Kings Put On Gross Display During Blowout Loss To Cavs
Dec 11, 2021, 7:22 PM | Updated: 7:25 pm
(Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
(Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
Sacramento begins the three-game road-trip with two-straight losses
Following the horror of Friday night’s end result in Charlotte, it was surprisingly easy to imagine a worst-case scenario for the Sacramento Kings when they faced the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday afternoon.
Things got ugly very quickly as the Cavs took a big lead early and never looked back, leading by as many as 29 points while knocking off the Kings by a final of 117-103 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
With the loss, Sacramento falls to 11-16 on the season.
The Kings were seemingly out of Saturday’s contest before the game even tipped-off on Saturday afternoon.
Cleveland took a 13-point lead after the first quarter and didn’t stop there, scoring 81 points in the first half to take a commanding 81-52 lead into the break, all but putting this one away in humiliating fashion.
Sacramento’s defense once again looked like a revolving door, allowing 67-plus points for the third-straight contest on 61-percent shooting from the field. In fact, the 81 points allowed to Cleveland are the most points that the Kings have allowed in a first half since 1992 (also 81 points).
Sacramentos showed some signs of life by jumping out to a 13-2 run to begin the second half to bring the deficit to 18 points before Cleveland regained control to take a 101-78 lead into the fourth quarter to all-but put the game out of reach.
Buddy Hield, Damian Jones and the rest of the Kings bench led a furious 18-4 charge to open up the fourth, cutting the deficit to just seven points with six minutes remaining while head coach Alvin Gentry sat all five starters on the bench.
While the second unit made things interesting late, the Cavaliers would not be denied over the closing minutes as they silenced the Sacramento run to seal the victory.
Once again, the Kings looked like a Parks and Recreation team on defense as they allowed Cleveland to score at will. Earlier this season, former head coach Luke Walton said that he wanted this team to finish the season within the top-15 in defense. Instead, this Kings team ranks 27th in defensive rating and 29th in opponent points per game.
Can this roster find success on the defensive end?
We all know that the Sacramento Kings can score the basketball. Creating offense is not the issue. Getting stops and bottling up opposing offenses is going to be a huge key in determining this team’s success as we push forward into the middle months of the season. When it comes down to it, the current state of this roster is unlikely to be enough in getting this team to the postseason.
Changes are needed. Sacramento general manager Monte McNair has some work cut out for him in finding the pieces to fix this roster.
Each passing game is an opportunity, and the Kings are squandering a lot of opportunities right now.
Injury Updates
- Richaun Holmes suffered a blow to the face from Magic center Mo Bamba during a shot attempt midway through the second quarter. The 28-year-old immediately exited the game with a bloodied face and went to the Kings locker room. Holmes had a right eye laceration repaired earlier this week and is expected to be re-evaluated on Monday.
Coming Up
Sacramento’s three-game road-trip will come to a close on Monday afternoon when they travel across the border for a matchup with the Toronto Raptors.
Just a few weeks ago, the Raptors pummeled the Kings by a final of 108-89 in front of a disgruntled audience at Golden 1 Center. De’Aaron Fox led Sacramento with just 17 points in the loss.
Pregame coverage of Kings vs Raptors will begin at 2:30pm PST right here on Sports 1140 KHTK, with Game Night taking you right into Kings Live Pregame prior to an early 4:00pm PST tip-off from Toronto, Canada.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings Schedule
- December 13th @ Toronto Raptors
- December 15th vs Washington Wizards
- December 17th vs Memphis Grizzlies
- December 19th vs San Antonio Spurs
- December 20th @ Golden State Warriors
