Yes, you read that right. The Sacramento Kings finally picked up their 13th win, snapping a 16-game losing streak that easily could have gone on for the rest of the season. While fans aren't going to look a gift horse in the mouth on this one, the Kings definitely did not play their best basketball.
After what was a historically bad slide for the Kings, it's good to see them pick up the win. It had to illicit a sigh of relief from everyone in the franchise. They were starting to drift into 2023-2024 Detroit Pistons territory, and no one wants to be the team that snaps the 28-game losing streak record.
There were a lot of great things to celebrate in this game. Both Precious Achiuwa and Maxime Raynaud finished with dominant double-doubles. Daeqwon Plowden had a huge evening, hitting three clutch threes in the fourth quarter. Nique Clifford had six steals, a career best.
In the end, seven out of the nine Kings that played against the Grizzlies scored in double digits. And all but one of them had a positive plus/minus, which is great to see. But before anyone starts getting ahead of themselves, there are certainly realities to this game that cannot be ignored.
A win is a win but the Kings' weren't at their best
Memphis walked into this match up with Kyle Anderson, Cedric Coward, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Ja Morant, Brandon Clarks, Ty Jerome, Santi Aldama, and Zach Edey all on the bench. They represent most of the biggest players on the team right now, though it's unlikely that anyone missed Morant.
Sure, Sacramento had their own list of injured players, but not to the extent of what the Grizzlies were dealing with. Plus, the Kings still had some of their best, both veterans and rookies, on the court. It was a rare occasion when Sacramento went into a game with an advantage.
Had even Jerome, Aldama, and Coward played, the outcome would not have been as positive for the Kings. Their defense was just barely good enough to hold back the rookies and G Leaguers the Grizzlies put on the court. If the Memphis starters had been there, it would have been loss 17.
A win is a win is a win. That's all their is to it. As usual, there are some positive takeaways and glimpses into a better future for the franchise. At the same time, this game also served as a reminder of the many weak points in the Kings' game that need to be fixed before they can grow.