The Sacramento Kings now have a record of 6-5 as they fell short to the Toronto Raptors by a score of 114-105.
There will be no partying after tonight’s Sacramento Kings game as the purple and white fell to the Toronto Raptors by a score of 114-105. With this game in the books, the Kings now have a record of 6-5 while the Raptors have a record of 11-1.
Game Recap
The first quarter was an exciting one to witness. The period was highlighted by the electric play of De’Aaron Fox and the return of Bogdan Bogdanovic. Both players were able to make positive impacts on their team as Fox scored nine points and Bogdanovic with five points. Even though both players were good for Sacramento, Toronto was the team leading at the end of the first by a score of 29-26.
The Kings continued to be competitive in the second quarter, but the Raptors were just too strong behind the play of their top players. Toronto ended up leading 64-51 going into halftime, but Willie Cauley-Stein had a strong half as he scored 11 points which helped keep the score somewhat close for Sacramento.
The Kings started the third quarter out on a high note. Led by Buddy Hield, the Kings were able to go on a mini-rally which had them only trailing by single digits. But poor rebounding and missed free throws had Sacramento lose their momentum, and the Raptors finally got their rhythm back. Once the third quarter ended, the Kings found themselves trailing 94-78.
During the fourth quarter, it seemed like the Kings were on their way to another loss. The team was not clicking and they were trailing by double digits. But right now, we are witnessing a different Kings squad. Unlike their previous teams, this team continued to fight and they made their way back into the game down the stretch. But the Raptors are 11-1 for a reason which is why they were able to keep the lead until triple zeros hit the clock.
Takeaway #1: Rebounding
The Kings had a poor night rebounding the ball. The purple and white were only able to grab 31 rebounds compared to the Raptors who were able to record 53 rebounds for the game. The Kings also lost the offensive rebounding battle as they only had six as a collective group compared to the Raptors’ 13.
With the Raptors dominating the boards tonight, it gave them more opportunities to score and took away precious offensive possessions from the Kings. Definitely, a huge reason why Toronto is leaving the Golden 1 Center with a victory.
Takeaway #2: Foul Trouble
The sound of whistles was definitely filling up the Golden 1 Center tonight. For the game, both teams combined for a total of 46 personal fouls in which the Kings recorded 26 of them. Foul trouble was definitely a killer for the purple and white as some of their fouls killed their momentum and gave the Raptors more possessions on the offensive end.
Takeaway #3: These Are Not Your Typical Kangz
Although the Kings lost tonight, they are a different squad compared to their teams in the past. Even though the Raptors maintained the lead for most of the game, the Kings never gave up. They continued to fight back to make sure that the game was competitive for the full 48 minutes, which is an encouraging sign that their fans should take from this game.
If tonight displayed a Kings teams from the past, this game might have been a blowout during the third quarter. But instead, the city of Sacramento now has a basketball team that is young, energetic, and tenacious. The Kings are not an easy win anymore.
What Is Next?
With tonight’s game against the Raptors now in the books, the Sacramento Kings still have some hefty opponents coming their way. On Friday night, they will host the Minnesota Timberwolves who have talents like Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns. And hey, maybe Jimmy Butler makes an appearance as well.
After their game against Minnesota, Sacramento then has to face off against the Los Angeles Lakers. Not only will this matchup be hard because it is against a division foe, but the Lakers also have an extraordinary talent that is LeBron James. A team that features arguably one of the greatest basketball players of all time is no easy win.
Once their game against Los Angeles is over, the San Antonio Spurs come into town. They seem to be alright. They currently have a record of 6-4 and their star player in DeMar DeRozan is having a career year. They also have Gregg Popovich as their head coach who seems to be decent. I think?
These next three games will be a good challenge for the Kings. How they play these next few days can give us a good idea of where they are currently in their rebuild.
Hopefully, the Kings are able to earn some wins during this stretch. They are tired of being considered the joke of the NBA, so maybe some statement wins will shut up the haters and the national media.