After taking on the Suns for the third time this season, the Sacramento Kings were handed yet another blowout loss. The problem remains that the team seems largely incapable of playing a full 48-minute game and keeps falling apart at some point in the second half. It's a bad pattern.
Last night's match with the Phoenix Suns started off pretty well. By the end of the first half, it was 62 to 56 in favor of the Suns. That's not a bad place to be in as the Kings were only six points back, and well within striking distance of taking over the game if they kept the pace up.
Unfortunately, Sacramento did the exact opposite. By the end of the third quarter, the score was 97 to 83 for the Suns, then 129 to 102 by the end of the game. Phoenix just kept extending the lead throughout the second half as the Kings fell further and further behind.
It was another example of the Kings falling apart in the second half. The same thing happened in their previous game against the Celtics, though Sacramento at least kept it close through the first three quarters. They didn't collapse until the fourth quarter that time.
The Kings have to play a full 48-minutes every game
At this point, the imbalance in the King's structure has become completely unmanageable. Making it worse is the coaching staff's seeming lack of desire to work with the roster they have, and trying to force it to be something it's not. That's why Sacramento's record is currently eight and 27.
Despite the imbalances and bad coaching, the Kings need to put in a full 48-minute game every time they are on the court. Late-game collapses like this have been all too frequent this season. Not every game is going to be a win, but they should at least be competitive.
Making it more difficult is the fact that fans know the Kings have it in them to be competitive. On more than one occasion, Sacramento has eked out close victories or at least put up a fight in close losses. They can play cohesively and succeed as a team. They have proven that.
Regardless of who is on the team or coaching it, Sacramento has to put in a full game, every game. There are no half efforts or taking feet off the gas at any point. It's got to be 100% effort from tip-off all the way to the final buzzer. Even losing with maximum effort is still important.