McDermott makes debut, Kings fall 113-91 to Clippers
Oct 17, 2024, 9:57 PM | Updated: Oct 18, 2024, 8:15 am
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Sacramento Kings have officially concluded their 2024-25 preseason. Their final showdown came against the Los Angeles Clippers, the debut game of their new home stadium, the Intuit Dome.
As has been the case for the entire preseason, with Kevin Huerter (shoulder), Trey Lyles (groin), Orlando Robinson (knee), and rookie Devin Carter (shoulder). They were also without De’Aaron Fox (rest) and Malik Monk (hand) on Thursday night.
The Clippers were without James Harden and Kawhi Leonard, with the latter “expected to be sidelined for an indefinite period of time to start the NBA season as he rehabilitates the inflammation in his right knee,” according to ESPN‘s Shams Charania.
New King Jordan McLaughlin got the start alongside Keon Ellis, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis.
Poor three-point shooting, turnovers, and fouls have troubled them up to this point, coming into the night 0-4 in the preseason. Well… the same issues persisted leading to a 113-91 loss to the Clippers.
There was no mistaking that this one was preseason action. Sacramento had nine turnovers in the first quarter, four from Sabonis, leading to 12 points for Los Angeles.
Between their turnovers and fouling to the point where the opposition was in the bonus halfway through the opening frame, they were fortunate to only be down ten (30-20) at the end of the first. Doug McDermott, who signed with the Kings the day before, made his first appearance in royal purple.
Doug McDermott drills his first three as a King 🤩 pic.twitter.com/7aSAwcPEid
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) October 18, 2024
But, the trend continued. The Clippers started the second on a 16-6 run, quickly extending their lead to nearly twenty. Turnovers, fouls, and minimal offensive flow made for a continued ugly showing for head coach Mike Brown’s roster.
It felt like nothing was going their way. The Kings had just 34 points on 31.4 percent shooting, including 3/17 from three, with 3:31 remaining in the half. That was also the first moment DeRozan made a bucket in his hometown’s new arena.
Not much had changed by the sound of the halftime buzzer when the scoreboard read 65-38 in favor of the Clippers. It’s not very often you see a team shoot under 30 percent from the field in a half, but the Kings couldn’t buy a bucket.
They were 28.6 percent from the field and 14.3 percent from three with 13 turnovers- not a great offensive recipe. Meanwhile, Los Angeles knocked down 59 percent of their looks with 18 points coming off Sacramento turnovers.
With the slew of practices they’ve had since training camp started on October 1st, it’s fair to question their level of fatigue, with starters playing significant minutes in most showings.
Thursday night was no different, with Brown rolling out his starters to begin the third.
Hopes of chipping away started to fade as their struggles continued. The once 27-point lead was trimmed to 14, but their run didn’t persist. Outscoring the Clippers 31-20 in the third only left the home team with an 85-69 advantage with 12 minutes remaining.
Brown had decided that was enough preseason basketball for his primary players, giving the newly acquired McDermott and the Joneses (Colby, Mason, and Isaac) an increased opportunity.
The new signee was precisely who he’s been throughout his ten years in the NBA. Over eighty percent of McDermott’s field goal attempts last season came from three.
In his Kings’ debut, he got 11 looks and made four. The rest of Sacramento shot 8/35 from range.
If there’s one thing McDermott is gonna do it’s shoot threes.
He’s 4/11 from deep in his Kings debut. pic.twitter.com/brnNbkJXd9
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) October 18, 2024
Although inefficient, the former collegiate National Player of the Year’s 14 points and four rebounds in 25 minutes were among the more welcome sights throughout the night.
Sabonis also tallied 24 points, nine rebounds (three offensive), five assists, and two steals on 7/14 from the field, including 10/12 from the free-throw line. He also had six of their 22 turnovers.
With the Clippers claiming a 113-91 victory, the buzzer marked the final moment a few players would wear Kings’ jerseys. They will have to reduce their 21-man roster to 18 before the start of the regular season in one week.
With a few (or more) practices sure to be sprinkled in during that span, Brown and general manager Monte McNair have a bit longer to make their final decisions and fine-tune their production before everything starts counting towards standings in what’s projected to be an extremely competitive Western Conference.
Sacramento Kings 2024-25 Schedule
Preseason
- Thursday, October 17th – @ Los Angeles Clippers – 7 pm PDT
Regular Season
- Thursday, October 24th – vs. Minnesota Timberwolves – 7 pm PDT
- Saturday, October 26th – @ Los Angeles Lakers – 7:30 pm PDT
- Monday, October 28th – vs. Portland Trail Blazers – 7 pm PDT
- Tuesday, October 29th – @ Utah Jazz – 6 pm PDT
- Friday, November 1st – @ Atlanta Hawks – 4 pm PDT
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