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Sacramento Kings Were Checked Out When Klay Dropped 37 In A Quarter

By Anthony Cardenas

OAKLAND, CA - JANUARY 23: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after he made a three-point basket in the third quarter of their game against the Sacramento Kings at ORACLE Arena on January 23, 2015 in Oakland, California. Thompson scored 37 points in the third quarter to set a NBA record. 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. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - JANUARY 23: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after he made a three-point basket in the third quarter of their game against the Sacramento Kings at ORACLE Arena on January 23, 2015 in Oakland, California. Thompson scored 37 points in the third quarter to set a NBA record. 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. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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Klay Thompson’s 37-point quarter was an embarrassing moment for the Sacramento Kings, and we have an answer for why it may have happened in the first place.

There have been plenty of low points for the Sacramento Kings in what seems like a perpetual rebuild; botched draft picks, questionable hirings/firings, and even a relocation saga. But there is one in-game performance in particular that stands out, and we might now have a bit of clarity on the situation thanks to Jason Jones of The Athletic (subscription required).

In his mailbag article that was posted at the start of the weekend, Jones dives in to a multitude of different topics, all of which are intriguing and have their own interesting plot lines. One of the questions that he was asked was what the worst Kings moments were since he’s been covering the team.

Jones highlighted the worst seasons that he’s been a part of as well as other “weird” moments. One of which was the firing of head coach Mike Malone in 2014, which we have designated the worst front office move in team history.

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But an interesting tidbit about that situation was how disinterested the team was once interim head coach Tyrone Corbin took over, and how the locker room went into the tank. As Jones points out, almost as an afterthought, this was the period in which the Kings allowed Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors to score 37 points in a single quarter.

When looking back on the video of that tragic third quarter in Oracle Arena, the Kings players having mentally checked out of the season is only one of the reasons that Thompson was able to accomplish the feat.

Sacramento was not exactly throwing out any All-NBA defenders to try to stop the onslaught. Thompson was guarded mostly by a combination of Nik Stauskas and Ray McCallum, or no one at all. By the 3-minute mark of that quarter, Kings players were already throwing their arms up in disbelief, or maybe in reluctance to continue or even care.

The entire article from Jones is worth reading, as he has been working around the Kings franchise for years.

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