What we learned as the Kings hit rock bottom with a big loss to the Pacers first appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SACRAMENTO – Another game, another double-double Domantas Sabonis and another frustrating loss for the Kings.
Sabonis had 17 points, 21 rebounds and four assists but finished minus-26 as the Kings cruised their way to 122-95 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday at the Golden 1 Center.
De’Aaron Fox added 23 points and seven assists. Malik Monk scored 14 goals while Keegan Murray has 10
By comparison, the Pacers had seven players score in double figures. ancient kings’ first-round draft pick Tyrese Haliburton scored 14.
The Kings were close in the first half and went into halftime tied at 52-52, but Indiana broke out for 35 points in the third quarter and cruised from there.
It was not entirely bad.
The Kings did a better job of keeping the ball than they have in recent games, and got 15 rebounds.
With the end result being another L, however, it is not very important. After clawing its way back to .500 the past few weeks, Sacramento fell to 13-17 and is 12Th place in the Western Conference.
Here are the takeaways from Sunday’s game:
Double-double King
Sabonis gets a lot of heat because of his defense, which stems from him often having to guard players who are much bigger and more physical than him.
There is no doubt Domas’ than on offense.
The 240-pound King, who has been the franchise leader for doubles, added another one in what has become an annual sporting tradition. You need just two quarters to notice your new one.
That’s 26 of Sabonis’ 28 games played this season, and 359Th of his career – fifth-most in the NBA since 2016-17.
Lack has kicked-out pass
The Kings only had little success shooting, mainly from behind the arc because they didn’t get many open looks.
A lot of that can be solved by key driving to draw defenders down and then spraying out into the zone. It has been one of Mike Brown’s pet peeves all season, something the head coach has been very vocal about in the past.
Instead of driving and dishing to the zone, the Kings were content driving into traffic trying to get through multiple defenders. When they pass the ball to the arc, the Pacers won’t catch on and close easily.
Kthe MIAs
Keon Ellis has been the Kings’ best player off the bench this season because of his willingness to do whatever it takes or play wherever the Browns need him.
Yet Ellis is almost as vulnerable as a healthy DNP. At one point, several fans sitting near the Kings broke out in chants for Ellis to play, only to see No. 23 on the bench.
Ellis didn’t make his debut until there were less than five minutes left to play and finished with three points in four and a half minutes. In a tough game like this, when Sacramento looks like it needs an infusion of energy, it would have been nice to see him in more time.
