James Harden Too Much For Kings to Handle in Loss

If you were looking for a game filled with excitement, you watched the correct game; but if you were looking for a Kings win, than it wasn’t your lucky night.

The Kings effort tonight was relentless, but the Houston Rockets still came out victorious as scoreboard showed at the end in a 115-111 loss at the Toyota Center.

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The start of the game was nightmarish for the Sacramento, as they were down by double digits early against a Rockets team that is known for their offense as a recipe for disaster. But the Kings rebounded and remained composed to keep the game intact.

Another sign of encouragement that this Kings team is starting grow as they keep showing flashes game after game of a team heading the right direction.

DeMarcus Cousins was a huge factor to why the game remained close. DeMarcus wasn’t only being the dominant big man that fans are accustomed to seeing, but he was just doing it all. Scoring, rebounding, blocking, and passing. Cousins ended the game recording his 2nd career triple double with 24 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists to go along with six blocks.

But despite Cousins big game, it wasn’t enough against what James Harden displayed tonight. Harden is notorious around the Sacramento area for constantly dominating the Kings, but tonight was probably his best performance against purple and white yet as he led his team with a new career high of 51 points.

It wasn’t only that he scored 51 points, but it also the number of shots it took for him to get there that is eye opening. Harden shot only 25 attempts and made 16 of them, including making 8 of his 9 three point attempts. He also added six assists and eight rebounds to his prolific night, adding another highlight game to his MVP case.

Overall, the Kings fought with a competitive Rockets team to the very end, but Harden (like many other occasions against Sacramento) was just too much for the Kings to handle.

Silver Lining: Although this game will show in the loss column, there were many positives to take from this game. There were a couple of times in the game where it seemed the Rockets took complete control of the game, but the Kings didn’t back down and continued to fight.

The Kings also moved the ball incredibility well, something that coach George Karl has strived for this team to do as they recorded 30 assists tonight.

Tonight showcased the Kings level of effort and unselfishness at its best. This team has definitely shown some growth since entering the Karl era, and it is starting to raise optimism from Kings fans as they hope for the Kings to continue to make steps into becoming a team that is worth playoff contention.