[Game] Kings vs. Wizards, 12/23/2022 7pm Pacific 10pm Eastern
- Thread starter Tetsujin
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ShastaKingsFan
All-Star
That's why we play the games. On various games, the better shooting team will have an off night. It can be tough when you rely heavily on the deep shot. Old school players know this
Just have to hope the Kings can start learning from this game and the CHA game. If you want to be taken seriously, you just can't lose to those teams when they're on a 2nd night of a B-B and you're just the better team on paper. When competing for playoff spots or to be in the playoffs rather than the play-in, these 2 games will very likely stick out as a reason we could miss. Pretty disappointing when they've overall done extremely well in games they "should" win this year.
We've been fairly good at beating teams we're supposed to. It's just the hornets game and this game.
Folsomkingsfan
Starter
Still happy with where we are overall but I don’t trust this team at all
Kingz19
Hall of Famer
I remember the last Joerger season being like that. We would escape these brutal stretches/road trips at .500 or just under .500 with a nice 10 game stretch with a lot of home games against worse or level teams…and if the Kings just play like they did vs Golden State they will easily mop up..but it never mattered what the schedule was. Kings just couldn’t bring it every night.
These guys are better than the Joerger team…but it’s still concerning.
Hopefully these two games were legit the Kings just having their heads up their asses because that can atleast be corrected…but I’m disappointed. 9-6 at home is not good.
reptilexcq2
Bench
In this league, ANY team can beat any team in any giving night if you don't bring your game or your game plan because this is a professional league and each player is PRO and capable of putting up scores. You'll be amazed at how small a margin is between a winning team and a losing team. It only takes a few mistakes to cause and ignite a team to explode. But the Kings commit way too many mistakes and so when you're bleeding everywhere, it's hard to stop.
The Kings play well until Huerter fouling guy at the 3 point line. And then on top of that, he couldn't guard anybody allow guys to penetrate. His help defense is weak because he's too small. Murry's help defense is not there because he failed to recognize that his teammates need help and was late. You would think that under Brown, they already got the message of how to play team defense....but the Wizards exploited them. The Kings play great D because they're helping and protecting each other weakness as far as playing individual defense. Wizards penetration stop and confused them basically.
The Kings play well until Huerter fouling guy at the 3 point line. And then on top of that, he couldn't guard anybody allow guys to penetrate. His help defense is weak because he's too small. Murry's help defense is not there because he failed to recognize that his teammates need help and was late. You would think that under Brown, they already got the message of how to play team defense....but the Wizards exploited them. The Kings play great D because they're helping and protecting each other weakness as far as playing individual defense. Wizards penetration stop and confused them basically.
The good news is Brown hasn't let the bad play get out of control. Things looked like it could get ugly after that NYK/PHI stretch where we had some of our worst play of the year... then came back with 2 good wins vs TOR and DET to clean up the road trip. Bad loss to CHA...then go clean up the Lakers as we expect to do.
Hurts because these are likely 2 of the easiest games we'll play all year in terms of context (Team strength, getting them on a 2nd night of a B-B at home), but I think Brown has shown us he'll get them back into shape pretty quickly. At least so far.
SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
I think it's safe to say that this team is going to have a hard time against the bigger F/wing teams that are going to run pick and roll over and over against the Kings drop scheme. Interesting, it doesn't look like Brown came out for a postgame. If Sabonis is hurt this could turn in a hurry. Denver is another bad matchup too. Brown really has no choice but to switch up the defense otherwise it's another big perimeter team that just watched the template on how to eat up the defense you're running and hoping for misses isn't defense haha.
Maybe you'd know this better than me, but who outside of the Bucks and Warriors? Really run "Drop" super effectively? It's such an insanely good defensive concept if you have the right horses for it, but the Bucks have an elite rim protector in Brook and then the literal best weakside rim protection of all time in Giannis flying all over the court. Warriors were very similar with Dray in drop and his ability to recover with KD/Iggy covering on the weakside when they were in their prime. They did a lot of it too last year with Looney and Dray in the "Free Safety" role.
They are 1 game ahead of the 2019 team at this point....a few percentage points - hardly - they look very similar to the 2019 team, over-reliant on shooting - poor rebounding/average FTs. They looked better early on in the season, but tonight was a season low of a loss at home. The bench has regressed badly and looks like sh1t; earlier in wins a month ago the bench would be high energy and a source of offensive explosion. Tonight you see what happens when they can't shoot and don't play defense together- ugly gym-rat ball. Wizards were living in the paint just like the Hornets. Teams have figure out the Kings pick and roll problems on defense, and Brown is getting toasted. They needed to turn up the tempo and effort earlier, but waited way too long....should've been in the 3rd quarter but they were complacent to play full-shot clock half-court offense and oblige the Wizards down 25 pts. They were also sloppy with the ball. Team is in pretty big trouble despite the record. Teams are figuring out their tendencies and playing the passing lanes much harder recently.
reptilexcq2
Bench
Huerter is the biggest problem in tonight's game and I BET even he knew it. He destroyed the Kings by fouling a guy at the 3pts line and then on top of that he allows guys to penetrate, he threw the ball away turnover passing literally to no one and another time fouling a guy with "and one" and there is just too many fouls where the Wizards also are making the baskets. When you're not making shots, it just add fuel to the fire basically...and that's what happened tonight. I don't think the Wizards did anything special...it was more of one problem after another for the Kings. Turnovers, driving into the teeth of the defense, more turnovers, can't make shots....and allow way too many penetration and generally not being smart. You add all of that combinations, of course it is a blow out. It's embarrassing that it happened at home. It proves this team has some serious weakness at certain positions.
serbiangoat
Starter
I don't understand how the Wizards are so bad(well not tonight), their main guys are all in their primes, they have outside shooting and size inside and are like close to 10 games under 500. Beal/Zinger/Kuz/Morris/Rui should at worst be a playoff team in the East.
Am I the only one who feels Taj Gibson playing 10-15mins a night on the Kings would help a lot, his first stint imo changed the flow of the game where the Kings and Sabonis had things going. He got a couple of stops banging with Sabonis and a couple nice jumpers/dunks. He can still play in limited minutes.
Am I the only one who feels Taj Gibson playing 10-15mins a night on the Kings would help a lot, his first stint imo changed the flow of the game where the Kings and Sabonis had things going. He got a couple of stops banging with Sabonis and a couple nice jumpers/dunks. He can still play in limited minutes.
Caccia
Starter
The lineup for the second team in the late first, early second quarter had no chemistry, on either side of the court: Fox, Monk, Murray, Davis/Lyles, Queta/Holmes. All of a sudden, the Wizards started taking off. Coach Brown called a timeout at 22-26, but put in Lyles in place of Davis.
Monk only had two points in the first half. He has been in a slump the past two weeks. The coaching staff needs to set up more screens to get him open instead of running the curl with handoff time after time, or handing him the ball and asking him to penetrate. The opposing teams just drape someone four or six inches taller and dare him to shoot a three, then collapse when he drives. Against Cleveland, I think it was, he hit one mid-range jumper after another in the first half. When teams pack the paint, collapsing on Sabonis or his backup, that is the way to go. Huerter could also benefit from more and better screen plays.
Monk only had two points in the first half. He has been in a slump the past two weeks. The coaching staff needs to set up more screens to get him open instead of running the curl with handoff time after time, or handing him the ball and asking him to penetrate. The opposing teams just drape someone four or six inches taller and dare him to shoot a three, then collapse when he drives. Against Cleveland, I think it was, he hit one mid-range jumper after another in the first half. When teams pack the paint, collapsing on Sabonis or his backup, that is the way to go. Huerter could also benefit from more and better screen plays.
The Effort Police
Starter
The important thing to do is not spiral into extended losing streaks, even if you ideally want this to be the part where you build momentum. If you lull during the easy part of your schedule, so be it. Washington went into a death spiral that they're now clearly out of it beating us and Phoenix on the road, but too little too late. If they could've punctuated that 10 game losing streak, or really that 13 of 14 Ls and went 4-10 or 5-9 they'd be in a much better position.
Celtics quietly losing 5 of their last 7 for example, including twice to Orlando. But I have no doubt they're going to rattle off an extended winning streak again at some point soon. Memphis losing 4 of 5 and then rattling off 7 a little later. Right now, we're 4-5 of our last 9. Stings to lose to CHA/WAS in particular, but could be worse. The real test will be the next 5 games, especially with Sabonis in question. We need to have another 5+ win streak at some point; I think we all would've like to have it start now, but it might come at an unexpected place.
Lionheart
G-League
I wouldn't say I was overly concerned about the direction we are headed, but will admit that we need to put a bit of a winning streak together to get some confidence going into the new year. I like Huerter as I guy I can trust to get a bucket if needed, but leaves a lot to be desired on the defensive end. Brown needs to do better making adjustments also when they,as the Wizards did last night, exploit the gaps we have.
Schedule doesn't get any easier that's for sure.
Schedule doesn't get any easier that's for sure.
iowamcnabb
Hall of Famer
Yeh I agree on the streaks. Keep your losing streaks to 3 or less and find a way to string together 4 or 5 at a time. That’s the name of game.
you could tell early on in the game how this was going to go. We just didn’t have it.
you could tell early on in the game how this was going to go. We just didn’t have it.
Yeah agreed. This has been one the Kings major issues the last few years especially. They'll go through stretches of playing reasonably good basketball, but then just have a stupidly bad like 1-9, 2-8 stretch that just kills the season. Sometimes multiple in a season. Outside of the 0-4 start this year, they've been excellent at keeping their bad play to a 2-3 game stretch. That's how you start thinking about low to mid 40's in wins
iowamcnabb
Hall of Famer
Do we need to try Lyles at the backup 5 again. Before his illness he was playing really well and he was 6-6 against the wiz
Kingz19
Hall of Famer
This team is more talented than that group imo. They were all energy and speed and every other day they would gas out and look different. Rebounding wise they were far worse I believe.
No stats in front of me but Willie was the best rebounder…but the flaws are definitely apparent with this group.
Agreed on the bench being the big one.
Monk having massive scoring nights masked it during the win streak but his poor December has made it clear that the bench is just flat out weak. They don’t have any frontcourt reserves that would be regulars on most other good teams. Can’t even separate themselves on this group.
For example…last night, Richaun, Trey, Queta, KZ or Metu probably don’t enter the game for the 11 win Wizards because they have better guys. Maybe Trey. Brown is desperately trying to make one of them happen and it’s just not happening,
The backup guards haven’t been much to boast about either outside of Monk’s November. TD is 1 for every 5, if that. Davion has an impact on every game but while he’s still off night defensively on most nights, he’s unfortunately off night offensively on most nights too.
I love what the Kings can potentially build around Domas and Fox. I think it’s a fine foundation for a potentially great team that in time will make offense look as effortless as the Adelman Kings did and have the room to be a mid level defensive team which is all a great offense would need…but currently the dearth of quality size and athleticism in the paint and wings will constantly trip this team up.
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