KingsFans.com Official Game Thread
Game 14
Sacramento Kings at New Orleans Pelicans
By Stephen Tetsu, Western Conference Game Thread Maker of the WeekGame 14
Sacramento Kings at New Orleans Pelicans
Just another night for Big... BEN?!
Well that was ugly.
Considering that the Kings were the awful team lucking its way into making a game of a match with a much better team for years, being on the other side of the coin was uncomfortable to say the least.
Even after a few days, I don’t want to relive that stinker of a first half. For the first twenty or so minutes, it seemed as if Demarcus was the only guy to have actually shown up for the game, which of course meant the rest of the team did its utmost to pretend he didn’t exist. Thankfully, the Timberwolves are missing four-fifths of their opening day starting lineup and are coached by “phoning it in” Flip Saunders, who is now rocking an incredibly timely mullet and several hours too many logged in the tanning bed.
Also, Demarcus Cousins is like really really good at this basketball thing as, even with his teammates pretty much forgetting about him for stretches of the game, the reigning Westeros Conference Player of the Week nearly put up a rare 30/20 night. But Demarcus being good was never the question for the night. No, the really question was “Who’ll step up to help Cuz win the game?”
In an odd twist of fate, the answer was “Ben McLemore,” who parlayed a couple of dunks at the end of the first half into a complete "taking over" of the third quarter, in which the former Jayhawk went all Splash Mountain on the poor, unsuspecting Timberwolves, dropping in three after three and at least making Andrew Wiggins work for his points. While it wasn't like Captain Pogo took over the game or anything, he was the closest thing to a Robin Demarcus had for the night.
Elsewhere, things weren't very exciting. Rudy seems to be feeling the effects of his sore Achilles, Collison was his usual solid self, JT is a good defender except for when it comes to tweener stretch guys, D-Will was playing the T-Wolves so of course he looked serviceable, and our backup backcourt still looks completely helpless out there.
An ugly win. But a win. Not a moral victory but another coin in the W jar.
Awards Time
Tony Delk Memorial Award- Potential albino Chase Budinger, who looked the best we've seen him since his stint in Houston.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim Award- Welp. Considering how young the active roster of the Timberwolves is, the fact that Mo Williams is still in the league and still starting and starting on the youngest team in the league is probably a minor medical miracle.
Isaiah Thomas Heroball Hero of the Night- Andrew Wiggins, who set a new career high with 29 points but had to take 22 shots to get it. He'll be good someday but, on offense, he'll still need some time to put it all together.
WTF Moment of the Game- The entire first (and a half) quarter.
The View from the Other Side
The following is ripped from CanisHoopus.com
11:57 Usually Wolves-Kings games are fun to watch
if only for the Pek-DMC showdown.
This one looks like a disaster waiting to happen. A depleted, young, undisciplined Wolves team on the bad side of a back-to-back facing a gelled Kings team on the rise.
Welp. At least it’s a home game?
1:27 Cousins vs Dieng on the post could be not great to watch.
2:04 I'm going to prepare for this game by watching Cousins highlights.
That way, when he lights up the wolves tonight it won’t look quite so bad.
5:12 Wes Johnson instead of Demarcus Cousins.
I’ll never get over that one.
5:13 20+ pts from Wiggly tonight.
DO IT!
5:15 If somebody is at the game and the Wolves score a 100 points, can you send me your free chalupa coupon? God they are delicious.
5:19 lol at these 2 ideas
rudy gay elite at his position
rudy gay has his best basketball ahead of him
5:19 Wiggins attempting to posterize Boogie.
Me likey, a lot better than the stepback.
5:28 Damn. Cousins is pretty awesome.
5:28 Could anybody have guessed he would be better than Wes though?
5:30 ya but when you add in the frown-to-smile factor it's basically a toss-up
5:28 Cousins is a monstar
5:30 Despite my incessant need to only play players younger than the age of 24...
…I wish Pek was playing tonight. He’s a bad man when he plays Cousins.
5:30 Dwill's hair!
I love it!
5:36 I hope that someone is tracking step-back midrange jumpers
I want to know how much the timberwolves lead the league in that category
5:38 The zone has worked pretty well so far considering how many bad defensive players are running it
5:39 Derrick "wildly off the glass" Williams
5:48 How are we in this game?
Our line-up should not be able to compete. I’m happy about it…but it does not compute.
5:50 Wolves' youthful energy
is making the Kings spastic.
5:51 I'm happy to watch
the more adult, less petulant DMC.
5:52 Cousins looks like a 12 year old playing against 4 year olds.
6:07 Wow. We won the first half.
Chances of moral victory: RISING
6:27 Corey would have to be going 47 miles per hour to knock over Cousins.
6:30 Cousins is one of the best charge drawers in the NBA
6:33 I have the Sacramento feed tonight.
They’re not bad.
6:35 Well, gotta do something now about the wide open McLemore 3s
It’s like practice.
6:42 all these mclemore 3s
reminded me that i did not know a single song by this guy macklemore
so i just googled
not as bad as i thought it would be- probly reflects poorly on me
6:47 Cousins is at 21/12
Basically his season’s averages.
Victory?
6:58 Wiggins has 20 and 5? Jesus christ.
I just realized I’ve been way too hard on a 19 year old rookie. That’s insane to think about. And all of the people he’s guarded already.
Call Springfield for enshrinement. I’m not kidding.
7:07 Cousins all like, "Fine... I'll win the game... (angry sigh)"
7:09 Wiggins 25 points
high score from a rookie this season
7:10 Who is Wiggins gonna thank first at his hall of fame induction?
7:20 Wesley Johnson =/= Boogie
7:21 Cousins ain't so great.
He’s got 3 turnovers. Sloppy.
7:42 Boogie was just way more than Gor-Gor can handle.
I can’t imagine why Sacto didn’t go to him the whole game. We had no answer with Pek on the bench.
9:21 We complain about missed opportunities and mistakes by the FO a lot..
but Wes over Cousins was easily the most obvious. How you could have watched those two in college and thought there was a debate is way beyond me. I recently learned that at least one team was throwing some godfather offers at Kahn to move up and take Cousins as well. Length. Athleticism.
Missed the game due to travels (Lyon is pretty excellent BTW), but good to see Wiggly played well. May need to watch it later.
Tonight’s Game
Anthony Davis had a 40+ point game but I put up a picture of Jimmer because why the hell not?
Hey, we played this guys a week ago! Time to phone it in like the Kings in the first half of the T-Wolves game and literally copy and paste the write-up from back then!
The game plan is the same except this time the Eric Gordon exploitation hole (which wound up with he shoe being on the other foot thanks to Nik's rookie defense) has been plastered over and replaced with an Austin Rivers sized veranda. Why Monty Williams (and the Pelicans' front office) doesn't use this occasion to transition Tyreke back to his natural position and phase out Eric Gordon, I'll never know, but then again, I've found the fact that Monty has a head coaching job baffling for the last three years. I guess the Eric Gordon injury makes the Pelicans worse on paper if only because it means there's an increased likelihood of a John Salmons sighting but honestly Gordon's been so bad to start the season that I'm not sure Salmons isn't an improvement.
Elsewhere, we still don't know if Asik will play because him being healthy is apparently about as rare as a lunar eclipse, that is to say, not very. If he plays, it'll maybe make Demarcus work a bit before he destroys their interior defense. If he doesn't, poor Alexis is going to get it like a school girl in a slasher flick right after her obligatory gratuitous sex scene.
Meanwhile, Rudy is OUT for the game, which seems about par for course, considering how much he was laboring against the Bulls and Wolves. Expect Ben to pick up some of the scoring slack against Austin Rivers tonight. It's a blow, no doubt. But as long as we have Boogie, we have a chance.
This is a winnable game. The Kings just can't treat this like Minnesota on a Saturday evening. Or let Darren miss the game. Please Darren, get healthy.
Matchups
Demarcus vs. Whoever Monty Williams Sacrifices to Stop Him- Don't do it Monty! There's no stopping the Boogieman.
The Kings vs. the Injury Bug- There seems to be a creeping infestation. Someone call in the Orkin guy.
The Pelicans vs. being the Pelicans- The Pelicans should rightfully be favored for the win but, with Monty Williams as coach and Pierre as their mascot, there's always a chance the wheels could fall off the bus.
Final Thoughts and Predictions
We need this win to help us gain some ground in the playoff chase! (Too soon?) No, but seriously, if we do want to make some noise in late-April/May, these are the sort of games the Kings have to pull off.
With Rudy out, Darren also possibly out, and the Pelicans being one of the hottest teams in the league, the Kings' backs are against the wall. In other words, it's time to see what mettle lies within the hearts of these Kings. Be they panty-waisted boys? Or are they barrel-chested lions?
My prediction? The Pelicans beat the Kings, 498-491. The Kings lose but not without a fight. Jimmer goes off for 200.
Go Kings!
