Tetsujin
The Game Thread Dude
Bad loss!
It sucks to lose like we did but on the other hand, the Jazz are probably the best regular season team in the NBA, and our starting guards AND bigs all played like they were coming off 72-hour cocaine benders and we still took them to pretty much the final possession.
But this is the NBA and playing teams close and losing still counts as a loss.
On to the next one!
Awards Time
Tony Delk Memorial Award - Hassan Whiteside. In 15 minutes, Hassan had 9 points, 12 rebounds, and a block, and a stretch in the fourth quarter where you'd think he was Dikembe Mutombo with how hard the fans were cheering for him. The Hassan experience is very much a pendulum and this game was very much among his better performances.
Cory Joseph Award - Jordan Clarkson. It's rare that I award this to a player on the Kings' opponent but in this case, Clarkson was so mindnumpingly awful that I had no choice. Pros: Jordan Clarkson wasn't scoreless on the night. Cons: Clarkson was 1-13 and 0-11 from three with most of his misses looking further from the hoop than some of the fans.
Luke Walton Vacuum Cleaner Award - Kings starting backcourt.
WTF Moment of the Game - Luke burns his challenge with one minute left in the first on a call that clearly had no chance to be overturned because he was trying to get the points from the made three that happened after the foul because he doesn't know what the NBA rules are.
++Game 8++
Kings vs. Pelicans
@Golden One Center
Amazingly enough this is our first back-to-back game of the season and one in which we go from playing the best team in the west (record-wise) last season at their house to coming home to face a Pelicans team missing its two best players (unless Ingram somehow is healthy enough to play) and sporting one of the worst records in the league and who we just happened to beat not even a week ago and who just lost to the Suns on the first game of their back-to-back despite leading them after three quarters (Also Jonas knocked out Herb Jones with a concussion and there's a pretty good chance he'll be sitting this one out too).
This is another game the Kings are supposed to win, even on the tail end of a four-game road trip, even after a hard-fought loss against the Jazz, even with their best player struggling. No excuses. If the Kings want to be good this year, these are the games they must win.
It's not that I think the Pelicans are pushovers or a particularly bad team. I just think the Kings are better (and also aren't missing their two centerpiece all-star types).
Matchups
Richaun Holmes vs. Jonas Valanciunas - I haven't seen any updates on Richaun's knee and he was playing fine for the most part after landing on it hard in the second quarter but these things can stiffen up overnight and I'm not so sure he'll be playing. On the other side, Jonas is pretty much the last man standing on the Pelicans (in that he is pretty much the only person left on the team who can create his own offense) and will probably be getting Jokic/Embiid-esque usage numbers. Advantage: Jonas.
Harrison Barnes vs. ??? - With Herb Jones probably out and Ingram also looking like he's out with hip issues, I have absolutely no clue who'll be starting at this spot for the Pelicans. Trey Murphy or Naji Marshall would be the logical choices here but Barnes is clearly better than both of them at this point in their careers. Harrison had another strong game though he fell short of his high three point attempts goal yet again. Hitting it here might help open things up for the guards, especially against a slightly longer guard lineup. Advantage: Barnes.
Moe Harkless vs. Josh Hart - Moe is coming off of his best offensive game of the season in which his three pointers were falling and he was able to not be a total zero on that end of the floor. With Herb Jones potentially out with a concussion, Hart will probably be his main matchup. At 6'5", he's a smaller wing but he is a hell of a rebounder and another solid player just sorta stuck in limbo on the Pelicans as they await the inevitable moment when they have to punt on Zion and start the rebuild all over again. Advantage: Draw.
Tyrese Haliburton vs. Nickiel Alexander-Walker - Tyrese had a nice first three quarters in Utah but went completely invisible in the fourth, fading to the point that the Kings went to a Barnes-centric offense with Fox fouled out. NAW has really struggled to start the year, as we saw when we last faced him, and his shooting splits are not great, Bob. I expect a bounce back from Haliburton. Advantage: Tyrese.
De'Aaron Fox vs. Devonte' Graham - Fox had another horrendous first half against the Jazz but actually seemed to have a pulse in the second half, scoring all thirteen of his points (8 in the fourth) in the period and genuinely showing flashes of his old self against the Rudy Gobert defensive wall. Graham has been on the Suns injury report over the last couple of days but I think he'll go in Sacramento. Advantage: Fox. (Yes, I'm sticking to my guns)
Kings Bench vs. New Orleans Bench - Buddy has been our best guard to star the season. Davion seems to struggle against the less talented backups in the league so hopefully he survives. We need another good game from Len since Holmes might be sore after the Jazz game and Jonas is going to get ALLLLLLLLLLL the touches with Ingram and Zion out. Terence... exists? It's the second night of a back to back so maybe someone else makes a surprise appearance too. I want to see Metu get his revenge on Jonas. Advantage: Kings.
Final Predictions
Here it is, guys. Are you the Kings or the Kangz. Prove you're a team to root for with a win, prove you're adding to the streak with a loss. Personally, I think they get it done even though they're tired and a little sore. Also I think De'Aaron remembers how to play.
Kings 119, Pelicans 108
