The Sacramento crowd responded in unison when it was revealed that a number of Miami Heat players, including top star Jimmy Butler, would miss Monday’s game against the Kings.
“Premature loss expected.” “A double-digit loss is imminent.” “This game is so not going our way.”
However, what started out as a humorous social media meme has turned into Sacramento’s most infamous nightmare.
As the 2023–24 NBA season is just four months old, the Kings have established a reputation for folding against weaker teams or those with a losing record. Conversely, they have succeeded in putting up a number of outstanding performances against the best teams in the league, such as the top-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves of the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets, the defending NBA champions, and, just last night, the Los Angeles Clippers.
It irritates me. It’s unclear. However, Kings coach Mike Brown disputes the trend, blaming Monday’s 121-110 loss on the fundamentals of the game.
Brown responded, “I mean, Paul George didn’t play last night,” when asked if he noticed a pattern in recent defeats. “We have defeated opponents in games where they rested one or two of their best players. In actuality, there were a few instances where we had the chance to box out without actually hitting anyone. Early on, there were a few instances where I thought we could have contested more effectively. We were not able to identify the gunmen. That seems to be the tendency, more than anything else.
As I’ve been saying for the past few days, I thought our defense of the three was excellent. We relaxed a little bit tonight and allowed the guys who weren’t very attractive to warm up. It also caused us pain. However, I don’t think it’s a trend that we lose every time we play a team and their starting quarterback, reserve player, or third baseman is injured.
At the start of the season, Sacramento’s situation seemed hopeless after suffering two straight losses to the Houston Rockets.
How innocent were we? Let’s review a few dubious results from the past.
On December 20, the Boston Celtics, without Jayson Tatum, crushed the Kings, 144-119. Three days later, despite the fact that Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, and Jaden McDaniels scored a combined 75 points, they were defeated by a Minnesota Timberwolves squad lacking Karl-Anthony Towns.
Three days later, on December 26, the Trail Blazers completely humiliated the Kings in Portland without starting center Deandre Alton or guard Shaedon Sharpe, which further raised concerns.
That’s not where it ends.
Yes, you guessed it—the Charlotte Hornets ended their 11-game losing streak against the Kings. a stunning victory on January 2 in front of Sacramento’s home crowd, 111-104.
Without Zion Williamson, the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Sacramento Kings. Without Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Kings. And even without Tyrese Halliburton, the Indiana Pacers defeated Sacramento.
The list is endless.
“This kind of loss should hurt,” Brown remarked following the Pacers defeat on January 18.
Yes, it did. The Kings won their next four games, and on February 2, almost two weeks after falling short against Indiana without Haliburton, they defeated the Pacers in the same manner.
The very next game, the Kings beat the Nuggets in Sacramento, 135-106, then one week later beat them again in Denver, initiating a three-game victory streak that ended with Monday’s loss to the Heat.
Like Brown, Kings second-year forward Keegan Murray claimed that every NBA player is there for a purpose, downplaying the significance of these defeats to undermanned teams.
“Every team in this league is good,” Murray declared following the game. “Every squad has talented players, and you go up and down. And thus, those guys took charge. Bam [Adebayo], Jaime [Jaquez Jr.], and many other guys came through in various capacities. That has so occurred numerous times when we have faced clubs that, to put it mildly, were missing some of their best players.
“But we just have to come and compete every night like we did last night.”
Murray had a fantastic game on both sides of the court, but the Kings needed his clutch shooting to survive a 20-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
In 36 minutes, he finished with 28 points on 10 of 14 field goals and 6 of 7 three-pointers, along with five rebounds, one assist, three steals, and one block.
Basketball is, of course, a team sport, so Murray hopes the team will concentrate on its controllables going ahead, even with the rookie forward’s outstanding performance.
“For us, It’s just bringing the fight every night,” Murray stated. That’s something we are completely in charge of. Every night, you are in total control of your effort.”
De’Aaron Fox, the top point guard for the Kings, doesn’t think too much about whether the losses represent a pattern. Rather, he would like to analyze every defeat objectively and highlight the team’s shortcomings.
Not to mention, he made sure to give the Heat credit for fighting without some of their main players.
After the game, Fox stated, “I mean, we have to play better.” “We must be capable of obtaining pauses. Naturally, there were occasions when we were within four, six, or eight points when they attempted to score a shot on the shot clock. However, we need to improve.
“It’s not like they didn’t come here and play well.”
Granted, but that doesn’t fully explain what transpired on Monday night or what the Kings have far too frequently experienced this season.
Sacramento was the fifth seed in the West going into the game. They dropped to sixth after the defeat.
While some teams will occasionally suffer depressing losses, it’s evident that the Kings have an odd difficulty when they play particular clubs. At the start of the season, it was simple to brush it off, but March is quickly approaching, and the playoff race is only becoming more competitive.
