If you take a good look at the Sacramento Kings' performance against the Miami Heat last night, it becomes obvious what went wrong. While the Kings put up big points, they weren't physical enough and didn't provide significant defensive pressure, partially thanks to the Domantas Sabonis effect.
Defense is the biggest issue the Kings have, and it's been a problem for a long time. That's why Doug Christie has made it the focus of his first full season as Sacramento's head coach. It's sometimes at the cost of the offense, but it's hard to win games when the other team scores on you at will.
During Sacramento's recent four-game win streak at home, the team was more focused defensively. They kept their opponents in check and well under the 120 point mark. Even more impressive, the Kings actually held the Knicks to under 100. It was a great defensive game.
Kings' defense doesn't cut the mustard
The same was not true against the Heat last night. Miami ran roughshod over the Kings, borderline taking whatever they wanted. This issue was most obvious from the three-point line, where the Heat took 42 shots and sunk 21 of them with little pressure from the Kings.
That being said, the problem wasn't just from the arc. Across the court, the defensive pressure fans have been seeing from the Kings lately just wasn't there. Individual players like Dylan Cardwell and Precious Achiuwa did well on defense, but there was no concerted effort from the team.
Look, every roster has an off game once in awhile. But the vast majority of the season for the Kings has been bad on defense, and you can't keep letting that happen. Sacramento was finally developing a consistent defensive presence. They can't lose the ground they've made up.
Something changed for the Kings recently
In the last couple of games, the Kings' defensive rhythm is off from where it's been the previous eight to ten games. It's not hard to see what has changed, and that's the return of Domantas Sabonis. He's got a lot of great skills on a basketball court. Unfortunately, defense is not one of them.
Christie has being playing Sabonis off the bench and around the 19 minute mark. He barely played Domas in the second half of last night's game. Why? To limit his negative impact on the Kings' defense. And it worked because the third and fourth quarters looked better than the first two.
To be fair, the fault does not lay solely on Sabonis. It was a team failure on the defensive end of the court. It's also impossible to deny Domantas's impact on the King's defense because fans have been watching it happen for years. All due respect to the All-Star, but it's time for a trade.