Kings starts strong but can’t finish in OT loss to Luka Doncic and Dallas Mavericks
Kings guard Kent Bazemore sounded the alarm after his team allowed 87 first-quarter points in two devastating losses to the San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic.
Bazemore said the first period of Tuesday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks would say a lot about the team’s ability to achieve the level of toughness and intensity needed to compete in a playoff-style atmosphere in the NBA bubble. The Kings answered Bazemore’s call for a strong start, but this time they couldn’t finish in a 114-110 overtime loss at Walt Disney World Resort’s HP Field House.
Luka Doncic record his 16th triple-double of the season for the Mavericks (41-29), posting 34 points, a career-high 20 rebounds and 12 assists. Kristaps Porzingis had 22 points and seven rebounds.
De’Aaron Fox had 28 points and nine assists for the Kings (28-39), who are still seeking their first win in the bubble. Buddy Hield scored 21 points. Bazemore had 16.
The Kings were held to 50 points after intermission after scoring 60 in the first half. They missed their last 10 shots and did not make a basket in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter.
“I thought we settled (for bad shots) too much down the stretch instead of trying to put pressure on the rim without a shot blocker on the court for them,” Kings coach Luke Walton said.
Fox expressed frustration after the Kings sent the Mavericks to the free-throw line 50 times.
“I think for 44 minutes, 45 minutes, we played well,” Fox said. “We got shots we wanted (and) we were able to get stops, but at the end of the day, we can’t allow a team to shoot 50 free throws. Whether it’s us actually fouling or if it’s the refs, it is what it is, but we can’t allow a team to shoot 50 free throws.”
Walton shook up his starting lineup, inserting Cory Joseph instead of Nemanja Bjelica. Walton started Fox and Joseph in the backcourt with Bogdan Bogdanovic at small forward, Harrison Barnes at power forward and Richaun Holmes at center.
The small-ball lineup was effective early against the Mavericks. Fox, Barnes and Joseph combined for four 3-pointers as the Kings jumped out to a 12-4 lead in the opening minutes.
“I was really disappointed in our defensive intensity, our physicality in the first two games that we were here, so Cory is probably our best defender and we needed someone out there to kind of help get us to where we need to be to start games as far as energy wise,” Walton said. “That was kind of the thought process behind the decision and I thought Cory did a perfect job of that. He was leading. He was vocal. He was picking up full court, so he did what we wanted him to do. As far as going forward, that was more for today (against the Mavericks). … We’ll reevaluate and see what the match-ups look like for the next game.”
Bazemore was pleased to see the team respond to his challenge. He said the Kings must continue to provide that kind of effort over the final five seeding games.
“We just have to learn how to close games,” he said. “You let an older team like that stick around, hit some big shots here and there, then you got yourself in a dog fight. Like I said, I told the guys after the game, ‘We’re progressing, not regressing.’ We got five games left and if we figure it out – we run these five off – who knows where we are? We’re still right in the thick of things. There isn’t a team who’s too out in front. … We’re right there. The optimism is still there. Like I said yesterday, there’s no locker room that I’m going to be a part of that my guys aren’t going to feel like we aren’t still in it. So, until we get out of here, whenever that is, we’re going to have a chance.”
Strong start
The starting unit did a nice job defensively against the dynamic Doncic and a high-powered Dallas offense. When the Kings went to their bench and suffered a defensive breakdown on Hield’s first defensive possession, Walton immediately called timeout to address the issue. As the Kings made their way to the bench, Joseph was seen explaining the coverage to Hield.
The sense of urgency and attention to detail were much improved after two tough losses that left Sacramento behind the Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers, Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans in the race for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. The Kings had a chance to gain a half-game on all four teams, but now they trail the Phoenix Suns as well.
The Kings led 37-27 at the end of the first quarter and carried a 60-56 lead into the halftime break. Sacramento reestablished a double-digit lead in the third and again in the fourth before the Mavericks battled back to tie the game on a free throw by Maxi Kleber with 1:52 to play in regulation.
Neither team could get a bucket in the final two minutes. Fox missed a midrange jumper over Doncic as time expired.
Dallas went up 98-97 on a 3-pointer by Tim Hardaway Jr. The Kings reclaimed the lead on a 3-pointer by Hield, but the Mavericks went up by two on a basket by Doncic and extended the lead to seven on a basket by Dorian Finney-Smith.
The Kings cut the deficit to on a 3-pointer by Boganovic with 6.3 seconds remaining, but Trey Burke made two free throws to secure the win for Dallas.
The Kings shot 51.1% from the field in the opening half. They finished at 41.3%.
Fox made 12 of 27 field-goal attempts. Hield went 8 of 20. Bogdanovic was 1 of 15, including 1 of 8 from 3-point range.
Free-throw disparity
Sacramento also suffered an enormous disparity at the free-throw line. The Kings made 8 of 12 from the foul line. The Mavericks made 39 of 50.
“All game long, they kept going to the foul line,” Walton said. “I’ve never seen a 50 free-throw game before. I think it was 50 -12, something along those lines. Our whole team was in foul trouble all night. It was tough to keep a rhythm going. I’ll take a look at the tape when I get home, but I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
The Kings have been on the wrong end of big free-throw disparities all season. Walton can’t help wondering if they’re getting a fair shake from officials, but he has repeatedly urged his team to defend without fouling.
“We talk about it all the time,” Walton said. “We show film on it. We can’t grab to get around screens. We’ve got to keep our hands out, show our hands and not come down. So I do think when I got back and watch the film, there’s going to be a good amount that’s on us and that’s something we continue to harp about with our guys, and hopefully it’s games like this that help really speed that lesson along because that’s a game we probably should have won if it wasn’t for sending them to the foul line 50 times. Maybe we fouled them every time. I’ve just never seen that before where one team shoots 50 free throws and another team shoots 12.”
Alex Len returns from COVID-19
Alex Len made his NBA bubble debut after missing the first two games following a long and difficult recovery from COVID-19.
Kings coach Luke Walton said Len would suit up and “we’ll see if we can get him out there for a little bit.” The 7-foot center checked in early in the second quarter. He scored three points and picked up two fouls in three minutes before returning to the bench for the rest of the contest.
The Kings have missed Len’s size and toughness. He made a huge impact on the defensive end in nine games with the Kings before the coronavirus shutdown after coming to Sacramento in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks.
Walton said Len’s defensive presence is needed, particularly with upcoming games against physical teams such as the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers.
“It would be nice, especially with the way that we’ve been defending the ball,” Walton said. “Big rim protector, physical body down there in the paint. He will be a nice addition as we get him.”
Picking up the pace
The Kings were coming off disappointing losses to the San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic, but one thing they managed to achieve in their first two games was playing at a higher pace.
The Kings are 20th in the NBA in pace this season at 99.29 possessions per 48 minutes, a point of consternation among players, coaches and fans alike. The Kings said they wanted to improve their tempo in the bubble and thus far they have, tying for fifth with a pace of 106 over the first two games. That’s even higher than their mark of 103.88 in the 2018-19 season, when the Kings ranked third in pace under former coach Dave Joerger.
Unfortunately for the Kings, they were 21st in rebounding, 24th in 3-point shooting, 28th in defensive rating and net rating, and 30th in defensive field-goal percentage.
Up next
The Kings will finally get that long-awaited game against Zion Williamson and the Pelicans on Thursday.
The Kings and Pelicans were scheduled to meet March 11 at Golden 1 Center in an ESPN game with playoff implications for both teams. Thousands of fans had filled the arena and the Kings were on the floor for warm-ups before the NBA postponed the game and suspended its season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Williamson has been a force since making his NBA debut Jan. 22 after missing the start of the season with a knee injury. He is averaging 22.3 points and 6.4 rebounds. His minutes were limited in the first two games of the restart after he left the bubble for a family emergency, but he had 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 25 minutes to lead the Pelicans to a 109-99 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.
The Pelicans also feature Brandon Ingram, a Most Improved Player candidate who is averaging 24.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.
Kings upcoming schedule
Spurs 129, Kings 120
Magic 132, Kings 116
Mavericks 114, Kings 110 (OT)
Aug. 6 vs. Pelicans, 10:30 a.m. (NBCS, NBA TV)
Aug. 7 vs. Nets, 2 p.m. (NBCS)
Aug. 9 vs. Rockets, 5 p.m. (NBCS)
Aug. 11 vs. Pelicans, 6 p.m. (NBCS, TNT)
Aug. 13 vs. Lakers, TBD (NBCS)
This story was originally published August 4, 2020 at 2:26 PM.
