SACRAMENTO KINGS

Mike Brown on Kings’ loss to Blazers: ‘They played harder than us.’

Oct 14, 2024, 9:43 AM

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 12: Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown complains about a call du...

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

(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.

YouTube video

“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

Thank you for reading SactownSports.com. Follow us on Twitter and Google News, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Newsletter

Sacramento Kings

MIAMI, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 04: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Sacramento Kings in action against the Miami...

Brenden Nunes

Return of the Roar: Kings successful in first road trip of 24-25 season

With some well fought battles throughout, the Sacramento Kings came out their first road trip of the season with an optimistic 3-1 record.

13 hours ago

MIAMI, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 04: Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat controls the ball againat Malik Mo...

Brenden Nunes

Sabonis game-winning putback gives Kings 111-110 win over Miami

The Sacramento Kings wrapped up their first road trip of the 24-25 season with a 111-110 win in Miami thanks to a Domantas Sabonis putback.

1 day ago

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 26: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings is guarded by Haywood...

Frankie Cartoscelli

Preview: Kings conclude four-game road trip in Miami

The Sacramento Kings will look to bounce back from an OT loss in Toronto when they take the floor on Monday in Miami.

2 days ago

TORONTO, CANADA - NOVEMBER 2 : Gradey Dick (1) of Toronto Raptors in action during the NBA basketba...

Brenden Nunes

Toronto defeats the Kings 131-128 on the night of Carter’s jersey retirement

On the night of Vince Carter's jersey retirement, the Toronto Raptors knocked down a season-high 17 threes to beat the Kings 131-128.

3 days ago

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - OCTOBER 29: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Sacramento Kings looks on during the se...

Field Level Media

DeMar DeRozan, Kings bring hot streak into Toronto

The Sacramento Kings will look to secure a fourth straight win on Saturday when they complete a back-to-back against the Toronto Raptors.

4 days ago

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JANUARY 16: Domantas Sabonis #10 of the Sacramento Kings high fives De'Aaron Fox...

Brenden Nunes

Fox leads Kings to unnecessarily close 123-115 win over Atlanta

The Kings allowed Atlanta into the game that looked like a potential blowout, but pulled out a 123-115 win, largely thanks to De'Aaron Fox.

4 days ago

Mike Brown on Kings’ loss to Blazers: ‘They played harder than us.’