Game Recap: Turnovers Hurt Sacramento Kings In Loss to Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks (9-5) extended their winning streak against the Sacramento Kings (4-8) tonight to 15 with a win in Atlanta. The Kings had 21 turnovers and defensive lapses that kept them from stealing a win and falling 97-103. The Kings start off their road trip 0-1.
On a bright note, Rajon Rondo recorded his 4th triple-double of the season with 12 points, 10 assists and 12 rebounds. However, he also recorded 7 turnovers, most of those being unforced.
The Hawks went on a 11-0 run before the end of the first half. Rondo, with some sloppy ball handling, threw it away four times in four straight possessions during that span. Even with the triple-double, he might be getting fatigued.
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DeMarcus Cousins finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Boogie could be facing a fine or suspension due to a high elbow he threw at Al Horford’s head in frustration.
Paul Millsap put up 23 points to lead the Hawks scorers, Dennis Schroder finished right behind with 22 points of his own.
The Kings bench, led by a returning Darren Collison, showed some fight tonight in the third quarter closing a ten point deficit. One notable King on the bench was Kosta Koufos who had one of his best scoring games of the season tallying 13 points.
Unforced turnovers continue to plague the Kings with sloppy ball handling in the second half, as a result prevented Sacramento to capitalize on defensive stops.
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Willie Cauley-Stein also did not start the game and saw only 14 minutes of action, but had the only positive plus/minus with a +8. He continues to be a defensive threat that brings high energy into the line-up on a gamely basis.
The Kings as a whole seemed to be tired out on the floor with lackluster defensive play. The second unit in particular is not switching correctly on defense that left Hawks shooters wide open hitting killer shots when they needed to. The Kings shots were also coming up short on their end shooting only 44% from the floor, and 31% from three.
Next: How The Kings Will Fare On Their Road Trip?
Tomorrow the Kings head to Miami to play the Heat. Hopefully they wake up in time for that game, or they could be a facing a 0-2 hole to their early road trip.