Late rally falls short in 117-110 loss
16 HRS AGO - Photo by Jonathan Bachman/NBAE via Getty Images
Seven losses in a row for the Kings. Expand
16 HRS AGO - Photo by Jonathan Bachman/NBAE via Getty Images
Seven losses in a row for the Kings. De’Aaron Fox continued his mastery of the New Orleans Pelicans. The rest of his team didn’t.
The New Orleans-born Fox dropped 43, raising his season average against the Pelicans to 41 points per game for the season, while adding six assists and earning 15 trips to the line. But he missed seven free throws and a few pull-up 3-pointers he’d rather have back down the stretch, and the Kings couldn’t complete their comeback, falling to New Orleans 117-110 and losing the season series in the process.
Swipa hit that button pic.twitter.com/5R6BA4yQLE— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) April 13, 2021
One would hope that the Kings would bring the effort from the get-go after losing six straight and facing another team in contention for the West play-in. And yet, the Kings completely no-showed the first half, letting the Pelicans get into the paint at will to the tune of 17-of-22 Collapse
Kings vs. Pelicans preview: Can Sacramento end the losing streak?
1 DAY AGO - Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images
The Kings has lose six in a row and are three games out Expand
1 DAY AGO - Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images
The Kings has lose six in a row and are three games out of a play-in position. The Sacramento Kings will try and stop the bleeding when they take on Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Kings have lost their last six outings by an average of 12.3 points and have fallen further back in the Western Conference standings. Sacramento is coming off a loss to the NBA-leading Utah Jazz on Saturday.
Game Information
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
When: Monday, April 12 at 6 p.m. PT
How to watch/listen: NBC Sports California, KHTK Sports 1140 AM
Opposing perspective: The Bird Writes
Projected Starting Lineups
Kings (22-31): De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Moe Harkless, Richaun Holmes
Pelicans (23-29): Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Steven Adams, Naji Marshall
Injuries/Absences
Kings: Marvin Bagley III (hand) — OUT
Pelicans: Lonzo Ball (hip) — QUESTIONABLE; Nickeil Alexander-Walker Collapse
Get paid for taking Vox Media surveys!
4 DAYS AGO - Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
We want to know your opinions. We are Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
We want to know your opinions. We are continually looking for ways to improve the experience for our SB Nation communities and would love your input!
Vox Media is conducting regular research surveys on how we can make our products better. You can make some extra cash by joining our survey panel so we can improve your experience across out platforms.
You must be over the age of 18 and be a resident of the Unite States to participate. Surveys will cover a variety of topics, including our websites, coverage and our SB Nation communities.
It isn’t mandatory to participate in every survey you’re sent, but you will be paid for any ones you complete.
You can find the details about the program and sign up through this landing page.
Some notes on the research:
Panelists are paid a minimum of $1 per completed survey; some surveys pay more if the survey runs more than 5 minutes. Panelists receive their incentives via e-gift cards Collapse
Kings vs. Pistons Preview: Something’s got to give
4 DAYS AGO - Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images
Can the Kings snap their losing streak with a win against Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images
Can the Kings snap their losing streak with a win against a lowly Pistons team? The Sacramento Kings have lost some disappointing games this season. On Wednesday, they lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves by 10 points. Prior to Wednesday’s game, the Timberwolves had only won three games by 10 points, which isn’t surprising when you consider the fact that they have the fourth-worst net rating (-7.0) in the NBA.
In spite of letdowns like Wednesday, the Kings are only two games back of the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference, which is why it’s crucial that they take advantage of their matchup with the Detroit Pistons on Thursday. Not only are the Pistons one of the worst teams in the NBA with a record of 15-36, but they’ll be without their leading scorer, Jerami Grant, when they visit Sacramento on Thursday.
This four-game losing streak may have have turned some fans off to the idea of a playoff push, but they’re still very much in it and their Collapse
How does Damian Jones fit into the center rotation?
5 DAYS AGO - Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images
The backup center position hasn’t exactly Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images
The backup center position hasn’t exactly shined for the Kings this season. The Kings officially announced the signing of Damian Jones to a 10-day contract today, bringing the roster to 17 once again, including the team’s two-way players.
Jones had an interesting stint with the Los Angeles Lakers recently, providing some vertical spacing for the team. His statistical production was fairly muted, however. In the one game the Lakers played against the Kings, Jones had one rebound, one block, and three fouls in 14 minutes.
Sacramento has a lot of bigs on the roster already, and Jones is now the fourth player who can be exclusively categorized as a center, which begs the question of how the Kings plan to use him. Is there a current need for a backup center on this roster?
This team has basically gone as Richaun Holmes has this season. They’re 16-9 in the games featuring his top 25 game scores of the season (per Basketball Collapse
Kings vs. Wolves preview: A must-win game
4/5/2021 - Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
Sacramento can’t afford to give this one away. Expand
4/5/2021 - Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
Sacramento can’t afford to give this one away. For the first time this season, the two best rookies in the Western Conference will face off against one another, as Sacramento heads to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves.
Despite the intrigue in the rookie of the year race between Tyrese Haliburton and Anthony Edwards, they aren’t the two faces of their franchises; those would be Kentucky alums De’Aaron Fox and Karl-Anthony Towns, each of whom has been near the top of his game recently. Towns has been the hub of the Minnesota offense in terms of scoring, facilitating, and rebounding. He’s putting up 24.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.
Despite Towns’ best efforts, though, the Wolves simply aren’t very good. They have the worst record in the league and are bottom-five in both offense and defense, per Cleaning the Glass. Beyond Towns, it’s unclear where this team can look to for consistent production on either end Collapse
Kings waive DaQuan Jeffries, to sign Damian Jones
4/3/2021 - Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
Some roster shuffling for the stretch run. Expand
4/3/2021 - Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
Some roster shuffling for the stretch run. Last night, James Ham of NBC Sports reported that the Kings were planning to waive DaQuan Jeffries, which the team confirmed Saturday morning. Jeffries had only played twice outside of garbage time since the All-Star Break, and had seemingly fallen further out of the rotation with the acquisitions of Moe Harkless and Terence Davis at the trade deadline.
According to league source, the Kings are expected to waive DaQuan Jeffries.— James Ham (@James_HamNBCS) April 3, 2021
The reporting went on to say that the Kings wanted to clear a roster spot, and the team was rumored to be targeting a big. Hassan Whiteside has only played five of the last 19 games; perhaps Sacramento wasn’t satisfied with what Chimezie Metu was bringing in his stead.
That rumor has indeed come to fruition, as Jason Jones of The Athletic reported that the Kings will be using their final roster spot on Damian Jones, Collapse
Kings vs. Lakers preview: Sacramento hosts a shorthanded L.A. squad
4/2/2021 - Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
Every game is a big one with the Kings in the Expand
4/2/2021 - Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
Every game is a big one with the Kings in the playoff picture. The Sacramento Kings are back home for a matchup against the defending NBA champions, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Sacramento’s five-game winning streak ended with a 120-106 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, but the Kings are right back in the Western Conference playoff race after their recent run.
Game Information
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
When: Friday, April 2 at 7:00 p.m. PT
How to watch/listen: NBC Sports California, KHTK Sports 1140 AM
Projected Starting Lineups
Kings (22-26): De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Tyrese Haliburton, Richaun Holmes
Lakers (30-18): Dennis Schröder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Markieff Morris, Kyle Kuzma, Marc Gasol
Injuries/Absences
Kings: Hassan Whiteside (right knee) — QUESTIONABLE; Marvin Bagley III (left-hand fracture), Jahmi’us Ramsey (right hamstring strain) — OUT
Lakers: LeBron James (ankle), Collapse
Kings vs. Spurs preview: Let’s run it back
3/31/2021 - Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images
Sacramento is only 2.5 games behind San Antonio in the Expand
3/31/2021 - Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images
Sacramento is only 2.5 games behind San Antonio in the standings. The Sacramento Kings are playing the basketball of their season as they go into the second half of a back-to-back against the San Antonio Spurs. The Kings have won five in a row and seven of their last eight games and sit one game behind the Golden State Warriors for the 10th seed in the Western Conference.
De’Aaron Fox had 24 points and five assists, while Richaun Holmes chipped in with 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead Sacramento to a 132-115 win over San Antonio on Monday.
Game Information
Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
When: Wednesday, March 31 at 5:30 p.m. PT
How to watch/listen: NBC Sports California, KHTK Sports 1140 AM
Opposing perspective: Pounding the Rock
Projected Starting Lineups
Kings (22-25): De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Tyrese Haliburton, Richaun Holmes
Spurs (23-21): DeMar DeRozan, Keldon Johnson, Jakob Poeltl, Dejounte Murray, Collapse
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Kings vs. Pelicans Live Chat
19 HRS AGO - Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Let’s talk about the play-in! The no. 11 and no. 12 Expand
19 HRS AGO - Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Let’s talk about the play-in! The no. 11 and no. 12 seeds in the Western Conference face off tonight in what could be a key battle for the postseason play-in. Whoever wins between the Pelicans and the Kings will take the season series and have the standings tiebreaker at the end of the season.
Game Information
Who: Sacramento Kings (22-31) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (24-29)When: 6 p.m. PTWhere: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LouisianaRegional broadcast: NBC Sports CaliforniaRadio: KHTK Sports 1140 AM
We’re trying something new here for today’s game with this chat instead of the usual game thread. If you’re logged in to comment, you should be ready to go, though you may be prompted to verify your email address. If you’re not logged in, you can do so the same way you always have (there’s a button below, too). If you’re having technical issues, please email coralsupport@voxmedia.com and we’ll get right back to you.
(function () {
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Kings get dominated in second half, lose to Jazz
2 DAYS AGO - Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
Sacramento hung with the best team in the NBA, but Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
Sacramento hung with the best team in the NBA, but couldn’t come up with a win in Utah. The Sacramento Kings gave everything they had for 42 minutes against the team with the best record in the NBA, but came apart late in the game.
Donovan Mitchell had 42 points, while Mike Conley chipped in with 23 leading the Utah Jazz to a 128-112 win over the Kings.
De’Aaron Fox had 30 points and eight assists to lead Sacramento, which has now lost its last six games.
ARE YOU ING KIDDING ME?! pic.twitter.com/xIyWxqBttL— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) April 11, 2021
The Kings did everything right for most of the contest, but couldn’t keep up with the Jazz over the final six minutes. Veteran Harrison Barnes’ dunk gave Sacramento a 105-104 lead midway through the final quarter, but it was all Utah from there.
Mitchell and Conley combined for 18 points during the last 6:05 seconds, helping the Jazz go on a 24-12 run to finish the game. Collapse
Join us for a live chat during Kings vs. Pelicans!
4 DAYS AGO - Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images
We’re testing out a new Game Day experience. This Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images
We’re testing out a new Game Day experience. This coming Monday, during the game against the Pelicans, we’re going to be trying something a little new on Sactown Royalty.
Instead of having a regular game thread, we’re introducing a live chat in its place which hopefully is a little friendlier to use. The post with go live 10 minutes before tip-off. so around 5:50 p.m. PT. If you already have a commenter account, there shouldn’t be any additional registration process to join the chat, though commenters may be required to confirm their email address.
This is trial run, so there might be some bugs with the chat, but it’s been fun to use so far in our demos. There will be a survey after the game for you to give feedback on the interface and its features so that we can continue to improve the product.
If the test goes well, we can bring the live chat back very soon!
If you have any questions, let us know in the comments and we’ll address Collapse
Kings fans’ confidence is still surprisingly high
5 DAYS AGO - Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
A four-game losing streak hasn’t dimmed Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
A four-game losing streak hasn’t dimmed enthusiasm about the direction of the team. Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Each week, we send out questions to the most plugged in Sacramento Kings fans, and fans across the country. Sign up here to join Reacts.
According to the most recent SB Nation Reacts survey, 72 percent of Kings fans are confident the team is headed in the right direction. That’s down slightly from 75 percent last week but up from 40 percent the week before.
The level of confidence in the Kings is still mostly tied to the rebuild. However, other teams around the league are beginning to prepare for the postseason. That preparation and jockeying for position isn’t necessarily just shown by who has the best record.
According to NBA fans around the country, the Lakers have the best chance of the top Western Conference teams to reach the NBA Finals, with 30 percent of the vote. Collapse
Fox, Haliburton among ESPN’s best 25 under 25
6 DAYS AGO - Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images
In general manager Monte McNair’s first year at Expand
6 DAYS AGO - Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images
In general manager Monte McNair’s first year at the helm, the Sacramento Kings have had an up and down season. The team has gone on impressive runs but also looked less than stellar during specific stretches of the season.
During his introductory press conference, McNair preached patience and has tried to make moves to maintain financial flexibility going forward, especially as he tries to build a roster around two talented young pieces.
The Kings have the building blocks in place, with De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton just scratching the surface of their potential. ESPN released its NBA’s best 25 under 25 list, and both Sacramento players were selected.
Fox came in at No. 6:
Fox is one of only seven players in the NBA averaging at least 24 points and 7 assists per game as the leader of a Kings franchise that finally appears headed in the right direction.
As I outlined last year, the game has slowed down for Fox — he’s striking that Collapse
Kings need to take advantage of upcoming schedule
4/5/2021 - Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images
Sacramento needs to beat teams like the Minnesota Expand
4/5/2021 - Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images
Sacramento needs to beat teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons if it wants to stay in the postseason race. The Sacramento Kings have been up-and-down all season. The team went 7-1 between Jan. 22 and Feb. 7 and then followed that up by losing nine games in a row.
It looked like the Kings would fall out of the Western Conference playoff race, but they had a resurgence with a 7-1 stretch that got them back into the hunt for a spot in the postseason.
Unfortunately, Sacramento has lost three in a row since, including an ugly 21-point loss to a depleted Los Angeles Lakers squad. The good news is that the Kings are still very much in it, only trailing the Golden State Warriors by a game for the second play-in spot.
Sacramento’s upcoming schedule will give it a great opportunity to make up some ground. The Kings will play six of their next nine games against teams sitting outside the top 10 of their respective conferences. Collapse
Kings vs. Bucks preview: Is another downturn imminent?
4/3/2021 - The Kings have had a habit of streaking in both directions this season. The last time the Kings Expand
4/3/2021 - The Kings have had a habit of streaking in both directions this season. The last time the Kings faced off against the Bucks was during their worst stretch of the season, a nine-game losing streak that included injuries to most of the team’s key players.
Sacramento is healthier now, and at home, but it remains to be seen if their quality of play is any better than it was then. The team had won seven of its last nine games before dropping an inexcusable contest to the Lakers, and the defense was at the heart of that turnaround. To then surrender a 115.0 offensive rating to a Los Angeles squad that was barely topping 100 points per possession in LeBron James’ absence over the past two weeks was rather disappointing, and things don’t get any easier with the Bucks.
Game Information
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
When: Saturday, April 3 at 7:00 p.m. PT
How to watch/listen: NBC Sports California, KHTK Sports 1140 AM
Projected Starting Lineups
Kings (22-27): De’Aaron Fox, Collapse
Kings winning streak ends with loss to Spurs
4/1/2021 - Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images
Sacramento struggled, shooting just 41.8 percent from Expand
4/1/2021 - Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images
Sacramento struggled, shooting just 41.8 percent from the field for its first defeat in six games. The Sacramento Kings finally came down to earth. After winning their previous five games, the Kings suffered a 120-106 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
De’Aaron Fox had 20 points and four assists, while rookie Tyrese Haliburton chipped in with 18 for Sacramento. San Antonio was led by DeMar DeRozan, who finished the contest with 26 points and seven assists.
The Kings have still won seven of their last 10 and remain firmly entrenched in the Western Conference playoff race. Sacramento was due for a bad game after playing some of its best basketball of the season over the past two weeks.
Things started well for the Kings as they led 9-6 early, but the Spurs bounced back with an 11-2 run to go back in front by six less than seven minutes into the game.
Sacramento was able to close the gap over the final six minutes and trailed 33-27 after one. Collapse
Kings get boost from new guys, earn fifth straight win
3/30/2021 - Photos by Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images
The Kings are on another one of their hot Expand
3/30/2021 - Photos by Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images
The Kings are on another one of their hot streaks except this time, they have the talent to keep it up. The Sacramento Kings are streaking. With a win over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, the Kings earned their fifth consecutive win, which is their longest winning streak of the season and their longest winning streak since the 2015-16 season.
The Kings got meaningful contributions from the usual suspects — De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield and Richaun Holmes — but they also got a nice boost from the players that they acquired at the trade deadline.
Terence Davis, who the Kings acquired from the Toronto Raptors, led all bench scorers with 14 points on 4-7 shooting from the field and 3-5 shooting from behind the arc. Additionally, Maurice Harkless, who the Kings acquired from the Miami Heat along with Chris Silva, was right behind Davis with 13 points.
The Kings wanted to use the trade deadline to be “value buyers” and while the new guys Collapse
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Kings to allow limited number of fans into Golden 1 Center beginning April 20
1 DAY AGO - Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
The organization will honor frontline workers Expand
1 DAY AGO - Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
The organization will honor frontline workers by hosting 1,600 of them for the April 20 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Sacramento Kings will have some fans in the building for the stretch drive of the season. The team announced they will allow a limited number of fans into the Golden 1 Center beginning on April 20 when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“We are thrilled to safely welcome fans back to the arena, starting with frontline workers who have sacrificed tremendously throughout this pandemic,” Chief Operating Officer Matina Kolokotronis said in a release. “We have worked closely with state and county public health officials and the NBA to implement comprehensive safety protocols and measures to enable fans to return to Golden 1 Center.
The organization will honor frontline workers by allowing them to be the first to attend a game all seasons. The Kings will work with local nonprofits and corporate partners Collapse
Kings vs. Jazz preview: The tank is fully in effect
3 DAYS AGO - Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
Whether intentionally or not, the Kings are Expand
3 DAYS AGO - Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
Whether intentionally or not, the Kings are stockpiling losses. The chase for the play-in in the Western Conference hasn’t been very competitive recently. On the one hand, there are four teams within 3.5 games of each other for the no. 9 and no. 10 seeds. On the other hand, those four teams have lost 25 of their last 30 games. Instead of pushing past each other into the postseason, the squads are falling flat on their faces.
That’s the silver lining for the Kings, I suppose. They’ve squandered a golden opportunity to make up ground in the standings, but they’re not the only ones.
In the event that Sacramento actually tries in this game, which the Kings have failed to do in the last two contests against league bottom-dwellers, that might not be enough against the team with the best record in the NBA, the Utah Jazz. The Jazz are 23-0 during 2021 at home, winning by an average of 18 points per game.
The Kings might need more than a Collapse
Cory Joseph gets his revenge game against Kings
4 DAYS AGO - Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
The Kings have lost five straight. The “Cory Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
The Kings have lost five straight. The “Cory Joseph Revenge Game” went according to plan, to the chagrin of the Sacramento Kings, who extended their losing streak to five games with an embarrassing 113-101 loss to the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons now have 16 wins on the season.
The Kings’ decision to trade Joseph and the $25.2 million left on his contract to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Delon Wright was widely-viewed as a savvy move because, well, it was. Wright is a year younger than Joseph and makes roughly $3 million less annually. He’s also a better with the Kings’ core pieces than Joseph was.
That being said, if the Kings knew that Joseph was going to go off against them in the thick of their play-in run, they likely would have held onto him because now, Sacramento are 2.5 games back of the No. 10 seed with the Utah Jazz up next on their schedule. That doesn’t mean the Kings are out of the play-in race — after all, this Collapse
Luke Walton says he has ‘no interest’ in the University of Arizona coaching vacancy
5 DAYS AGO - Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
The Kings head coach was asked about potentially taking Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
The Kings head coach was asked about potentially taking over at his alma mater during his recent media availability. The Sacramento Kings are in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race as they try to end their league-high 14-year postseason drought.
After winning seven of eight games, the Kings have lost four in a row, including a demoralizing defeat to the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves. Sacramento is two games behind the Golden State Warriors for the 10th seed with 21 games left on the schedule.
Head coach Luke Walton — who is in his second season with the team — could be let go if the Kings falter down the stretch. If he is, he may not have to wait long to find his next coaching gig.
The Arizona Wildcats fired men’s basketball head coach Sean Miller after 12 seasons with the program. The obvious connection is that Walton spent his four-year collegiate career with the Wildcats and helped the team make the NCAA Tournament each Collapse
Kings lose steam in fourth, fall 116-106 to Wolves
7 DAYS AGO - Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images
D’Angelo Russell took over in the fourth for Expand
7 DAYS AGO - Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images
D’Angelo Russell took over in the fourth for Minnesota. The Kings gave away an absolute gift in Minnesota. They couldn’t create any meaningful separation from the Wolves throughout the first three quarters, opening the door for D’Angelo Russell to take over late with 13 points in the final frame, leading to a 116-106 win for the home team.
This is the fourth straight loss in the row for Sacramento, but an absolute killer considering who it came against, and with San Antonio also losing Monday. The performance the Kings put up today was not befitting a playoff team.
The first quarter played out as you would expect from two teams with bad defenses. Minnesota looked pretty smooth in the half court, thriving thanks to Karl-Anthony Towns’ gravity. Meanwhile, the Kings got a lot of good looks, but couldn’t connect early. It took three minutes for them to score outside of transition.
The lone early offense came courtesy of Harrison Collapse
Kings’ fourth quarter comeback falls short against Bucks
4/4/2021 - Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Sacramento has lost three in a row, but only Expand
4/4/2021 - Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Sacramento has lost three in a row, but only sits 1.5 games behind the Golden State Warriors for the 10th seed in the Western Conference. After playing some of their best basketball of the season, the Sacramento Kings are falling back to earth.
Newcome Terance Davis scored a career-high 27 points, but it wasn’t enough in a 129-128 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Kings put forth a valiant effort in the fourth quarter. They were down by 13 with less than seven minutes left, but when on an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to two with 2:42 remaining.
.@buddyhield with the pic.twitter.com/gIaAwT9JSQ— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) April 4, 2021
But the Bucks — who were missing reigning back-to-back NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo — kept Sacramento at bay the rest of the way and hung on for the win.
Milwaukee guard Jrue Holiday was sensational in this one, leading the way with 33 points, 11 assists and seven Collapse
Kings embarrass themselves in 115-94 loss to depleted Lakers
4/3/2021 - Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Sacramento was barely in this one after the first quarter. Expand
4/3/2021 - Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Sacramento was barely in this one after the first quarter. The Kings were gifted a golden opportunity to jump up in the standings after San Antonio, New Orleans, and Golden State all lost Thursday. They had a winnable game in front of them as the Lakers came to town without Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
But instead of embracing the offering from the schedule gods, Sacramento didn’t come out ready to play. The Kings had their last lead two minutes into the game and were down double digits for the entire second half in a 115-94 loss. Other than Harrison Barnes, who finished with 26 points (and five rebounds and five assists) on 9-of-10 shooting, no starter had a good game.
The Lakers delivered the first hit, building at 26-13 lead. The Kings were repeatedly beaten the glass, as their smaller lineup couldn’t stop L.A. from getting second chances. Marc Gasol was also carving the Sacramento defense up with his passing. Combine that with four Collapse
The Kings recapturing confidence from fans amidst their latest win streak
3/31/2021 - Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images
Making moves for the present at the trade deadline Expand
3/31/2021 - Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images
Making moves for the present at the trade deadline certainly helps in that calculus. Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Each week, we send out questions to the most plugged in Sacramento Kings fans, and fans across the country. Sign up here to join Reacts.
As the trade deadline came and went, teams around the NBA have dramatically changed their outlook on this season. With the player movement, fans are also changing expectations.
According to the most recent SB Nation Reacts survey, 75 percent of Kings fans believe the team is headed in the right direction. That’s up from 40 percent last week and 30 percent two weeks ago. That trend comes in the midst of a five-game win streak, but also after the trade deadline, when the Kings elected to compete in the present instead of engage in a fire sale.
Around the league, some of the most active teams hope their moves can help them compete for a Collapse
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