SACRAMENTO – Coming into Sunday’s regular season finale, Sacramento was fighting for their seeding lives. Though the Kings didn’t completely control their own destiny, a win over the injury-depleted (11 guys not dressed out!) Trailblazers would go a long way to ensuring Sacramento was not one and done in the play-in tournament.
Despite the fact that fans were furiously googling the names on the back of Portland players’ jerseys and wondering aloud “who are these guys”, the Kings’ starters started slow and did not match the energy of the moment early in the first quarter.
Portland, owner of the West’s worst record and having lost four straight, truly had nothing to play for. But any player who puts on a professional uniform is a professional basketball player, and some of these guys were absolutely looking to get on the radar of NBA scouts for their future benefit.
Though the Blazers were scrappy early, the Kings’ talent was certainly better, and once De’Aaron Fox decided to show up and be the best player on the floor, he was.
Fox went on a personal 6-0 run to put Sacramento up eight ahead of the game’s first timeout, and started a Kings’ run of 20-10 to close the quarter. The Kings’ defense played a significant role in their early success – Fox had three steals and the Kings forced six turnovers – as did the Blazers’ commitment to firing away from deep despite the fact they were just 1-19 in the first 12 minutes.
The second quarter started much like the first ended: with the Kings in control. Sacramento begun to heat up from deep while keeping the pressure on defensively, and Fox continued to hunt his shot aggressively. The lead ballooned as the Kings got hot from behind the arc (7-11) and the Kings cruised to a 65-37 halftime advantage.
More entertaining than the product on the floor was the scoreboard watching in the stands, as fans fretted while the Lakers jumped out to a 20+ lead in New Orleans. A result that, if it were to hold, would relegate the Kings to the ninth seed and a home showdown with the Warriors.
The third quarter was more of the same, with the most exciting moment coming when the Blazers managed to commit both a Flagrant 1 and Transition Take foul on the same possession, leading to a five point Harrison Barnes possession (two free throws for the flagrant and a three pointer on the possession) and a 33 point Sacramento lead. The points came as part of a 16-3 run over three minutes of play that turned this one from “blowout” to “laughable”. Sabonis also locked up his 77th double-double of the season in the frame – tied for most in a single season – and Barnes notched 10 of his 17 points. The Kings finished the third up 99-58.
“We just wanted to bring the physicality to them, to be the team that knocks them back,” Keegan Murray said. “I feel like we did that. We hit them in the mouth in the third quarter, and were able to get some rest for the guys that usually play a lot.”
Sacramento played out the string in the fourth, rolling out the backups to start the final frame of the regular season. Though there wasn’t much excitement in playing out the string, Kings fans were treated to a JaVale McGee appearance – quite possibly the highlight of the 18 point fourth.
The Kings were led by Fox’s 24, while Sabonis fell one assist shy of a triple double with 18/11/9. All five starters were in double-digits, as was Davion Mitchell off the bench with 11. Portland was led by Dalano Banton, who had 16 despite going 0-15 from three and getting ejected with 3:30 to play after back to back technical fouls. Portland was just 7-45 from deep and 31-98 overall.
The Kings will enter the play-in tournament as the West’s number nine seed, which means a date with the Warriors on Tuesday at 7:00pm at Golden1. It seems fitting that Sacramento will be in a win or go home game against their rival, the same team that eliminated them a season ago. It’s a matchup the Kings seem to relish.
“It’s close to the same team we played last year, so it should be really competitive like it always is,” Murray said. “A really fun matchup. We’re excited, I’m sure they’re excited too.”
Mitchell agreed, saying, “It’s one game. It’s anybody’s game at that point. It’s going to be physical. We know the refs aren’t going to call anything because of the rivalry we have with them. I think we will be ready.”
Mike Brown took a more nuanced approach, recognizing both the opportunity to keep playing, keep learning, and exercise some demons.
“We welcome anybody that’s in front of us, we are just excited about the opportunity to play again,” Brown said. “To go play one game right now, swing for the fences and try and get a win, it’s a great opportunity for us. And any time you can play after your last regular season game, it’s a positive.”
Though there is disappointment in their fate, Brown is right in celebrating that they get to keep playing. And Tuesday’s postseason rematch with Golden State will certainly make for great television, and hopefully the opportunity for Sacramento to play on.
