[Game] Kings @ Thunder - Sunday, Oct. 21 - 4 PDT

Fox looking franchise player, good stuff

Hield still looks great and that 18/5/3 stuff, though I can understand Shump/Jackson getting their run

Shump looked how I thought he did this summer, ready to play.

Interior D needs work. To be fair to WCS, I have a higher opinion than I did to start the season, but still not enough in the paint D/boards for me to see him as a long term piece so far. Harry needs to move better, though some may have been foul reticence. Marvin needs better team defense/awareness, especially switching/helping not getting back and weakside plays
 

dude12

Hall of Famer
At the time he got bailed out by the Thunder reaching and he gassed out Fox. He's getting there but his rotations aren't dialed in yet. Also, ride those role players every night and count on one hand how many time it works. I wouldn't think as much of it if Grizz fans didn't point that out prior to his getting hired.
Smh
 

gunks

Hall of Famer
I think Willies night should be noted. When Willie is pulled 6 minutes into the game for lack of productivity, fouls, and his man having a field day...typically that’s it for Willie.

This year he finishes with 13-6 and plays through crunch time. Nice.

All our bigs really showed some grit tonight
As somebody who bashed him earlier on in the game thread, I'll happily give him some props. Dude stepped it up in the 4th and helped us get that W.
 

Oh gee, I forgot, you can't be critical of anything bench oriented during a game. There are still kinks, Fox right after I mentioned it asked to come out for craps sake. He finally started playing to the strengths of the team like many suggested over a year ago, so anything is possible.
 
First time I've been able to watch any Kings basketball at all this year. Didn't see the whole game but from what I saw they were very solid and very balanced. It's nice to see so many guys involved and to see them play fast but under control. The bball IQ looks pretty good in general and there is a lot of talent there. Fox looks really fast, smart, and under control. That's a lethal combination. I may have to find a way to watch some more this year. :D
 
I think Willies night should be noted. When Willie is pulled 6 minutes into the game for lack of productivity, fouls, and his man having a field day...typically that’s it for Willie.

This year he finishes with 13-6 and plays through crunch time. Nice.

All our bigs really showed some grit tonight

If Willie gets a little confidence in that pop shot opportunity he gets after almost every pick and roll he might be worth whatever money he's asking for.
 
Once Bagley gets some respect from the refs, this dude is going to be a legit baller. Even now with all the rookie mistakes, the talent is there plain as day. Guy got 13-7 and we weren't even looking for him most of the game.

Fox. Is this really the same guy? Wow. My only complaint about him is that he should take more shots and be more aggressive. That pass at the end of the game out of the double team was a turnover last year. Beautifully done and the progress is amazing. Keep it up.

Giles. He looked better today even though he was being pushed around like a rag doll by Adams, who has at least 40 pounds on him. Made some nifty passes and didn't back down. He showed some real grit and kept making plays. Keep working Harry, I see you.

Shumpert. AKA Kobe. Was hot in the first half and for the first time this season his attitude and vet savviness had a positive effect on the team and more importantly, clearly disrupted OKC. Played a good game.

Buddy. Came through in the clutch and played well. Had some good drives to the hoop surprisingly and nailed a couple of clutch shots. Buddy doing Buddy like things per usual.

Jackson. Obviously his best game this season and played well down the stretch apart from his turnover where he decided to dribble it right in front of "I love to grab" balls Schroeder. He got lucky that he just lost the one... Otherwise solid performance though shooting continues to be abysmal.
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
Really fun to watch these guys pull out this win. Early I was screaming about the rebounding. But a really nice team effort. WCS redeemed himself. Bagley looks like a future star. Fox awesome! we are lucking out for once on the players we brought in. Bjelica, Shumpert. Exciting!
That Bjelica signing was a low key genius move from a front office that gets a hell of a lot of flack around the internet. Smart, cool, gritty, he's the exact sort of glue player we were lacking in the Boogie era. And watching he and Bogy out-BBIQ other teams all year is going to be fun.
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
ok, Vlade. its early and maybe way too early, but i hope you get to stick around and receive your flowers at some point for the good decisions you actually have made up to this point. Pretty sure LA and Phoenix will rue the day they passed up on Fox. Hell, Philly too
Fairly certain Phoenix already is. They have like ten SFs on their roster and approximately half a useable PG.
 
But...but...but...

3 point stats...
ok I gave Shump a hard time because I hate how Joerger always says guys need to earn their mins. I was wrong I can admit that. He was clutch tonight. However the Kings really do need to shoot more 3's especially at the % we do. That im not backing off of that. We do need more.

But, WHAT A GREAT WIN!!! I have a lot more faith in this coach now than I did the last few years with how the offense has been opening up. Joerger is showing he can adjust.
 
As I posted in another thread, the KINGS had 17 fewer 3 pt attempts than OKC yet still scored a whopping 131 and won on the road by 11.

The team that was last in 3 pt attempts according to what I’ve read on this site is averaging 125 points through 3 games.

Focus on defense and this team might be pretty darn good...

The Thunder trying to win games at the 3 point line is like watching a one legged man try to win a butt kicking contest. If the Kings can shoot 45% from 3 every game the number of attempts won't matter much, but teams are going to arc their defense towards the Kings shooting them and when they do the Kings can't be afraid to give it to them. Just like they did early in this one. The Kings set the tone of the game at the 3 point line early.

This was the shot chart of the first:

shotchart.png


That's modern NBA right there. The 2nd was almost all inside near the rim.

In the 3rd the Kings were more mid-range oriented and they lost that quarter by 5 points.

shotchart.png

In the fourth the Kings got extra possessions. All in all, they were composed and held on despite the Thunder making a push which is a major stride for a young team.
 

kingsboi

Hall of Famer
Kings have to outscore their opponents to win games and in this one they did so, OKC missed a lot of open shots though. Westbrook throws up a lot of junk for a star player but that's who he is. Dribble penetration is non-existent, the weak side help is invisible....frustrating to watch but a quality road win for the first win and improvements made from game to game.
 
Kings have to outscore their opponents to win games and in this one they did so, OKC missed a lot of open shots though. Westbrook throws up a lot of junk for a star player but that's who he is. Dribble penetration is non-existent, the weak side help is invisible....frustrating to watch but a quality road win for the first win and improvements made from game to game.
It was certainly a contrast to the NO game where they hit everything including a bunch of contested 3s. I think the improvement is the big thing. To maintain that lead throughout the second half was pretty impressive I thought. Showed a lot of resolve and confidence.
 
How do the FOX naysayers feel about drafting him now!? Still a long way to go, but he’s beginning to show a lot. :)

FWIW, that was some of the best ball movement and motion I’ve seen from this team in a long, long time.
I am a Fox naysayer and if he runs a floor game like today I will gladly eat crow and enjoy every bite.

When Fox looks for and finds the open shooters on the weakside he completely changes the outlook. The Kings have very good 3 point shooters to make teams pay. If they have to worry about Fox seeing and hitting those shooters it will be much harder to help on the drive and post players.

The Kings could be quite good if Fox keeps this up. If Bagley and Willie learn to kick the ball out instead of forcing it against multiple defenders we could be very good.