We thought the Sacramento Kings losing ways were behind them after their win over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night. We thought that the Kings had finally learned how to play without DeMarcus Cousins.
Were we wrong, oh boy were we wrong.
As it turned out, the Kings only got a one night reprieve from the losing mode that has gripped the Kings recently. The Orlando Magic took out their wands at Sleep Train Arena on Saturday night, and cast a spell to throw the Kings back into their losing ways.
It was like the Kings were under a spell al night. The spell of playing lethargic basketball, the spell of playing little defense, the spell of Ramon Sessions somehow making the wrong play at the wrong time.
The Kings were in a trance, and they had no answer as to how to break it. And just like that, the Kings are back at .500, and even worse, the Kings have dropped three of their last four games at home. Again we say: Boogie, please get healthy!
But despite the trance like state of the Kings on Saturday night, there were three performances that attempted to break the spell the Magic had them in, and for that, these players have earned the Kings of the night. Let’s hand out the awards, shall we?
Sir Charles In Charge
One King – Rudy Gay
It seemed like Gay was, for most of the night, under the same spell as his fellow teammates. But Gay did score 16 points, grab five rebounds, and dish out six assist, and for that, he at least earns a King.
Two Kings – Darren Collison
Collison lead the Kings with 22 points, so his offense was much needed. But he fell into the “sticky hands” mode that a lot of his teammates were in last night, and dished out only four assist. You’re not going to win a lot of games if your starting point guard dishes out only four assist.
Three Kings- Jason Thompson
The Three Kings of the night goes to Thompson, who, mirred in a tough season, had his best game of the season. Thompson scored 18 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out four assist. If Thompson can put up these numbers consistently, he will be a major threat for the Kings.
Naughty Kings of the Night – Sacramento’s Defense
The entire Kings team gets the Naughty King of the night tag for their lack of intensity on the defensive end. The Kings “defense” allowed Orlando to shoot 51 percent from the floor. What’s indicative of that stat? Magic forward Tobias Harris led all scorers with 27 points on just 17 shots.
Let that sink in for a minute.