The Kings’ second preseason game was not as competitive as the first, but fans were still able to get a sense of what the Kings could be.
The Sacramento Kings played the second game of their mini-series in India on Saturday night. The result was not one that players and fans alike had hoped for, but it served as a preview in to what the Kings need to work on throughout the rest of the preseason.
Individual Performances
Marvin Bagley stepped-up during the second contest after being underwhelming in the first. He drove to the basket for his first bucket, and then sank a long three-pointer. Later, he cut to the basket and Buddy Hield got the assist for the easy dunk. Bagley finished with 15 points, on 5 of 12 shooting in 25 minutes of play. Dewayne Dedmon also continued to impress with 11 points on 2 of 3 shooting from deep, while grabbing seven rebounds in 20 minutes, showing why he was an upgrade at the center position.
We also got to see a much thinner Caleb Swanigan, who started out hot and showed that what he can be when he has the ball in his hands, using his offensive repertoire in the post. Bogdan Bogdanovic also made solid plays, driving for a layup in the paint and then making a corner three on a later play. He finished with eight points on 3 of 7 shooting.
During the second quarter, Hield pulled up for a quick three and showed how dangerous he is in transition. In the second half, he made a couple of turnaround jump shots, showing he has more in his arsenal than just the three-point shooting. He was the leading scorer for the Kings and finished with 17 points on 3 of 9 from three in 27 minutes. De’Aaron Fox struggled, however. He scored just 10 points on 1 of 6 shooting in 25 minutes of play.
During the fourth quarter, the Kings rested the starters and fans got to see rookie guard Kyle Guy make a couple of shots. Yogi Ferrell made a driving basket in the fourth and Wenyen Gabriel showed his shooting touch as well. The Kings ultimately lost to the Pacers 130-106.
Why Did The Kings Lose?
The Kings were outrebounded yet again, this time by a margin of 51 to 35. This is an area where guys like Bagley, Harry Giles, Dedmon, Swanigan, and Richaun Holmes will have to make a unified effort to help out on the boards.
The Kings also had 18 turnovers, a number far higher than ideal if Sacramento hopes to stay in ball games this season. The Pacers also had 35 assists to the Kings 24. This is another area where the Kings need to improve if they want to take the next step.
Although there are many kinks to straighten out, fans should keep in mind that this is only the preseason, in which there are three games left for the Kings. Recalling back to last season, Sacramento had preseason blowout losses against the Warriors and the Jazz, but were able to improve drastically throughout the regular season.
The second India game was the second of a back-to-back, which the Kings have been horrendous at in the past. Having to travel 19 hours on a plane to India certainly did not help with their freshness and conditioning. There shouldn’t be any excuses when it comes to blowout losses, though the Kings might have a legitimate reason for their poor performance.