Despite Rudy Gay’s performance of 19 points and 5 rebounds, the Sacramento Kings fall short to the Memphis Grizzlies with a score of 103-89. To the start of the game, the Kings gave the Grizzlies a run for their money in the first quarter, but after that they sizzled out, and never got their rhythm back for the rest of the game. Other notable players from this game for the Kings were Darren Collison with 18 points and Kosta Koufos with 11 points and 6 rebounds.
The biggest concerns that I saw tonight from the Kings were their lack of free throw shooting and defensive rebounding.
Tonight the free throw shooting for the Kings was just horrid. From the charity stripe, the Kings only made 24 out of their 40 free throw attempts. What made it alarming was that you expected players like Rajon Rondo and Willie Cauley-Stein to struggle from the line (went 4-10), but you also had other players that couldn’t find their stroke as well. Hopefully tonight was just a fluke and that it doesn’t become a trend throughout the season.
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Second negative to take from this game was the defensive rebounding of the Kings. The absence of big man DeMarcus Cousins really showed in this aspect of the game, as the Memphis Grizzlies managed to take advantage by scoring 15 second chance points for the game.
This was happening without Cousins, but also without first-team All-Pro in Marc Gasol for the Grizzlies as well (for one half), which made it even more disappointing for Kings fans to watch.
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Overall tonight was the worst performance the Kings showcased this regular season. Although there were a bevy of negatives to take from this game (poor starting guard play, perimeter shooting, interior defense), the biggest disappointment was that the Kings continue to struggles without Cousins’ presence on the court.
Not only did the Kings play poor without the services of Cousins, but also factoring in that Gasol only played one half for Memphis made even more excruciating to watch as a fan. Hopefully, the Kings can rebound tomorrow night against the Phoenix Suns on the road. It may seem like a stretch, especially after seeing today’s game, but I think this Kings team is a lot better than what they displayed tonight.
For the sake of the Kings and their fans, I hope I’m right.