Despite Rajon Rondo being 1 rebound shy of a triple-double (14 points/18 assists/9 rebounds), the Sacramento Kings fall short to the Miami Heat, making tonight’s loss their 14th consecutive defeat in South Beach.
The Kings (now 4-9) were without their big man DeMarcus Cousins for the game due to a one-game suspension from elbowing Al Horford the game before, which also makes tonight the fifth consecutive loss for the Kings without his presence. The injury bug also followed the Kings to Miami, this time targeting Rudy Gay, as he suffered a shoulder injury in the second half.
Despite the King’s being without arguably their two best players in the second half, they still remained competitive. But again, the team’s ball security cost them yet another opportunity to get in the win column.
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Turnovers again were the main reason why the Kings loss tonight’s game. The Kings committed a total of 18 turnovers, which resulted in costing the team significant possessions where they could of turned the momentum around. Despite the Kings chronic turnover issues, there was a bright spot to take away from tonight’s game.
On a positive note, Ben McLemore continues to rejuvenate himself from the horrid start to his season, scoring 17 points tonight. It was only a couple weeks ago where it seemed McLemore was in George Karl’s doghouse due ineffective play.
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Since then, McLemore has responded well by being more aggressive offensively and being more aware on the defensive end. Despite starting his season awful, he is now averaging 7.5 points a contest, shooting 44.3% from the floor and 50% from beyond the arc.
Overall, despite McLemore and Rondo having great performances, turnovers were again holding the Kings back from winning tonight’s matchup. Once the Kings learn how to take better care of the basketball is when this team will start to win on a gamely basis.
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The next matchup for Sacramento is against the Orlando Magic Saturday night. The Kings will look to turn things around in what has become a poor road trip so far.