NBA
Kings vs Heat Reaction & Takeaways
Davion Mitchell turned in another strong performance, but the Kings offense sputtered early
The Miami Heat entered play on Monday night having lost four-straight games and six of their last nine contests.
As they battle Boston, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia atop the Eastern Conference standings, Miami snapped their losing streak as they defeated the Sacramento Kings by a final of 123-100 at FTX Arena.
The Kings had its two-game winning streak snapped in blowout fashion as the offense never really got it going against a strong Heat defense.
Unfortunately, there really weren’t too many positive takeaways, but here goes nothing:
The Davion Train Keeps On Rolling
The rookie continues to turn heads.
Not only did Davion Mitchell showcase his defense by drawing multiple charges on Monday night, but he also continued his red-hot stretch of play.
The 23-year-old scored 21 points on nine-of-19 shooting from the field to go along with nine assists, one steal, and one block over 41 minutes.
More history was established for the rookie as he became the first King in the Sacramento era (1985-present) to score 20 points and dish out 7+ assists in four-straight games.
In fact, Mitchell’s four-game streak of 20+ points and 7+ assists streak is tied for the third-longest streak in the Sacramento era.
Even on a night that Mitchell wasn’t scoring at will, he was the bright spot for an offense that struggled to produce consistency in Miami.
Mitchell converted nine field goals on Monday, while the next closest Kings in that regard were Damian Jones (six made field goals) and Harrison Barnes (five made field goals).
Donte DiVincenzo’s Shooting
For the fourth-straight game and for the sixth time over the past seven games, Donte DiVincenzo knocked down multiple three-point field goals on Monday night.
DiVincenzo converted four of his nine long-range attempts to finish the night with 12 points while also handing out five assists and swiping three steals over 32 minutes.
After struggling to begin the season following his return from ankle surgery, the veteran guard is shooting 12-of-29 (41%) from three-point range over the past four games.
D-Jones’ Solid Night
Damian Jones has just a few weeks of basketball to play before he sets his sights on free agency.
The 26-year-old finished with 15 points (six-of-eight from the field) and six rebounds in what was another strong start for the 6’11 big.
Over his last four games, Jones is averaging 13.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest while shooting 22-of-30 (73%) from the field.
Sacramento will have some decisions to make this summer in rounding out its roster for next season, but it’s becoming clear that Jones is looking to play his way into a larger deal than his current $1.9 million contract.
Queta Time
When it was announced just minutes before tip-off that Alex Len (non-COVID illness) would be unavailable, it became clear that the time had finally come:
The time for Neemias Queta to finally get some NBA minutes.
For only the second time in the rookie’s career and the first time since January 10th, Queta logged more than 10 minutes of playing time as the seven-footer finished with three points and one rebound over 15 minutes of action.
Queta showed off his screening skillset as he got his teammates free on multiple possessions while using his 7’0, 245-point frame.
With Domantas Sabonis and Richaun Holmes both likely sidelined for the remainder of the season, Queta is surely going to be a beneficiary of some expanded minutes once the Kings are eliminated from postseason contention in the coming days.
Injury Updates
- Jeremy Lamb (right hamstring soreness) exited the game following the conclusion of the first half. Lamb is considered day-to-day.
- Alex Len and Josh Jackson were inactive on Monday. Both players are considered day-to-day.
- De’Aaron Fox (hand) did not play on Monday and hasn’t resumed basketball activities after injuring his hand on March 16th vs Milwaukee. Alvin Gentry told The Nick Cattles Show on Friday that Fox’s hand is still “blue around the palm” and added that the team will not rush the guard back into action this season.
- Domantas Sabonis (left knee bruise) will be reevaluated once the team returns from their five-game road trip. Sabonis suffered no structural damage to his left knee and is expected to make a full recovery. More on Sabonis here.
- Richaun Holmes will miss the remainder of the season due to personal reasons. More on Holmes here.
- Terence Davis will be re-evaluated at the end of the season after undergoing successful surgery to repair a right wrist ECU tendon injury.
Coming Up
As the days in the 2021-22 regular season continue to dwindle down, the Kings will finish its road-trip with a set of games in Houston, starting with Wednesday night’s game against the Rockets.
The Kings and Rockets played a set of games at Golden 1 Center on January 14th and 16th that resulted in a split between the two teams. Houston picked up a 118-112 win in the most recent matchup between the two teams behind 23 points and 14 rebounds from Christian Wood.
You can find all of your Kings vs Rockets coverage right here on Sports 1140 KHTK beginning at 3:00 pm PST on The Nick Cattles Show before a 5:00 pm PST tip-off from downtown Houston.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings Schedule
- March 30th @ Houston Rockets
- April 1st @ Houston Rockets
- April 3rd vs Golden State Warriors
- April 5th vs New Orleans Pelicans (Final home game of the season)
- April 9th @ Los Angeles Clippers
- April 10th @ Phoenix Suns (Final game of season)
