[Game] Kings @ Nuggets, 12/23/2020 6PM PST, 9PM EST

[jcassio]

Buddy makes his mistakes, and he may not be physically gifted at defense but to say he doesn’t try would be asinine. For the flack he gets, effort ain’t one of the issues.

Kings won a season opener on the road and Buddy did a great job with the tip in. Yes! At a glance, Buddy's numbers look good. But had we not won this game, I would have been all over him for 3 big, boneheaded turnovers in the 4th quarter. WTF?

 

[jcassio]

https://twitter.com/statuses/1341976910000222210

Thought they did a great job calling the game. I am so glad to be over the Grant era.

 

[jcassio]

Haliburton can play. Give me more, please.

 

[kingdivac]

7 players in double figure. Barnes will have a hard time turning in a fuller stat-line than this opener this season 21 pts, 9 reb, 5 assists, 2 Steals.

 

[Kingz19]

OK, so here are my thoughts on Haliburton:

There is one main thing that he does better than every player on the Kings and probably 98% of players in the NBA, he moves the ball and he moves it quick, with purpose and to the right spot. IF, and this is a big IF, that becomes infectious, we could see the start of what we saw in the early 2000s and what the Warriors did before they signed Durant.

The other player in the NBA (sorry in advance) that moves the ball this fast, is Lonzo Ball. But there is a difference. Lonzo is swinging the ball just to swing it, Hali is moving it to the exact right person and it absolutely freezes the defense. I'm not a guy who breaks film down, but if I was I have 3 plays I could show where he got the ball and it went immediately back up top to Fox and the defense was still in a minor shift patter in movement with ball that froze them, then opened the ball to be swung to the other corner for an open look.

Here's the big difference between him and Ball though. He actually will take the shot when he has it. He's not going to force, but if he's open or his passing lane closes he'll put it up.

The other things he's doing are all on the pensive end. He's disruptive, his hands are up and out, he has instincts to deflect and swarm. He understand defensive spacing. He got caught with his head turned twice which resulted in buckets for his man, but those were the only lapses I noticed (there were probably more but I didn't notice them).

This is a 20 year old in his first NBA game after 4 pre-season games and no summer league.

HOLY S H I T B A L L S

Barring the obvious things like injury, I see no way he doesn’t turn out to a high impact player in this league. Already got 30 minutes and was taking big shots and making smart plays critical moments in his first game, he looked like he belonged out there for every second and not once did he have a “welcome to the NBA” moment where he looked overwhelmed or overmatched. He could’ve played longer.

I like everything I’ve seen from him and there’s not really anything I look at and say “as soon as he adds this or that to his game then he’ll really really be a great prospect”. The game is all there.

For him, it’s just a matter of getting the games in, learning the league, expanding his role, staying healthy, and finishing growing into his body.

Total steal at number 12

 

[kingdivac]

The guard heavy rotation tonight answered why CoJo wasn't traded. And the way Barnes is playing and making sense on this game, I think that Woodard pick was very much on target.

You're not gonna see Joseph score 15+pts too often. Curious, I checked - in 2019-2020 season, he had one game for 16 pts and one for 14 pts. It was an exceptionally good (anomalous) offensive game for him in a 2 pt win. His average was 6.4 pts.

 

[KingsFanSince85]

Jokic is a damn load and he gets away with a lot.

And that’s an understatement

Outside of the Bearded Hag — who is further showing why I’ve always disliked his game AND personality — I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a player get away with more blatant travels.

I lost count how many times he shuffled feet, changed his pivot foot and flat out walked when making his move(s). It’s beyond laughable.

I don’t want to hear from anybody about how great he is. He had a triple double but only because he’s allowed to get to spots illegally. He should have had double figure turnovers.

I was beyond furious when Harrison Barnes was called for travel with around 5 min to go in regulation making a move Jokic does nearly every single freaking play.

I don’t want to hear from anybody telling me otherwise. I have two eyes and a DVR. Go review the game. Dude traveled, set illegal screens, and fouled more than he made legitimate plays. Most overrated player in the league not named the Bearded Hag.

 

[midtowner]

Kings won a season opener on the road and Buddy did a great job with the tip in. Yes! At a glance, Buddy's numbers look good. But had we not won this game, I would have been all over him for 3 big, boneheaded turnovers in the 4th quarter. WTF?

Those were frustrating. But 2 of the passes he was trying to get the ball back to Haliburton. They were bad passes. But the fact that he’s trying to get the ball to the rookie is a great sign.

 

[KingsFanSince85]

Haliburton can play. Give me more, please.

Really thought the rookie played well. Hit some big shots. Almost hit another late in the game.

Also, for as much heat Harrison Barnes gets around these parts — he better be getting a ton of credit for tonight’s win. HB was fantastic all night and made some of the most important plays in the game.

And, of course, Swipa’s game-saving block ........... WOW!

And last but not least, Buddy’s hustle and awareness to tip the ball in. Made up for his terrible plays.

 

[whitechocolate]

I like this year's city jersey. It's a bold design, but it looks cool. The neon blue looks much better than the powder blue from before, and pops well with the red trim and black background.

I think we have a nice lineup too. Bagley and Haliburton are going to be really good going forward. I'm catching the game on the NBC Sports app right now. Bagley's half hook down low will be unstoppable, and Haliburton will make plays while draining shots.

 

[steelevt]

You're not gonna see Joseph score 15+pts too often. Curious, I checked - in 2019-2020 season, he had one game for 16 pts and one for 14 pts. It was an exceptionally good (anomalous) offensive game for him in a 2 pt win. His average was 6.4 pts.

Reading through the thread and thinking of all the games to be mad at CoJo, this aint it. +8 +/-, 15 points, 2-5 3pt, a steal and 2 blocks. Of the guards, he had the least amount of mins behind fox, buddy and ty and his def prob helped keep jamal murray in check. I'm sure there will be games where he has too many minutes and not performing but again this ain't the game. He helped the Kings win the game so maybe we can wait for the next game to bash him?

 

[kingdivac]

Also Kings negate Jokic's 29 pts, 15 reb 14 as 3 bl. monstrosity.....Kings never let the Nuggets get double digit leads - good focus. A bookend game to start right where you'd want it.

 

[steelevt]

That was a spectacular block by Barton after a great steal by Barnes FOX love me some defense

Fixed it for you.

 

[KingsFanSince85]

That was a spectacular block by Barton after a great steal by Barnes love me some defense

Initially, I thought it was a foul. But it was a phenomenally great block — especially considering the circumstances.

HB took it to rim with authority as he should have. He made Barton make a unbelievable play. And he did.

Luckily, Buddy was on duty for clean up.

Thought Fox’s incredible block was made possible by Barton’s split second decision to dunk at the front of rim rather than extend and lay it up. Swipa wouldn’t have been able to block that.

 

[Joshoua]

If that’s your conclusion from that last play, I do actually believe that your Kings fan card gets officially revoked.

Smh you’re telling me you can’t appreciate an amazing block like that especially after we won

 

[SactownShaq]

Reading through the thread and thinking of all the games to be mad at CoJo, this aint it. +8 +/-, 15 points, 2-5 3pt, a steal and 2 blocks. Of the guards, he had the least amount of mins behind fox, buddy and ty and his def prob helped keep jamal murray in check. I'm sure there will be games where he has too many minutes and not performing but again this ain't the game. He helped the Kings win the game so maybe we can wait for the next game to bash him?

Cory played good this one game, but we ain't really bashing Cory himself. He's a ok vet role player, Walton's usage of him is the thing most people have a problem with. Personally I rather see the young talent in Guy and Ramsey get those minutes and trade Cory.

 

[upinsmoke]

Smh you’re telling me you can’t appreciate an amazing block like that especially after we won

I just went back and watched it, clean as a mofo.

 

[Tetsujin]

Smh you’re telling me you can’t appreciate an amazing block like that especially after we won

LOL just giving you a hard time. It's all good

 

[SLAB]

Cory played good this one game, but we ain't really bashing Cory himself. He's a ok vet role player, Walton's usage of him is the thing most people have a problem with. Personally I rather see the young talent in Guy and Ramsey get those minutes and trade Cory.

Monte needs to work the phones while his value is as high as it will ever be.

 

[206Fan]

Cory played good this one game, but we ain't really bashing Cory himself. He's a ok vet role player, Walton's usage of him is the thing most people have a problem with. Personally I rather see the young talent in Guy and Ramsey get those minutes and trade Cory.

I don't think we'll get very many wins if Guy and Ramsey are getting minutes. CoJo is a good backup PG and fits very nicely with Haliburton. He takes a lot of pressure off of Hali's ball handling duties and playmaking. If you remove him and put Guy or Ramsey instead, it forces Haliburton to be the primary ball handler/playmaker in the 2nd unit. That's still a big task for any rookie. Also.. I don't think Guy nor Ramsey should be getting minutes at PG.

 

[Turgenev]

One game in and already exceeding expectations

 

[kingdivac]

Reading through the thread and thinking of all the games to be mad at CoJo, this aint it. +8 +/-, 15 points, 2-5 3pt, a steal and 2 blocks. Of the guards, he had the least amount of mins behind fox, buddy and ty and his def prob helped keep jamal murray in check. I'm sure there will be games where he has too many minutes and not performing but again this ain't the game. He helped the Kings win the game so maybe we can wait for the next game to bash him?

I wasn't mad. It was a response for tempering expectations for a season based on one game. Tough pork chops.

 

[mac]

Honestly just give Bagley some semblance of an outside shot and the team we saw today would be pretty exciting to watch

 

[Tetsujin]

Honestly just give Bagley some semblance of an outside shot and the team we saw today would be pretty exciting to watch

I don't think he's by any means a great shooter but Marvin's probably a better shooter than he's displayed through the preseason and this game.

 

[EIM86]

I don't think he's by any means a great shooter but Marvin's probably a better shooter than he's displayed through the preseason and this game.

i hope so cause him adding the bulk has noticeably helped on other parts of his game

 

[NewArena]

There was one play in particular where Haliburton put the ball right where Bagley needed for an easy two. The easy baskets we got tonight, we would not have gotten with guys like Bogie dribbling around and fading away at the last second.

 

[Chupacabra]

One game in and already exceeding expectations

Agreed. The defense. The rebounding. Who is this team?!

 

[Vinny Basketballerino]

Agreed. The defense. The rebounding. Who is this team?!

People really underestimate the impact Whiteside has on a team. I've ALWAYS loved his game, from the very first game. I actually thought he had a chance to be better than Demarcus, and that was when DMC was thought to be the greatest thing since sliced pizza. He warps the game both on offense and defense. On defense especially, he gives perimeter players the confidence to play tighter, and he also helps cover ground for missed rotations, both of these things allow players to take more risks on defense, and what that translates to is just greater pressure on the other team, more turnovers, and ultimately prevents the other team from settling into a flow. That's not all on Whiteside, you need defensive talent of course, which we have now (LOVE Haliburton), but Whiteside is just a huge catalyst once you have that talent.

By the way I actually did have lasagna tonight. I talk a big game but I back it up.

LLL
VB

 

[reptilexcq2]

Kings won a season opener on the road and Buddy did a great job with the tip in. Yes! At a glance, Buddy's numbers look good. But had we not won this game, I would have been all over him for 3 big, boneheaded turnovers in the 4th quarter. WTF?

I agreed. Those boneheaded turnovers where he jump in the air and doesn't know what to do and pass and got intercepted. And then there are a couple quick hero shots even forced shots. He needs to learn to be patient.

 

[bubulina]

People really underestimate the impact Whiteside has on a team. I've ALWAYS loved his game, from the very first game. I actually thought he had a chance to be better than Demarcus, and that was when DMC was thought to be the greatest thing since sliced pizza. He warps the game both on offense and defense. On defense especially, he gives perimeter players the confidence to play tighter, and he also helps cover ground for missed rotations, both of these things allow players to take more risks on defense, and what that translates to is just greater pressure on the other team, more turnovers, and ultimately prevents the other team from settling into a flow. That's not all on Whiteside, you need defensive talent of course, which we have now (LOVE Haliburton), but Whiteside is just a huge catalyst once you have that talent.

By the way I actually did have lasagna tonight. I talk a big game but I back it up.

LLL
VB

And I made myself a nice carbonara with guanciale... Maybe that was the secret??? I hope this was not the reason as it's extremely difficult to find it outside of Italy.