Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
So we magnificently showed the youngest team in the league who was boss and whipped the 5 win Timberwolves by 3 points while magnificently allowing them to score 107 pts on us (hey, less than average in the Corbin epoch) and nearly outscoring them down the stretch. This game also featured Demarcus and Rudy NOT having the worst games of their respective seasons in the same game, and instead featured them merely fouling out in the same game. Luckily we are now starting DWill so Vivek at least can crack a vague smile after the outing.
Nonetheless, here is the only appropriate way to look at this (just like Grant & Jerry I have recently received an email from the Kings front office) : We currently have the BEST record in the entire Western Conference in 2015. Look it up if you don't believe me. You guys are the best. I love your passion. Which is why I know you will repeat this talking point to everyone you know. #NBA3.0 #SacKingsProud #GerbilsUnite #GoldenStateForever.
Boxscore
Stats: 33min 21pts (7-12, 0-0, 7-8) 6reb 5ast 4stl 1blk 8TO
Gay ( C+ ) -- Rudy started out with a great first quarter. He scored ten points on 3-5 shooting, he was getting his hands all over the ball (3 steals) and was doing a very good job moving the ball with two assists and two hockey assists, and he played very good D as well, allowing only 4 points on 5 shots, one of those makes a pretty ridiculous Wiggins turnaround. e did turn the ball over twice on bad passes, but given the production the turnovers were definitely excusable. Unfortunately for Gay, the production tailed off a bit, while the turnovers did not. Gay had one post score and one dunk on a backdoor cut in the second quarter, but then failed to score in the third as he missed a decent amount of the quarter in foul trouble. After yet another turnover (his sixth) in the middle of the fourth, Rudy went on a small tear. He made up for the TO by getting the steal on the same possession, then scored seven straight Kings points with an and-1, a made jumper, and two free throws when he was fouled in the lane. It looked like he was about to take over the game, and with Cousins in foul trouble it was a welcome sight. However, he immediately quashed that optimism, by turning the ball over twice more (once on a bad post entry to Carl, once on a drive) and gave up four points to Wiggins while picking up his fifth and sixth fouls. Rudy's defense was actually quite good tonight. His 5 steals (one for a breakaway dunk) showed his ability to be disruptive, and while Wiggins had 27, only 11 of those points were on Rudy and Wiggins had to hit on some pretty well-contested jumpers and turnarounds to do that. Gay made Wiggins take the shots we wanted him to take - he just happened to hit more than you'd have thought. Rudy also had a pretty efficient night, scoring 21 points on 15 shots. The big problem for Rudy, as it has so often been for the team, was turnovers. Rudy was responsible for 8 turnovers, 6 of those on the pass - and maybe only one of those was actually a decent pass, the rest of them were lazy or careless. Altogether, I think the impact was positive, but let there be no doubt about the fact that Rudy's turnovers were a major problem in this game. --Capt.
Stats: 31min 17pts (6-10, 3-6, 2-2) 5reb 3ast 2stl 1blk 2TO
Williams ( B+ ) -- Williams got the surprise start today for the Kings, just a game after Hollins started in place of JT. That’s three different starting power forwards in three straight games. I have no idea if this was a one-time deal for Williams, or if he is Corbin’s guy here moving forward, but I thought his overall performance was solid. He was quite good in the first quarter, scoring with his outside shot, getting to the line, and running in transition. What impressed me more than anything else was the fact that Williams was doing this in the flow of the offense. It didn’t feel like he was taking shots away from anyone, which could have been a real concern considering the guys he was replacing (Hollins or JT) never shoot. In addition to his scoring, I thought his passing was effective. He hit McLemore for a transition oop, but beyond his three assists I just thought he moved the ball when he wasn’t making an attempt to score. He wasn’t just standing there with it. He received a lot of criticism in the game thread for his defense on Wiggins, and that was justified. He just wasn’t quick enough to hang with him, and couldn’t find the energy to chase him around the court, or even box him out. It was a bad stretch of minutes, but that’s all it was, a stretch. He wasn’t on Wiggins for more than a few minutes, and his defense on everyone else was passable. Thaddeus Young, his primary cover, was basically a non-factor. Williams returned to the game in the fourth quarter and drilled a massive corner three when the Wolves were making a run. It might have been the most important shot of the night. Then, in the final minute, he turned the ball over on a baseline drive and airballed a wide-open wing three that could have really hurt the Kings, but they overcame his miscues. Id like to think that if Cousins and Gay had not fouled out, those plays wouldn’t have happened, but who knows. Williams had his moments, both positive and negative, but he helped the Kings more than he hurt them tonight. I have little doubt about that. It sure was an easy test, though. Whatever he lacks in rebounding ability didn’t really hurt the Kings tonight because the Timberwolves don’t rebound particularly well, and I expected this sort of offensive performance because he always torches his old team. Solid outing. If he is the Kings starting power forward now, future tests won’t be this easy. --Mass
Stats: 27min 19pts (8-14, 0-0, 3-3) 7reb 4ast 1stl 2blk 3TO
Cousins ( C ) -- There are a few players in the league that can guard Demarcus Cousins, and Gorgui Dieng isn't one of them. Cousins had his way on offense, scoring inside on Dieng almost at will. But that is boring, so I'm going to talk about why the best player on the court with the stat line above only gets a C for the night. First, Cousins couldn't stay out of foul trouble. Yes, he had a couple of ticky tack fouls called on him, but they weren't non-fouls. He was playing defense with his hands, grabbing at player's arms, jumping on pump fakes, and getting taken out of the game by Minnesota's front line. That is on him. Second, he was largely ineffective on defense and on the boards. I don't know whether he is still suffering fatigue from the meningitis, but he was much less active at locking down the rebounds against Minny's frontcourt, letting Dieng get offensive boards and easy putbacks. Gone is the defensive focus from the beginning of the season, when Cousins would race back on defense and yell at teammates when they blew assignments. Gone are the crisp rotations on screens and protection against dives from opponents. Cousins had an opportunity here to get his mojo back on both ends of the floor, and settled for the offensive side of things.--Hadlowe
Stats: 38min 14pts (6-9, 1-2, 1-2) 4reb 2ast 0stl 0blk 2TO
McLemore ( C+ ) -- very good defense and 9 pts on 4/5 shooting in first half but only 5 pts in second as just not getting touches) Steals opening tip but has it batted away on way to rim. On Minny fast break Ben races in from behind an pokes ball out of bounds. 3-1/2 min in and Ben has no touches on offense. Kings up 13-4. Oops, gets a touch but turns it into an assist down low to Demarcus for layin. 2nd touch at 7:21 mark of first. Super good ball movement so far 6 min into the first. Cuz rebound, outlet to Collison and handoff to Ben for dunk. Next play fast break by DWill and ally to Ben for his oop!! 23-11. Ben playing excellent defense staying in front of his man. Nik starts 2nd with Ben coming in at 8 min mark, DWill gets reb and long outlet pass to Ben for easy 2. 45-35 at 7:40 of 2nd. Quick pop for 3 rims out. Ben drives but ball poked away by Wiggins. Cross court pass by Cuz to Ben in corner for 3. At 3:30 mark Ben gets 2 fouls in less than 5 seconds and hits bench for rest of quarter. Ben back to guarding Young start of 3rd. Only minor touches 4 min into 3rd quarter. Guards Young so close he shoots air ball. Finally gets another 3 but long but gets reb down to Cuz for dunk + 1. Kings go on 11 pt run prompting Grant to wonder “if the Wolves put in a rule where you’r not allowed to guard anyone”. Ben stays in when Nik comes into small lineup at 4:40 mark of 3rd along with Landry. Lead gets up to 13. Ben steps inside 3 line for nice 2 pointer. Cuz to bench with his 5th foul 10 seconds into 3rd. Ben quiet thru 3rd but good defense then stays in to start of the 4th. Cuz feeds Ben for dunk. Kings have 19 TO’s at 4:35 mark of 4th. Then Rudy fouls out guarding Wiggins and Cuz has 5. Tied at 99. At 2:46 remaining Cuz fouls out. JT in but gets his 5th at 2:06. Ben great defense on Wiggins preventing a shot and Wigs throws it away. Shots 6/9 for game as just not getting touches. Really good defense throughout takes him from C- to C+. --Cruz
Stats: 39min 21pts (8-15, 1-2, 4-4) 4reb 6ast 0stl 0blk 2TO
Collison ( B+ ) -- played an indifferent first half mixing in a few hits, a few bad forces, one nice little unselfish shovel pass to Ben on the break for a dunk, and a couple of bad TOs which led immediately to Minnesota scores. This grade would have been no better than a C at halftime. But when we lost Cuz to foul trouble for almost the entire second half, it was DC who stepped up the largest, scoring in a variety of ways, and setting up his next shot with his last. First he stepped into an angle three, then when they had to close the next time because of it, a scoot to the hoop. Then a pullup. Then another scoot, etc. It never looks as spectacular because he is flat not as talented as our main guys, but his consistent meat and potatoes game combined with some truly horrific Minnesota defense (on his drives in particular where they were practically opening doors for him with a bow) was enough to just keep us moving forward on the scoreboard. After we had lost Gay to fouling out, came up with a tough drive with 3 min to go to push the lead back to 5. At which point we then promptly lost Cuz as well. We only scored 4 more points until the final 3 seconds as we wobbled but held on, and then with 2.8 seconds to go DC got the ball inbounded to him after the lead was cut to 1, got fouled, and hit both to make it a three point game and at least force the Wolves into a game tying three point attempt rather than leave open a 2pt possibility. Not awesome stuff by us or by DC. But stepped up just enough to get it done without Rudy/Cuz. --Brick
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