The Sacramento Kings were outmatched in every facet of the game in the season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers. The 121-96 loss was never particularly close aside from a brief moment when the Clippers lead was cut to 7. This game was a total mess.
The Kings offense and defense looks like something you would see at a pickup game on a Tuesday night at the local gym where no one knows each other, with that one guy who thinks he’s a “player coach” calling the shots, but no one is listening. The Clippers dominated the first quarter 41-29 and the third quarter 32-16. The Kings shot 29% from three to the Clippers 40%. Los Angeles also won fast break points 27-18.
Sacramento lost nearly every team stat, including just 57% from the free throw line.
Zach LaVine led the Kings with 28 points in 34 minutes. Domantas Sabonis had 14 points, 18 rebounds, and 8 assists. The story was the dismal shooting performance of Darius Acuff Jr. The rookie went 5-24 from the field. 5-24. He finished with 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 4 turnovers in 35 minutes. For comparison, LaVine scored his 28 on 19 shots.
Acuff looked sped up and was forcing things at times, but he was mostly getting the shots we saw him take and make throughout Summer League and preseason. The layups and floaters near the rim weren’t dropping. The jumpers were short. He missed three free throws in a row. It was brutal. He did, for the most part, manage to still get where he wanted, but within whatever offense this is the Kings are running, everything looked very forced and disjointed, not just from him, but from everyone. Let’s hope he shakes this off and gets things back on track efficiency wise on Friday.
Speaking of bad shooting, Keegan Murray went 1-8 from the field, 0-4 from three and took no free throws. His shots also looked forced, not in the flow of any sort of offense at all, and his zero free throws also is concerning. Everyone has been begging for Keegan to be more aggressive his whole career. He does it on the defensive end at times, and on offense it seems even fewer times, but he just has to be better if this team is going to do anything. (And yes, I know they aren’t going to do anything regardless.)
Nique Clifford is still the backup point guard because there isn’t another option. De’Andre Hunter had 6 points.
Your Sacramento Kings have returned ladies and gentlemen. At least if they lose a bunch of games, they have a good chance at a top pick…wait.
Next up, the Portland Trail Blazers who destroyed the Phoenix Suns Wednesday night 124-83.