Nets use long-ball to outlast sliding Kings

Nov 24, 2024, 8:58 PM | Updated: 9:15 pm

SACRAMENTO, CA - NOVEMBER 24: Keegan Murray #13 of the Sacramento Kings shoots the ball during the ...

(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

Lead Editor & Kings Beat Writer

On a night with nostalgic qualities for the Sacramento Kings, the reality of the present continued to rear its ugly head.

The Kings debuted their ‘Classic Edition’ jerseys and throwback court—both from the 2003-04 season—with franchise legend Vlade Divac sitting courtside, but all of the good vibes seemed to evaporate as soon as action tipped off at Golden 1 Center on Sunday night.

Sacramento’s defense allowed the Brooklyn Nets to catch fire from three-point range en route to a 108-103 loss, dropping the Kings (8-9) back below the .500 mark.

Sacramento’s bad habits continue to form, as they allowed an opponent to make 19 or more triples for the fifth time this season (tied for the most in the NBA).

Although there is still plenty of season left to play, concerns surrounding this roster’s construction are getting louder by the day, with another tough test ahead of the Beam Team less than 24 hours away in the Oklahoma City Thunder.

it’s just what Cam Thomas does 🪣 pic.twitter.com/ONoE6WDfgc

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 25, 2024

Kings vs. Nets recap & takeaways

De’Aaron Fox has been the driving force behind the Sacramento offense this season, so it was only fitting that Sunday’s game opened up with another big quarter from the star guard.

Fox, the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week, scored 14 points on five-of-five shooting from the field during the first to jumpstart the Kings’ offense. While Fox was dialed in, Sacramento allowed ten points off its five turnovers in the opening period, with Nets guard Cam Thomas (15 points in the first quarter) leading the way.

Brooklyn, a team that entered play holding top-ten positions in three points field goal attempts (seventh) and made three-point field goals (seventh), made the Kings pay early, pushing its lead to 19 points during the first half while shooting 13-of-20 (65%) from beyond the arc.

With Sacramento’s defense presenting itself as a green light for Nets shooters and a few questionable calls (or, in this case, no-calls) going against the Kings, head coach Mike Brown released his frustrations at the officials as his team sat in a 19-point hole.

Following Brown’s technical foul, Sacramento ended the half on a 22-11 run to trim the deficit to eight at the break.

Mike Brown was FURIOUS at the refs 😳

Brown assessed a technical foul after that.pic.twitter.com/TXsDWb6vtl

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 25, 2024

After scoring just two points on two field goal attempts during the first half, Domantas Sabonis got his offense going to start the second half.

The All-NBA big scored nine points in the third quarter before being forced to sit for the final minutes of the period after he picked up his fourth personal foul. Sabonis, Keegan Murray (eight points in the quarter), and DeMar DeRozan (six points in the third) supplied some much-needed contributions to aid the efforts of Fox, who crossed the 30-point mark before the start of the fourth.

While the Kings benefited from a strong stretch from the rest of its starting five, Brooklyn immediately pounced on a Fox-less lineup during the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, outscoring Sacramento 9-0 with ‘Swipa’ off the floor.

The Nets held Fox scoreless in the fourth, and the Kings struggled to generate offense down the final stretch (15 points on 26% shooting in the fourth quarter). Thomas and a red-hot Brooklyn team put the game away late as Sacramento dropped another game at home that they could have taken control of late.

There are multiple aspects of Sunday’s loss that you can point a finger at regarding the Kings’ play:

Sacramento was outscored 44-9 in bench points, with Keon Ellis scoring all nine of those points.
The Kings went 20/31 (64%) from the free-throw line (worst % of the season).
Sacramento allowed 24 points off of 16 turnovers.
Brooklyn finished the night 19/39 (48%) from three-point land (one triple away from tying a season-high in made three-point field goals).

Keegan ties it up 😎

pic.twitter.com/kzVVWQcJah

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 25, 2024

Three-point defense continues to act as the 2024-25 Sacramento Kings’ Achilles heel.

Sacramento entered play having allowed opponents to shoot 37.1 percent from three-point range, an average that will take another hit following tonight’s disappointing effort against the Nets.

Chatter surrounding the Kings’ depth will only get louder following this recent stretch, especially when Sacramento heavily relies on its starting five. Monday night was no different than what we’ve seen time and time again this season:

A big night from the starting five? 94 points. Check.

Little to no contributions from the second unit? Nine points. Check.

The incoming return of high-scoring guard Malik Monk (ankle) will lengthen the Kings’ rotation, but general manager Monte McNair and his staff will surely have to address the team’s thin frontcourt depth before the February 6th trade deadline.

Fox can’t do it on his own. DeRozan hasn’t looked like himself since returning from lower back tightness, but he displayed signs of life during the loss (18 points). Monk’s return will add another ball-dominant scorer and shot-creator into the mix, but Sacramento needs more out of its rotation–top to bottom.

Keegan Murray brushed off a tough start and finished strong, scoring 21 points on seven-of-14 shooting from the field to go along with eight boards. Getting Murray going would be a huge boost for the Kings, and if there’s any silver lining from this loss, it was seeing the forward display some confidence during the second half (12 points).

Keegan ties it up 😎

pic.twitter.com/kzVVWQcJah

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 25, 2024

Murray finding his offense is something to watch for. DeRozan’s return to his early season form is another. Monk’s return will help. But are there more significant questions that need answering for this group? Is it too early to tell?

17 games in, the concerns are undeniable for Sacramento. We’ll see if they can silence some of those conversations on Monday night against an Oklahoma City Thunder team with a record of 12-4 (second in the Western Conference).

Injury Update

Malik Monk (right ankle sprain) is getting closer to a return. The Sixth Man of the Year runner-up has been sidelined since November 10th but has participated in Sacramento’s non-contact portion of practices this week. Monk was upgraded to questionable before being ruled out shortly before tip. Monk could return as soon as Monday night vs. Oklahoma City.

When is the next Sacramento Kings game?

Sacramento will play the second game of a back-to-back against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night at Golden 1 Center.

The Thunder are off to a 12-4 start to the season thanks to the play of star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (28.7 points per game) and forward Jalen Williams (21.8 points per game).

Be sure to catch all of the Kings vs. Thunder action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage starting at 2:00 PM PT on The Drive Guys before action tips off at 7:00 PM PT from downtown Sacramento.