Highs and Lows: Sacramento Kings Get Stymied By The Warriors
By Rafe Wong
The Sacramento Kings’ winning streak ended yesterday as they got clobbered by the Golden State Warriors 109-86. Listed down below are the highs and lows of the game pertaining to the Kings.
HIGHS
Matt Barnes: Matt Barnes was no doubt the best player for the Sacramento Kings in yesterday’s contest. For the night, the 13-year pro recorded 15 points and 14 rebounds while shooting 5-12 from the floor. Not many players wearing purple yesterday were efficient, but Matt Barnes was one of the few that had himself a solid night.
Ben McLemore’s Shooting: Ben McLemore finished yesterday’s game scoring just 9 points on 3-10 shooting from the floor, but the four-year pro did make three three-pointers out of his six attempts taken in the game. In the month of February, McLemore has been lights out shooting from beyond the perimeter. The confidence and efficiency that Ben is showing currently is what Kings fans have been clamoring for since he was drafted back in 2013 and the Kings’ front office have a tough decision ahead of them whether they should keep McLemore after the trade deadline expires.
Experience for the Youth: When the fourth quarter came along, the Kings didn’t have much to play for which lead to Dave Joerger opting to put in players like Malachi Richardson, Georgios Papagiannis, and Skal Labissiere for some valuable playing time. For the night, Richardson recorded 10 points and 7 rebounds, Papagiannis recorded 4 points and 4 rebounds, and Labissiere recorded 1 assist. None of these performances are going to knock the socks off from anyone in the Kings community, but the playing time that the rookies received was valuable in helping them adjust better to the speed and strength of the NBA.
LOWS
Handling the Big Three: The “Big Three” of the Golden State Warriors continue to dominate the Kings this season. In yesterday’s contest, the trio of Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson combined for 69 points, 18 rebounds, and 20 assists for the game. Even though Draymond Green, who arguably is the heart and soul of the Warriors, left the game early due to an ejection, the Warriors had enough firepower to dominate Sacramento led by their best three players.
Perimeter Shooting: The Kings were unsuccessful in hitting their perimeter shots yesterday as they made just 29.2% of their three-point attempts. The Kings’ offense has been solid as of late, and the main reason for it is because they are able to make their jump shots at a consistent rate. But yesterday it was different for Sacramento, and as a result, the offense suffered.
DeMarcus Cousins: For the game, DeMarcus Cousins scored 13 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, and distributed 6 assists. Overall, not a bad night for a regular player, but we are talking about DeMarcus Cousins who is undoubtedly the most talented big man in the game today. In most games this season, DeMarcus has to bring a dominate performance for the Kings to be successful in games, especially when the team plays against a loaded Warriors squad. But yesterday, Cousins just wasn’t his dominant self which resulted to the Warriors pulling away from the Kings and winning in comfortable fashion. Bottom line, Cousins is no doubt the best player on the Sacramento Kings, and when he has an off night, most likely the Kings as a collective whole will too.