GameDay Notebook: Kings (16-23) vs. Clippers (26-14)

Gross. Last night’s 95-83 loss to the Miami Heat was gross.

I found it particularly frustrating because the narrative in Sacramento was starting to change. The Kings were playing better. They really were. And then they let an undermanned Miami Heat team walk all over them with little resistance.

I’m not going to put the blame for this loss solely on DeMarcus Cousins’ shoulders, because the Kings did a poor job getting him the ball in advantageous positions, but the Kings aren’t going to win many games where he shoots 4-12 in 38 minutes. Not when they are also missing Rudy Gay’s production. They just couldn’t get into an offensive rhythm all night.

The half-court defense might have been even worse. I can’t even count how many times Chris Bosh and Luol Deng had wide-open jump shooting opportunities. Mario Chalmers and Shabazz Napier were getting easy dribble penetration. The pick and roll coverage was botched over and over again. It was bad.

You can find our full postgame coverage from last night’s game here.

The Los Angeles Clippers are in town tonight. Oddly enough, both teams are in their second game of a back-to-back set where they lost the first game. The Clippers are the ones that had to travel, though, so maybe that’ll count for something? No? Ok.

Is taking a step back in 2023-24 inevitable for the Sacramento Kings?
Is taking a step back in 2023-24 inevitable for the Sacramento Kings?

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  • I wouldn’t expect to see either Rudy Gay or Carl Landry tonight, and with the Clippers basically at full strength, this one could get ugly if the Kings come out as lethargic as they did last night. I don’t fear the Clippers as much as I fear the Kings playing poorly. The Clippers are very beatable, and we’ve seen the Kings play up or down to their competition all year.

    Players often say that back-to-backs are welcomed coming off of a bad loss because of the quick turnaround. There just isn’t time to dwell on the negative when you have a game the next day. The Kings could have some of that going for them tonight.

    This is the last game of the Kings’ six-game homestand we’ve been talking about. A win would give the Kings a 3-3 record over that stretch before they head to Portland on Monday. I have no idea what to expect.

    As I’ve been promoting recently, fan voting for this year’s All-Star game closes on Monday. DeMarcus Cousins needs your help! You can vote for him with a little something that looks like this –

    As always, check back in to A Royal Pain after tonight’s game for our postgame coverage.

    Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Clippers

    Line: LAC -6.5

    Where: Sleep Train Arena – Sacramento, CA

    When: 7:00 PM Pacific, 10:00 PM Eastern

    Broadcast: Comcast Sportsnet California

    Radio: KHTK Sports 1140 AM

    Schedule