[Game] Kings vs. 76ers, 2/9/2021, 7pm PST, 10pm EST

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
#1

Seven of our last eight! 12 of our last 23! The Young Superteam is alive and well, baby, and all it took was a bunch of teams being dumb in the draft ahead of us for it to happen! Actually not a bunch of teams, mostly just the Suns. (Thanks for De'Aaron and Tyrese!)

The nation was enthralled on Sunday, gathered around their TVs in rapt attention, as the Kings beat the Clippers twenty hours after beating the Nuggets. Then, they got drunk and fell asleep as they watched an old guy who doesn't eat fruit pummel a bunch of guys half his age on national TV! #SPOARTS

Tonight the Kings face their toughest test yet in the Sixers. Dave Joerger makes his triumphant return to Golden 1 Center as an assistant coach for Doc Rivers! Two rookie Tyreses clash! De'Aaron versus Embiid! Ben Simmons versus jump shots!

***
Awards time
Tony Delk Memorial Award - Ivica Zubac. Considering the fact that three Kings rebounded in double figures and Buddy Hield pulled down nine, the fact Zubac pulled down 14 boards might not seem all that impressive but I'm pretty sure every one of those boards came surrounded by four Kings and directly under the hoop. The dude was simply everywhere on the night.

Cory Joseph Award - Cory "Canadian Orien Green" Joseph. To CoJo's credit, he only took three shots and of course nailed the toughest shot of them all while cutting his usage rate to 10%. Unfortunately, he still got cooked on defense in his twelve minutes on the floor.

Mikki Moore- Serge Ibaka. On the plus side, Serge had a massive block on a potential block. On the other hand, thanks to Mark Jones's food fetish, I now know more about Ibaka's YouTube channel than I should, like this episode where he feeds Kawhi a bull's "udders"

WTF Moment of the Game- The start time. I realize the league doesn't want to compete directly with the biggest sporting event of the American year but as the second game of a back to back, a noon start time is a little excessive to say the least.

***
Gotta keep this short because it's late and I'm stuck chasing deadline rabbits for my "real" job and really need to fit in some time to sleep.

Unlike the other teams we've faced during this stretch, the Sixers are pretty much completely healthy coming in to tonight's game and they are good. With Elton Brand getting unceremoniously demoted/shoved to the kiddie table by Daryl Morey, the Sixers front office has done a good job of quickly re-rebuilding the roster around Embiid (and to a lesser degree, Ben Simmons), now sporting a starting lineup that actually makes sense with Embiid/Harris/Green/Curry/Simmons. Seth Curry is having another great year shooting the ball (I'm pretty sure Dell would disown either of his children if their three point percentage dipped bellowed .400 for the season). Tobias Harris is flirting with the 50/40/90 club and has thrived playing for Doc Rivers again. Danny Green remains Danny Green, that is a 3-and-D dude who occasionally goes ice cold from beyond the arc but is generally super solid in that role. Ben Simmons is an elite defender but pretty much tall Lonzo on offense aside from his complete refusal to shoot three pointers. Shake Milton is a contender for sixth man of the year.

Joel Embiid is right up at the top of the MVP race ladder with Jokic and Lebron and is having another generally great season. He's also the anti-Shaq is that he is an elite shooter from almost every level including the free throw line but also super duper strong and capable of destroying pretty much anyone in the paint. The Sixers supporting cast is better/more productive than Denver's at this point so the "let the star big scored 50 and defend everyone else" strategy might not "work" like it did against Jokic.

Thybulle and Maxey are the best young prospects on the Sixers. Thybulle is a bullish defender while Maxey is a good scorer with strong instincts for the game. Morey thinks highly enough of them that he was unwilling to part with either of them in a James Harden trade, whether that was a smart move or not is up to you.

Also Dave Joerger is their head assistant after Alvin Gentry turned Doc down to be the assistant to Luke Walton instead. Joerger, of course, is just biding his time until his dream job in Minnesota opens up in the summer (it probably will unless Minnesota is really so committed to Flip Saunder's legacy that they'll his son waste another season for them). I wonder if he'll yet at Buddy at halfcourt tonight.

Final Prediction: Kings 117, Sixers 115
The streak's gotta end sometime but I'm gonna talk a walk on the wild side and say the Kings pull a tight victory off against the Sixers to keep their streak alive. GO Kings!
 
#6
Reminder to everyone keep your expectations low, don't let the Kings disappoint us again. We probably won't make playoffs but we can still have a fun year and build toward the future while being competitive.
 
#7
I love how the Kings have been playing lately, but they have no one who can guard Embiid. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't see the Kings winning this one.
 
#8
I've seen enough from the kings to be sure that they wont go on a 2-9 stretch again. So not winning against the best in the east wont dissuade my belief in this team. Let's say they won just 2 more games during that awful stretch which is still pretty bad (4-7) the kings record would be at 14-9 for the 4th spot in the west. Go kings
 
#11
I'm hoping for a win but not expecting one. That was my approach to the Clippers game after they'd pounded us twice, so l was thrilled with the outcome. A top team at full strength looks like maybe too much to ask, but with this team you never know. Go Kings!
 
#13
I haven't been around KF.com much lately, so I should preface this by saying I have no idea how much this is being discussed already. But I have been tuning in to the occasional game in the last month, mostly out of curiosity about Tyrese Haliburton, and I've been deeply surprised by the ways in which he's unlocked a "death lineup" of sorts for the Kings this season.

The small ball configuration of Fox/Haliburton/Hield/Barnes/Holmes is just devastating opponents. They have a top-3 NETRTG in the entire NBA! These guys are Walton's closers during the team's hot streak across the last ten games, but they've only seen 120 total minutes together on the season. I have to assume that Walton's conservative stance on the starting lineup has to do with Bagley's development/confidence, his hesitance to toss Hali completely into the fire by promoting him, and the fact that the Kings' bench is so damn thin currently.

But I'm sure Monte McNair is looking at Fox/Haliburton/Hield/Barnes/Holmes and recognizing what the model for success looks like for these Kings. Currently, this lineup can push the pace, score from everywhere, make plays, protect the ball, rebound, and give an above average effort on defense. I watch them and I see the chemistry developing in real time. They look so together in a way that the Kings have rarely looked in the last fifteen years. They look like a team with a plan, a team that can execute, a team that plays for each other and gives maximum effort. It feels like tempting fate to say this after so many years of mirages and false starts, but when Fox/Haliburton/Hield/Barnes/Holmes are on the court in the fourth quarter, I actually see the outline of a playoff contender.

I haven't believed in Walton since he got here, but there are some encouraging signs that he's learning what he has with this roster. He's tightened up his rotation in a way that's not really sustainable in the long term. However, it has allowed for this "death lineup" to blossom, particularly in the clutch, while exposing the team's unfortunate lack of depth (Cory Joseph's consistent minutes would be inexplicable if not for Walton's lack of viable options).

The bench clearly needs an overhaul. And I hate to say it, but I think it starts with eventually moving Bagley back into a sixth man role. He's looking more and more like he should function as an energizer bunny off the bench, given the way the rest of the pieces fit together on this particular team. Holmes is so efficient and impacts the game in so many ways that he should be a lock in the starting unit. And Barnes has always been at his best as a small ball PF, despite his teams' insistence on playing him as a "natural" SF as often as they have at every stop of his career.

It's true enough that Bagley's outside shot is starting to come around this season, which is absolutely essential for his survival in the NBA. And perhaps Walton will keep him in the starting lineup, reserving his killer small ball configuration for situational deployment and fourth quarter devastation. But I think Fox/Haliburton/Hield/Barnes/Holmes is how this team makes the playoffs. Maybe Barnes isn't in the Kings' long-term plans (even though he's exactly the kind of steady, savvy veteran that you want alongside your young talents). Maybe Hield is eventual trade bait. Maybe even Holmes, a player I just love to watch, doesn't stick around forever. Regardless, a team led by a dynamic duo of Fox/Haliburton at the 1/2 probably needs the 3/4/5 to look quite a bit like what Hield/Barnes/Holmes bring to the table.

The last ten games have told a tidy little story of what this Kings team is capable of when playing at their best. I'm interested to see what the next ten games will show. Do the Kings really want to try for the playoffs this year? Is that the expectation? If so, how does Walton adjust his rotations to keep his best players from burning out? What does Monte do to help shore up the bench? Can Fox sustain his burgeoning all-star level play? Will Hali hit the rookie wall?

I've caught Kings games this season when it's been convenient for me, but tonight's game against Philly is the first time I've made a point to clear room in my schedule so far this season, just to see better what these guys can do. Win or lose, I am much more intrigued in 2021 than I thought I would be at the start of this weird, abbreviated season.
 
#14
You never want to underestimate a team, but the Sixers are not nearly as good as their record, and have had a ridiculously easy schedule so far, against most eastern conference teams. Their offense is pretty one dimensional, and if we can contain Embiid (you got this Hassan!), this is a very winnable game. Holmes and Whiteside need to step up and have big defensive games, and Holmes has been playing off the hook lately. I like the Kings chances.
 
#16
I haven't been around KF.com much lately, so I should preface this by saying I have no idea how much this is being discussed already. But I have been tuning in to the occasional game in the last month, mostly out of curiosity about Tyrese Haliburton, and I've been deeply surprised by the ways in which he's unlocked a "death lineup" of sorts for the Kings this season.

The small ball configuration of Fox/Haliburton/Hield/Barnes/Holmes is just devastating opponents. They have a top-3 NETRTG in the entire NBA! These guys are Walton's closers during the team's hot streak across the last ten games, but they've only seen 120 total minutes together on the season. I have to assume that Walton's conservative stance on the starting lineup has to do with Bagley's development/confidence, his hesitance to toss Hali completely into the fire by promoting him, and the fact that the Kings' bench is so damn thin currently.

But I'm sure Monte McNair is looking at Fox/Haliburton/Hield/Barnes/Holmes and recognizing what the model for success looks like for these Kings. Currently, this lineup can push the pace, score from everywhere, make plays, protect the ball, rebound, and give an above average effort on defense. I watch them and I see the chemistry developing in real time. They look so together in a way that the Kings have rarely looked in the last fifteen years. They look like a team with a plan, a team that can execute, a team that plays for each other and gives maximum effort. It feels like tempting fate to say this after so many years of mirages and false starts, but when Fox/Haliburton/Hield/Barnes/Holmes are on the court in the fourth quarter, I actually see the outline of a playoff contender.

I haven't believed in Walton since he got here, but there are some encouraging signs that he's learning what he has with this roster. He's tightened up his rotation in a way that's not really sustainable in the long term. However, it has allowed for this "death lineup" to blossom, particularly in the clutch, while exposing the team's unfortunate lack of depth (Cory Joseph's consistent minutes would be inexplicable if not for Walton's lack of viable options).

The bench clearly needs an overhaul. And I hate to say it, but I think it starts with eventually moving Bagley back into a sixth man role. He's looking more and more like he should function as an energizer bunny off the bench, given the way the rest of the pieces fit together on this particular team. Holmes is so efficient and impacts the game in so many ways that he should be a lock in the starting unit. And Barnes has always been at his best as a small ball PF, despite his teams' insistence on playing him as a "natural" SF as often as they have at every stop of his career.

It's true enough that Bagley's outside shot is starting to come around this season, which is absolutely essential for his survival in the NBA. And perhaps Walton will keep him in the starting lineup, reserving his killer small ball configuration for situational deployment and fourth quarter devastation. But I think Fox/Haliburton/Hield/Barnes/Holmes is how this team makes the playoffs. Maybe Barnes isn't in the Kings' long-term plans (even though he's exactly the kind of steady, savvy veteran that you want alongside your young talents). Maybe Hield is eventual trade bait. Maybe even Holmes, a player I just love to watch, doesn't stick around forever. Regardless, a team led by a dynamic duo of Fox/Haliburton at the 1/2 probably needs the 3/4/5 to look quite a bit like what Hield/Barnes/Holmes bring to the table.

The last ten games have told a tidy little story of what this Kings team is capable of when playing at their best. I'm interested to see what the next ten games will show. Do the Kings really want to try for the playoffs this year? Is that the expectation? If so, how does Walton adjust his rotations to keep his best players from burning out? What does Monte do to help shore up the bench? Can Fox sustain his burgeoning all-star level play? Will Hali hit the rookie wall?

I've caught Kings games this season when it's been convenient for me, but tonight's game against Philly is the first time I've made a point to clear room in my schedule so far this season, just to see better what these guys can do. Win or lose, I am much more intrigued in 2021 than I thought I would be at the start of this weird, abbreviated season.
So your saying, if they lose, it's your fault?
 
#18
And Barnes has always been at his best as a small ball PF, despite his teams' insistence on playing him as a "natural" SF as often as they have at every stop of his career.
Barnes is borderline elite as a small ball 4 with the way he has been playing this year.

I want the Kings to draft Franz Wagner in this upcoming draft and run a lineup of

Fox
Haliburton
Wagner
Barnes
Holmes

This lineup would be top ten defensively with at least 3 maybe 4 guys that can hit the three. The only thing is we would need Hali to put up 15-17 a game instead of what he is averaging this year.

Hield, Ntilikina, Jefferies, Whiteside and Woodard on the bench.
 
#20
Barnes is borderline elite as a small ball 4 with the way he has been playing this year.

I want the Kings to draft Franz Wagner in this upcoming draft and run a lineup of

Fox
Haliburton
Wagner
Barnes
Holmes

This lineup would be top ten defensively with at least 3 maybe 4 guys that can hit the three. The only thing is we would need Hali to put up 15-17 a game instead of what he is averaging this year.

Hield, Ntilikina, Jefferies, Whiteside and Woodard on the bench.
But seriously, folks, imagine a 2021 Kings starting lineup in which:
  1. Fox proves that the last-10-games version of himself is here to stay
  2. TyH IMPROVES, as should be expected from an NBA sophomore and then-21 y.o.
  3. HB and RH maintain their present course, continuing to impress
  4. We get an upgrade on 2020-so-far Buddy, either thru improvement from Buddy himself, or someone else (Franz Wagner?)
Taken alone, each of those is perfectly plausible, even likely, I tell you!