Home Sweet Home: Kings Rout Blazers 126-94 In Preseason Home Opener

Oct 9, 2022, 8:41 PM | Updated: 10:53 pm

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 16: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings looks to pass the ball a...

(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Editor & Kings Beat Writer

It’s good to be back.

For the first time in six months, the Sacramento Kings took the floor at Golden 1 Center and gave fans a welcome-back present in the form of a 126-94 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night.

Even though it was a preseason matchup, the energy was in the building as a revamped Kings team completely picked Portland apart on both ends of the floor.

The three-pointers were falling in bunches. Eight players finished the night in double figures. Defensive intensity was apparent from start to finish.

If Sunday’s tune-up game was any indication of how October 19th’s season-opener between these two teams will go, there will be no shortage of buzz in this building when the regular season begins.

Kings knock down four straight triples 😤 pic.twitter.com/XjTjDPpp5h

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) October 10, 2022

Game Story

Sacramento’s three-point shooting was impressive during the opening period, but the defense was even better.

De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, and Terence Davis combined to shoot five-of-six from beyond the arc during the first quarter as the Kings built a 31-19 lead heading into the second. The three-point shooting was fun to watch, but the fact that Portland was held to 38 percent shooting from the field and 22 percent shooting from deep made the opening effort even more impressive.

As play entered the second quarter, it seemed as if the Kings’ game became even more polished as they continued to take care of business on both sides of the ball. Sacramento led by as many as 20 points en route to taking a commanding 70-53 lead into the break.

Keegan Murray’s Golden 1 Center debut got off to a favorable start as the rookie caught fire near the end of the second quarter. Over 17 minutes of action in the first half, Murray drilled four of his five three-point attempts and scored 13 points to join Fox (14 points) and Domantas Sabonis (13 points) as the game’s leading scorers.

Two shots from deep, two buckets from deep 💦 @keegan3murray | #SacramentoProud pic.twitter.com/GgF6UaYdbm

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) October 10, 2022

Unlike the preseason opener against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Kings’ primary contributors (Fox, Sabonis, Huerter, Barnes) played into the second half on Sunday. Head coach Mike Brown said pregame that the starters would get some extended run against Portland, and that’s exactly what happened as all starters–except KZ Okpala–logged 21 minutes of playing time or more.

Once the starters crossed the 20-minute mark, the bench took over the rest of the way as Sacramento’s offense refused to let up down the closing stretch. Even with their primary contributors on the sideline, the Kings went on to stretch its lead to 36 points during the final quarter of play to secure a 2-0 start to preseason play.

When you look at tonight as a whole, the main thing that sticks out is the impressive three-point shooting as the Kings converted 21 of their 45 attempts (46%), a total that fell just short of the team’s franchise-record of 22 made three-point field goals.

Two games into preseason, Sacramento has won both games by an average of 31 points. Not a bad start to the 2022-23 campaign.

Rotation Notes

All 20 players saw the floor during Sacramento’s preseason opener against the Lakers, but Mike Brown said that wouldn’t be the case on Sunday night.

Brown shortened his core rotation from 20 to 12 against Portland, as the following players saw the floor during the first half:

Sacramento has gone to 12 players here in the first half.

Mike Brown said pregame that he would play between 13-15 players vs Portland as he begins to condense his rotations.

So far:

Fox
Huerter
Barnes
Okpala
Sabonis

Mitchell
Davis
Monk
Murray
Lyles
Len
Metu

— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) October 10, 2022

One of the more notable rotation moves was that Brown opted to play Terence Davis with the second unit. Davis was the first player off of the bench on Sunday after coming in with the third-string group in Los Angeles. Davis’ energy and hustle could have him in the mix for a rotation spot come opening night.

Over just 11 minutes of action, Davis scored 14 points on five-of-eight shooting from the field (four-of-five from three-point range) to go along with three rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one blocked shot.

The Kings have desperately needed a spark-plug in their rotation for quite some time, and adding Davis into the mix with the talent that this team acquired in the offseason like Malik Monk and Keegan Murray could spell trouble for opposing teams.

“We are working man. We spend hours in practice just going at one another,” Davis said postgame when asked what impressed him about Sunday’s win. “Like I said, we’re just working. When we see the ball move like that, there’s no choice but to get a great shot. That’s a lot of fun, it really is.”

TD turns the BIG block into two points on the other end 💪@TerenceDavisJr 🤝 @kz_okpala_ | #SacramentoProud pic.twitter.com/bTMsriFc78

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) October 10, 2022

Quick Hits

Keegan Murray continued to show that he is the real deal. Over 22 minutes of action, the rookie led all Kings scorers with 16 points on five-of-six shooting from three-point range to go along with two steals.
The third-string group on Sunday: Matthew Dellavedova, Kent Bazemore, Neemias Queta, Chimezie Metu
Keon Ellis, Sam Merrill, Quinn Cook, and Chima Moneke were the players that were left out of Sunday’s primary rotation.

Okpala Continues To Get The Start At PF

For the second-straight game, Kings head coach Mike Brown opted to start KZ Okpala at the power forward spot.

While a large portion of Sacramento’s fanbase eagerly awaits the day that Keegan Murray’s name graces the starting lineup, Brown currently has his mind set on Okpala’s defensive versatility. Brown, who also acts as the head coach of the Nigerian men’s basketball team, had high praise for the 6’8 forward during the 2020 Summer Olympics:

“KZ is a remarkable talent,” Brown told the South Florida Sun Sentinel last summer. “He has a chance to be, obviously, an elite defender, an eventual contender for Defensive Player Of the Year. His upside is tremendous.”

Although Okpala got the starting nod, Murray finished the first half with the starting unit, while Trey Lyles opened up the second half alongside Fox, Huerter, Barnes, and Sabonis. It’s possible that the Kings roll out a starting unit that includes Okpala, but Murray and others will also get their chances–depending on defensive matchups, of course.

According to Brown, the competition for the starting power forward spot is still “wide open” as we move into the final stretch of preseason.

Watch Your Head

Preseason or not, Domantas Sabonis delivered an epic poster jam during the first quarter of Sunday’s game:

SABONIS DROPS THE HAMMER 🔨 pic.twitter.com/kNkGAPd92K

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) October 10, 2022

Injury Updates

Richaun Holmes (illness) did not suit up against Portland and is considered day-to-day, per Mike Brown.
Domantas Sabonis was active for Sunday’s game vs Portland after missing Saturday’s practice due to personal reasons.

Next Up

Sacramento will travel to the desert on Wednesday for a matchup against the Phoenix Suns at the Footprint Center.

Be sure to get all of your Kings vs Suns preseason action right here on Sactown Sports 1140, with coverage beginning at 3:00 PM PST on Cattles & Ramie before a 7:00 PM PST from Phoenix, Arizona.