Mike Brown on Kings’ loss to Blazers: ‘They played harder than us.’
Oct 14, 2024, 9:43 AM
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Win or loss results in preseason don’t matter. Let’s start there. While the results of these games don’t matter, the habits that you see on the floor in an exhibition game could translate over to the regular season, meaning that the Sacramento Kings will want to nip some problems in the bud before next week’s season-opener.
The Kings dropped to 0-3 in preseason play following Sunday’s ugly showing against the Portland Trail Blazers, falling by a final of 105-85 at Golden 1 Center.
Sacramento turned the ball over 27 times, allowing Portland to score 33 points off those turnovers. De’Aaron Fox got into foul trouble early, playing a large portion of his 28 minutes with four or five fouls. Three-point shooting continues to be an issue for the Kings, who have posted a 25 percent conversation rate from deep over three games.
While it isn’t time to ring the alarm following three preseason games–three games that have seen Sacramento play without key players like Kevin Huerter (shoulder) and Trey Lyles (groin)–head coach Mike Brown is taking notes of what the Kings need to work on with two exhibition games remaining before games count for real next Thursday.
“Portland just, bottom line, they just played harder than us tonight except for the last group,” Brown said following Sunday’s loss. “I wanted to play our starters at the end of the game tonight, so that they try to feel what it is like to play in a whole game. They did not work with me in that situation to be able to play, and we’re down 20, so I’m not going to risk that in a preseason game. So, you got to give Portland a lot of credit just on how hard they played tonight, how physical they were tonight without fouling.”
The 27 turnovers loomed large in this one, especially when you take into account that Sacramento’s starting unit accounted for 14 over those mishaps. Domantas Sabonis (five), De’Aaron Fox (four), and DeMar DeRozan (three) had trouble taking care of the ball against a Blazers defense that ended the night with 14 steals.
“[Portland’s] pressure, their ball pressure, and their physicality sped us up and 27 turnovers for a game and 33 points. That might be a record for us. I don’t know, but we can’t turn the ball over the way that we did tonight,” Brown said.
“I told our guys, I said, ‘We tried so many home run plays, whether it was scoring the ball or passing the ball, that their aggression and their physicality just knocked us off pace a little bit. Next thing you know, it’s a turnover.’ So, a lot of credit to Portland. I thought they did a great job, but I do think our guys didn’t do a good job playing today.”
Sacramento’s offense looked fluid during the first two preseason games, but Sunday was the first instance of seeing spacing issues transpire with DeRozan, a mid-range expert, now in the fold.
Thankfully for the Kings, two preseason games remain–Tuesday in Salt Lake City and Thursday in Los Angeles–as they work towards next Thursday’s season-opener at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
When is the next Sacramento Kings game?
Sacramento will head into its final week of preseason with two games—both on the road—remaining on its exhibition schedule.
The Kings will head to Salt Lake City for a matchup against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.
Be sure to catch all of the action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage starting at 2:00 PM PDT on The Drive Guys before action tips off at 6:00 PM PDT from the Delta Center.
Sacramento Kings 2024-25 Schedule
Preseason
- Tuesday, October 15th – @ Utah Jazz – 6 pm PDT
- 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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