Kings Skid Reaches Seven As They Conclude Roadtrip With Blowout Loss At MSG
Jan 31, 2022, 6:55 PM | Updated: Feb 2, 2022, 11:10 am
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Sacramento has lost 12 of their past 14 games. Pain.
It was a historic road-trip for the Sacramento Kings.
Not only did Sacramento lose all five of its games over the past 12 days, but they also suffered their worst loss in over 30 years last Tuesday in Boston before capping off the trip on Monday in New York by extending their road losing-streak to 12 games–the team’s longest since the 2010-11 season.
The Kings dropped its seventh-straight game by a final of 116-96 to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden in what was a merciless finale to a forgettable road-trip.
Sacramento (18-34) has lost 12 of 14 and will fall even further out of the Western Conference Play-In picture following Monday’s loss.
New York was feeling it early as they shot 57-percent or above from both the field and beyond the arc to put the Kings in a hole early. The Knicks used a 10-1 run to build a double-digit lead in the first quarter, eventually taking a 31-23 lead into the second.
Sacramento was ice-cold from the field during the first half, shooting just 37-percent from the field and 26-percent from the three-point line over the first 24 minutes of play.
Evan Fournier exploded for 18 first-half points to lead the Knicks to a 54-41 lead heading into the halftime break.
While Sacramento was able to bring themselves to within 11 points several times during the third quarter, the Knicks would extinguish each Kings run to ensure they keep the game out of reach. New York took a 84-66 lead into the fourth to all but put this one away.
Saturday’s loss against Philadelphia was one that almost gave you a sliver of hope that the Kings were on the verge of breaking through and stringing together some hard-fought contests.
Instead, we saw more of what we have seen during the majority of this seven-game losing streak: uninspired play, sloppiness, hopelessness, all of the above with no silver linings.
“We’re losing. As a young player I’m just trying to take it in stride and learn as much as I can but there’s no silver lining. We’re just losing,” Tyrese Haliburton said postgame of the seven-game skid.
The Kings will have a long flight back to California to contemplate the horrible stretch of play that they have showcased over the past couple of weeks.
Things won’t get any easier, either. Not only will the Kings play a back-to-back upon their arrival to Sacramento, but they will do so against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night prior to face the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on Thursday.
Last season, the Kings suffered a nine-game losing streak not once, but two times.
Here we are one season later and we could very well be seeing another one of those famous nine-game skids–just another notch in the belt of pain for the 2021-22 Sacramento Kings.
Bright Spots
Tyrese Haliburton led all Kings scorers with 21 points to go along with eight assists, while Davion Mitchell scored 18 points and dished out six assists in the losing effort.
Injury Updates
De’Aaron Fox missed his fifth-straight game due to left ankle soreness. Kings head coach Alvin Gentry said pregame that Fox is still experiencing soreness and that the guard is day-to-day.
Marvin Bagley III suffered a left-ankle sprain during the third quarter of Saturday’s loss in Philadelphia. Bagley is considered day-to-day.
Terence Davis underwent successful surgery to repair a right wrist ECU tendon injury and will be re-evaluated in approximately three months, according to the Kings.
Coming Up
At long last, the Sacramento Kings will return to Golden 1 Center on Wednesday night when they face Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets in the first game of a brutal home-road-back-to-back that concludes on Thursday at Golden State.
Last season, the Kings dropped both games to Brooklyn, with the most recent defeat being a 127-118 loss at Barclays Center back on February 23, 2021.
Brooklyn holds a current six-game winning-streak against Sacramento dating back to January of 2019.
You can find all of your Kings vs Nets coverage right here on Sports 1140 KHTK beginning at 5:30pm PST on Game Night with Scott Marsh and Henry ‘The High Flyer’ Turner prior to a 7:00pm PST tip-off from Golden 1 Center.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings Schedule
- February 2nd vs Brooklyn Nets
- February 3rd @ Golden State Warriors
- February 5th vs Oklahoma City
- February 8th vs Minnesota Timberwolves
- February 9th vs Minnesota Timberwolves
- February 10th: NBA Trade Deadline – 12:00pm PST
