“We can’t accept the way that we played tonight and think that everything is going to be okay going forward.”
That was Mike Brown’s message a week ago after the Kings’ semi-miraculous last second win over the Chicago Bulls. It rung true a few days later when Sacramento dropped a very winnable game at home to the Rockets, a contest fraught with mental mistakes and lack of effort.
But something clicked Tuesday night against the Bucks, as the Kings turned up the intensity level on both ends of the floor against one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams, running away with a wire-to-wire 129-94 victory.
“Our guys were flying around tonight, we had some beautiful high fives on our close outs and that’s what we’ve been preaching,” Mike Brown said. “We were flying around trying to protect one another and seeing what we could do on that end of the floor.”
With Keegan Murray on the bench due to an ankle injury, second year player Keon Ellis stepped into the starting lineup, and his impact was felt immediately. De’Aaron Fox blocked Milwaukee’s first shot attempt of the game and found Ellis for a three pointer, the first of three such shots made by Sacramento in the opening minutes. Sacramento would connect on their first four attempts of the night and shoot 66% in the first half (55.6% from three), as red-hot offense partnered with a defensive intensity that hasn’t often been seen this season by the Kings.
“He’s got an uncanny ability to defend the pick and roll, to be a great help defender,” Brown said of Ellis. “He’s really elusive and really quick back to the ball. He has a chance to be a special defender. He’s stayed ready and been as steady as he can be. I am happy for him, happy he’s stepping up, happy we rewarded him with a regular contract, and happy he’s lived up to what we gave him.”
The home team would build a 20 point lead in the first half, as four of the five starters crested double-digits, led by Fox’s 15. Kevin Huerter, he of an extended slump over the last several weeks, came out firing, hitting four of his first five attempts from the field, including a 3-4 effort from deep.
As impressive as the offense was in the first 24 minutes, it was the defense that was writing headlines; multiple Bucks possessions ended with shots clanking off the rim as the Kings did an excellent job closing out on three point shooters (Milwaukee was just 3-16 in the first half) while consistently getting their hands in the passing lane for deflections and diving for the 50/50 balls that Mike Brown loves to see his team win. Ellis put the clamps on Damian Lilliard, holding the All Star to just four points on 1-7 shooting. The Bucks’ other star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, was a different story though; Sacramento had absolutely no answer for the Greek Freak, who dropped 22 first half points on 8-10 shooting while pulling down seven rebounds
Sacramento held a 75-56 advantage at the break, but it’s been the third quarter that has been their undoing the last several games.
That was not the case Tuesday night.
Though the shooting cooled off considerably in the frame, the Kings’ defense helped keep them in front, as Sacramento shot just 7-23 from the field but maintained a 17 point advantage thanks to their free throw shooting and defensive intensity.
Chris Duarte got some early minutes in the third after Trey Lyles left the game with an ankle injury in the second, and picked up defensively on Lilliard where Ellis had left off. Lilliard would finish the night with 10 points on 2-12 shooting, well below his season average as the Kings kept him from impacting the game on the offensive end of the floor. It’s just what is expected of the second year player, according to his teammates.
“Be solid. Be solid in whatever he does,” Malik Monk said of Ellis. “Whatever situation you put him in, he’s solid. He wants to learn, he listens. That’s what Keon does – be a professional.”
“You’re not stopping Dame Lilliard,” Brown said of Ellis’ defense of the All Star. “But the way he made him work was phenomenal to watch.”
While Giannis was exceptional Tuesday, he wasn’t the only one wreaking havoc in the paint, as Domantas Sabonis overtook the franchise record for consecutive double-doubles with his 46th, a mark he set in the third quarter. He would finish with a final line of 22/11/8 while Giannis would end with 30 points — 22 of which came in the first half.
“Night in and night out, he’s come up big for us,” Fox said. “We talk about how immune people are to it, how no one outside of us basically talks about him. He comes ready to play every night, he hasn’t missed a game. He’s not just playing every game, he’s contributing and making an impact every time he’s out there.”
Sacramento held the Bucks at arms’ length in the fourth, allowing just 16 points and emptying the bench with five minutes remaining after Fox hit a three pointer while being fouled, and completed the four point play to put his team up 118-87. It’s among the most complete games this team has played all season, and a sign of what they are capable of when clicking on all cylinders. And clicking they were, as even JaVale McGee got in the three point act, draining one from the top of the key to put the Kings up 126-90.
“When we do play the right way, we can be a dangerous team,” Brown said. “We can score, obviously, and I truly believe we can defend. Tonight I thought we brought it on both sides of the ball in the right way.”
The Kings won despite having 19 fewer free throw attempts than Milwaukee, mostly due to a three point shooting effort that saw them connect on 18 of 40 attempts and a low turnover night (8).
Fox finished with 29 and Malik Monk added 25 off the bench to lead the team. Monk also passed Bobby Jackson for the most assists by a reserve player, something he did in just two seasons.
“I told Bobby I was going to beat him,” Monk said of earning the record. “Before I signed, I told him I was going to beat all his records. And I did it in two years, too.”
Fox quipped, “B Jack wasn’t trying to pass, so I was like ‘Malik, you should have got that’.”
Harrison Barnes had a hot shooting night and added 16, and Kevin Huerter managed 11 despite early foul trouble. It was a complete and balanced effort from a team that has been severely lacking in that department as of late. Ellis was big in his 27 minutes, scoring seven points, securing three steals, and being a complete pain in the you know what on the defensive end.
“I think we played a great game,” Fox said. “Defensively, we were physical. That kind of trickled on to everything. We were able to defend the paint well, get out on shooters. That impacted our offense. What we did defensively, [that was] one of the most complete games we’ve played this year.”
Now they’ll look to keep the heat over a quick turnaround, as they prepare for a critical matchup with the Lakers Wednesday night. Consistency is still being sought by the head coach, but he understands that his team is still inexperienced when it comes to playing under the spotlight.
“We are a team that has a chance to be really good, but we are going through ups and downs like any team in the position we are in,” Brown said. “We are trying to play with some expectations, and you’re going to have some ups and downs with that. As long as you’re making strides before you get to playoff time, I can live with some inconsistencies.”
