A Royal Pain
Fansided

Sacramento Kings Play Sluggish, Get Steamrolled In The Twin Cities

By Rafe Wong

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 17: Derrick Rose #25 of the Minnesota Timberwolves drives to the basket during the game against the Sacramento Kings on December 17, 2018 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 17: Derrick Rose #25 of the Minnesota Timberwolves drives to the basket during the game against the Sacramento Kings on December 17, 2018 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Sacramento Kings were unable to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight as they got blown out by a score of 132-105.

The Sacramento Kings had the chance tonight to improve their record to 17-13, but instead, they got pounced by the Minnesota Timberwolves by a score of 132-105. With this loss, the Kings will fall to 16-14 while the Timberwolves improve to 14-16.

Let us dive into what happened during tonight’s contest. 

Game Summary

To begin the game, the Kings were sluggish. Their offense was poor as they were unable to execute well and make their shots. For the quarter, the purple and white did score 23 points but most of it came from Buddy Hield who caught fire as he contributed 16 points. As for the Timberwolves, they had a solid quarter as Derrick Rose led the way for them. Once the first ended, Minnesota had the lead by a score of 38-23.

In the second quarter, it was all Minnesota. They continued to roll on offense as a collective whole while being able to halt Sacramento’s offense. For the half, the Timberwolves shot 58% from the floor and 36% from beyond the perimeter. For the Kings, they only made 35% of their total shots and 31% of their three-pointers. Due to Minnesota’s dominance, they went into halftime with a whopping 74-44 lead.

Once the second half began, it seemed like the Kings threw in the white flag as Dave Joerger started a lineup containing Yogi Ferrell, Justin Jackson, Troy Williams, Skal Labissiere, and Kosta Koufos.

But let us remember that this is a new Sacramento Kings squad. During the third, the Kings caught fire with their second unit as a huge scoring run by them cut the Timberwolves’ lead all the way down to 12 points. Unfortunately, however, Minnesota finally woke up and started to get back into their rhythm. Once the quarter ended, the Timberwolves maintained the lead by a score of 103-77.

Dave Joerger kept the same strategy of playing his reserves once the fourth quarter came along. The Kings were able to get some solid play from guys like Yogi Ferrell, Harry Giles, and more, but in the end, the Kings still trailed by 27 points once triple zeros hit the clock.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this was probably the worst performance by the Kings this season. Straight out the gate, they were outmatched by the Timberwolves on both ends of the court and found no way to gain momentum. Hopefully, they will bring more energy and urgency once Wednesday night comes along when they face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder. For the Sacramento starters, they definitely will be rested.

Home/Kings News