Kings Report, 11/26

The beam is lit! After losing to the Memphis Grizzlies by 41 points two days prior, the Sacramento Kings broke their eight-game losing streak and finished off their five-game road trip with an amazing game against Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets in Denver on Saturday, November 22. I started off the week wondering if maybe I should only watch the first half of the Kings games, because it’s in the second half that they usually fall apart, but the fourth-quarter Kings are back! Even without Domantas Sabonis, who will reportedly miss 3–4 weeks with a torn meniscus, the Kings kept this game competitive from start to finish. Russell Westbrook was especially good in the fourth quarter, finishing the game with a team-high 21 points and 11 assists. I loved the matchup between Drew Eubanks and Jokić. Jokić’s 44 points and theatrical flops weren’t enough to get the Nuggets the win this time. Side note: Why does a guy as good as Jokic feel the need to flop? It looks like if I pushed him, he would topple. Keegan Murray found his groove in just his second game of the season, and it was great seeing him back on the court making an impact. The Kings beat the Nuggets 128-123.

Let me tell you, I was fully expecting the Kings to return to their horrible selves for their next game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, November 24, their first game back at home after the road trip. But I was still enjoying the way the team was interacting with each other. There was a moment when DeMar DeRozan hit the floor, and the entire team surrounded him, not worried about him; they were just joking and having fun, and I was thinking, yes! This is why I love the Kings! Even when they were still doing their typical, losing by nine points for the majority of the game thing, the vibes just felt good. I was also thinking, isn’t it so great how the fans are sticking with them, even when they are always down? You could hear the Golden 1 Center roaring, chanting “defense,” cheering every stop, pushing them along. And what do you know, the crowd was rewarded with a ten-point comeback in the final three minutes to send the game to overtime. My favorite player, Malik Monk, absolutely took over. With seven of those ten points plus the assist to DeRozan, he single-handedly dragged that game into OT. Once they got to overtime, the Kings grabbed the early lead, and, even after some monster plays from Anthony Edwards, Sacramento held strong and pulled out the win, 117–112.

This week, you can catch the Kings at home on Wednesday, November 26, against the Suns, before they head over to Utah to play the Jazz on Friday, November 28. Then they will be back at home to hopefully get revenge on the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, November 30; then it’s back on the road again to Houston to play the Rockets on Wednesday, December 3.

I, and other long-suffering Kings fans, hope our loyalty will be rewarded with more games like these. Even if we aren’t champions or even a playoff team, nights like these make it worth it. Let’s light the beam!