1 and 0, baby! Excruciating near-meltdown be damned, we looked like a better team had last season's squad! It also helps that Dame Lillard apparently forgot how to shoot threes before the game. But a win's a win! And now, on to the Jazz!
Awards Time
Tony Delk Memorial Award - Jusef Nurkic. Nurk has been among the more underrated bigs in the league for a good half decade now but I have no idea what he's done to get calls like he's prime Yao out there. Also there was a sequence where he nearly spiked Harrison Barnes into the hardwood and then tried riding Davion Mitchell like a horse the very next time the Blazers had the ball.
Jason Hart-Andres Nocioni-Cory Joseph Award - Tyrese Haliburton. The sophomore slump starts in style, culminating with a truly terrible turnover that almost cost us the game. (Note: That turnover should have actually stayed Kings ball according to the two-minute report.)
Luke Walton Vacuum Cleaner Award - Larry Nance Jr. I'm assuming the sheer shock of seeing Luke Walton on an NBA sideline sent Nance spiraling, causing him to revert to bad at basketball except for dunking Lakers Larry. Thankfully it worked out in Luke's favor for once.
WTF Moment of the Game - Refs blow multiple calls down the stretch. Still get paid anyways.
+++Game 2+++
Kings vs. Jazz
@Golden One Center
Matchups
Richaun Holmes vs. Rudy Gobert - It is odd to see the general narrative surrounding a multiple-time DPOY guy be so decidedly negative and yet, after multiple terrible showings in the postseason where teams have gone small and absolutely rendered him useless, that's the situation as far as Rudy Gobert is concerned. Make no mistake though, the man is still very, very good. Just as was the case in his matchup with Nurk, Richaun's main hope is to get his own offense going against Rudy enough to neutralize the natural size difference between he and the Stifle Tower. Drawing Gobert out to the perimeter would help too but that's not quite Holme's game. Advantage: Gobert.
Maurice Harkless vs. Bojan Bogdanovic - There is some question as to whether or not Moe will be healthy enough to play tonight. If he does, his main defensive assignment will be Bojan or, as Kings fans may know him, the other Bogdanovic. Bojan is an absolutely deadly stretch forward who has given the Kings fits for years. If Moe can slow him down any, maybe this starting lineup isn't so bad after all. If Moe misses the game, I'll be interested in seeing whether Luke starts the death lineup or not. Advantage: Bogdanovic.
Harrison Barnes vs. Royce O'Neale - Royce serves the jack-of-all-trades defensive role player wing role you see so many teams starting around the league now (I guess Moe would be ours). Harrison is coming off the single best game of basketball he may have ever played as a pro so it's hard NOT to see him falling off a little bit here. That said, he's better than O'Neale, plain and simple. No offense to Royce. Advantage: Barnes.
Tyrese Haliburton vs. Donovan Mitchell - Tyrese is coming off the worse game of his young career and now has two go against one of the most explosive players in the NBA. Obviously, a lot of the attention tonight will be going to the D. Mitchell versus D. Mitchell Spida-man Pointing Meme matchup but I'm very curious how Tyrese will respond. I'm not expecting him to lockdown an MVP candidate or anything but I'd appreciate anything more than the 2 points, 4 assist performance we got against the Blazers. Advantage: Spida Mitchell.
De'Aaron Fox vs. Mike Conley - Man, remember when all the high ceiling comps for De'Aaron ended at Mike Conley. With no offense meant to the former Grizzly, I'm glad that those comparisons wound up being conservative at best. Conley is older now but still very productive when he's been healthy enough to play. That said, De'Aaron is clearly better than him at this stage in their respective careers and I expect him to play accordingly. Also, I don't think he'll be wearing Kobes tonight. Advantage: Fox.
Kings Bench vs. Jazz Band - This Jazz bench is even deeper than it was last season, even with former King Rudy Gay out with an injury (he's old). Reigning Sixth man of the Year Jordan Clarkson and Joe Ingles are the obvious leader of their second unit but beyond them, the Jazz are rocking former Warrior Eric Paschall and former Davion sidekick Jared Butler. The Kings bench is obviously not terrible either. Buddy looked good in his first game as official sixth man. Davion played rock-solid defense (Good job guarding Dame, Davion. Now go deal with your mentor and Jordan Clarkson.) Oh, and they have this guy too:
Advantage: Jazz.
Final Predictions: The league did us no favors when they gave us the Jazz for our first real game with fans in the building in a year and a half. The Jazz are looking for a finals berth this year and the Kings aren't exactly the right team to expose the flaws in the Jazz's defensive schemes. On the other hand, it is the season opener in G1C and stranger things have happened than an overmatched Kings team randomly beating a team that has completely dominated them over the last few years. Not quite sure there's magic in the cards tonight though. A close game will have to suffice.
Jazz 115, Kings 108
Awards Time
Tony Delk Memorial Award - Jusef Nurkic. Nurk has been among the more underrated bigs in the league for a good half decade now but I have no idea what he's done to get calls like he's prime Yao out there. Also there was a sequence where he nearly spiked Harrison Barnes into the hardwood and then tried riding Davion Mitchell like a horse the very next time the Blazers had the ball.
Jason Hart-Andres Nocioni-Cory Joseph Award - Tyrese Haliburton. The sophomore slump starts in style, culminating with a truly terrible turnover that almost cost us the game. (Note: That turnover should have actually stayed Kings ball according to the two-minute report.)
Luke Walton Vacuum Cleaner Award - Larry Nance Jr. I'm assuming the sheer shock of seeing Luke Walton on an NBA sideline sent Nance spiraling, causing him to revert to bad at basketball except for dunking Lakers Larry. Thankfully it worked out in Luke's favor for once.
WTF Moment of the Game - Refs blow multiple calls down the stretch. Still get paid anyways.
+++Game 2+++
Kings vs. Jazz
@Golden One Center
Matchups
Richaun Holmes vs. Rudy Gobert - It is odd to see the general narrative surrounding a multiple-time DPOY guy be so decidedly negative and yet, after multiple terrible showings in the postseason where teams have gone small and absolutely rendered him useless, that's the situation as far as Rudy Gobert is concerned. Make no mistake though, the man is still very, very good. Just as was the case in his matchup with Nurk, Richaun's main hope is to get his own offense going against Rudy enough to neutralize the natural size difference between he and the Stifle Tower. Drawing Gobert out to the perimeter would help too but that's not quite Holme's game. Advantage: Gobert.
Maurice Harkless vs. Bojan Bogdanovic - There is some question as to whether or not Moe will be healthy enough to play tonight. If he does, his main defensive assignment will be Bojan or, as Kings fans may know him, the other Bogdanovic. Bojan is an absolutely deadly stretch forward who has given the Kings fits for years. If Moe can slow him down any, maybe this starting lineup isn't so bad after all. If Moe misses the game, I'll be interested in seeing whether Luke starts the death lineup or not. Advantage: Bogdanovic.
Harrison Barnes vs. Royce O'Neale - Royce serves the jack-of-all-trades defensive role player wing role you see so many teams starting around the league now (I guess Moe would be ours). Harrison is coming off the single best game of basketball he may have ever played as a pro so it's hard NOT to see him falling off a little bit here. That said, he's better than O'Neale, plain and simple. No offense to Royce. Advantage: Barnes.
Tyrese Haliburton vs. Donovan Mitchell - Tyrese is coming off the worse game of his young career and now has two go against one of the most explosive players in the NBA. Obviously, a lot of the attention tonight will be going to the D. Mitchell versus D. Mitchell Spida-man Pointing Meme matchup but I'm very curious how Tyrese will respond. I'm not expecting him to lockdown an MVP candidate or anything but I'd appreciate anything more than the 2 points, 4 assist performance we got against the Blazers. Advantage: Spida Mitchell.
De'Aaron Fox vs. Mike Conley - Man, remember when all the high ceiling comps for De'Aaron ended at Mike Conley. With no offense meant to the former Grizzly, I'm glad that those comparisons wound up being conservative at best. Conley is older now but still very productive when he's been healthy enough to play. That said, De'Aaron is clearly better than him at this stage in their respective careers and I expect him to play accordingly. Also, I don't think he'll be wearing Kobes tonight. Advantage: Fox.
Kings Bench vs. Jazz Band - This Jazz bench is even deeper than it was last season, even with former King Rudy Gay out with an injury (he's old). Reigning Sixth man of the Year Jordan Clarkson and Joe Ingles are the obvious leader of their second unit but beyond them, the Jazz are rocking former Warrior Eric Paschall and former Davion sidekick Jared Butler. The Kings bench is obviously not terrible either. Buddy looked good in his first game as official sixth man. Davion played rock-solid defense (Good job guarding Dame, Davion. Now go deal with your mentor and Jordan Clarkson.) Oh, and they have this guy too:
Advantage: Jazz.
Final Predictions: The league did us no favors when they gave us the Jazz for our first real game with fans in the building in a year and a half. The Jazz are looking for a finals berth this year and the Kings aren't exactly the right team to expose the flaws in the Jazz's defensive schemes. On the other hand, it is the season opener in G1C and stranger things have happened than an overmatched Kings team randomly beating a team that has completely dominated them over the last few years. Not quite sure there's magic in the cards tonight though. A close game will have to suffice.
Jazz 115, Kings 108
