leonard will take things into his giant hands and take the game away from the Kings. The Kings got a lot of time off the bench during this stretch. Malik Monk executed a perfect pick-and-roll action with Domantas Sabonis for three consecutive buckets, resulting in three consecutive possessions. Davion Mitchell also hit a timely 3-pointer, giving the Kings control of the game. Those five minutes of play off the bench increased the Kings’ lead from eight points to 13 points and ensured the Kings shut out the final possession for the win.
king of kings
De’Aaron Fox set the tone for the game from the start with his defensive effort and tenacity in the paint. He was clearly playing with fire. It wasn’t until the referees made the grave mistake of pouring gasoline on this fire by giving Fox, who showed human emotion, a petty technical foul in the fourth quarter, that we saw this fire grow out of control. I saw it. The Foxes stepped up their game and responded to the call with a forced turnover from Middie, James Harden, another bucket, and a forced jump ball from the other end. Fox had 33 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Yeah, I think he’s back.
next
Monday, February 26th vs. Miami Heat – 7:00 PM PT
