At this point, it’s really no longer a surprise. That’s what kings do. They play well for a while then completely collapse against bad teams.
Almost all month we were delighted the Kings’ defensive improvements, their effort and their intensity. During yesterday’s match, it wasn’t much. The shots weren’t falling, especially from three, but the Kings continued to set up from long range rather than attacking the paint.
De’Aaron Fox went 5-15 from three and Domantas Sabonis had six turnovers. The Kings’ stars were not always present offensively, and without Malik Monk, the defeat could have been much uglier.
Defensively, it didn’t look pretty either. Sacramento allowed the Wizards to shoot 40 percent from three and score 60 points in the paint, falling back into old patterns. They withstood a big deficit but still allowed the worst team in the NBA to earn its twelfth victory of the season.
Outside of the top three and bottom four, the West is incredibly tight. The Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings are all battling for the sixth seed with similar records, hoping to avoid the Play-In tournament and teams desperate not to miss the playoffs.
With just one loss, the Kings fell from sixth to eighth in the standings. The Mavericks and Suns, meanwhile, each picked up a valuable victory yesterday. These other star teams certainly have more pressure to put together a successful playoff run than the Kings, but Sacramento doesn’t want to miss the playoffs either.
This whole season was supposed to be about getting more playoff experience and seeing what they can do after their first winning season. Additionally, the front office hopefully wants to convince Malik Monk to stay in free agency. Monk is a competitor and wants to play on a winning team.
With all of this at stake, this loss could prove very costly down the line. Every win counts and the Kings can’t afford to lose games to teams they’re supposed to beat.
The schedule doesn’t get any easier from here on. Sacramento still has to face the Mavericks, Clippers, physical Knicks, Celtics, Thunder, Pelicans and Suns. Some of the best teams in the league are on this list, as well as some teams, like the Pelicans, that the Kings simply haven’t played well against.
Let’s hope this ugly loss doesn’t come back to haunt the Kings.
