Thoughts on the Game
Thought #1: The Kings Won As A Team
Tonight’s win for Sacramento was no doubt a team-earned victory. Usually, the Kings lean heavily on the play of De’Aaron Fox, but due to him playing hurt, other guys on the team needed to step up and make plays.
As a result, six players on the Kings scored 10 or more points tonight. Also, four players recorded eight or more rebounds in the game as well as two players dishing out five or more assists. A collective by Sacramento indeed.
Thought #2: Top Performers
Players that stood out the most in my mind were Buddy Hield who recorded 25 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists, Willie Cauley-Stein who scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Nemanja Bjelica who finished with 21 points and eight rebounds.
Another guy that deserves credit is Troy Williams who made some pivotal plays during the fourth quarter. He ended up with 12 points, five rebounds, and two blocks.
Thought #3: Kings Show Defensive Potential
The offense for Sacramento has been awesome this year while their defense has been hot garbage. That was not the case tonight.
When the Kings needed to get defensive stops, especially in the fourth quarter, they were successful in doing so. The team as a whole showed an amount of effort and energy on the defensive side of the ball that I have not seen from them this season prior to tonight.
The Kings do not need to be a lockdown defensive squad. But if their defense can continue to be aggressive and pesky like tonight, this team will keep on shocking the NBA world as the season goes on.