Why the Kings looked like a tired team and what they can do about it in Chicago
Here are three takeaways from the Kings’ 107-97 loss against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Kings fizzle after fast start
A day off might be what the Kings (13-12) need to finish their four-game trip with a better showing against the Chicago Bulls on Monday because they looked like a tired team on the second night of a back-to-back against the Pacers (16-10).
Buddy Hield had the hot hand early to help the Kings jump out to a 17-11 lead, but he eventually cooled off and most of his teammates had trouble getting into a rhythm offensively. Hield had 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range over the first eight minutes of the game, but he missed nine of his last 12 shots and finished with 20 points.
“We just sucked,” Hield said. “The second half, we didn’t get back on defense (and) turnovers killed us; turnovers and not making shots. We’re supposed to make shots.”
The Kings led 31-24 at the end of the first period — the ninth time they had scored at least 30 points in their last 12 quarters — but they followed that with 21 points in the second quarter, 18 in the third and 27 in the fourth.
The pace of the game slowed considerably in the second quarter with predictable results for Sacramento. After going up by 12 on a 3-pointer by Bogdan Bogdanovic, the Kings gradually let the lead slip away. The Pacers pulled away in the fourth to snap Sacramento’s three-game winning streak 24 hours after the Kings stomped the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Kings failed to score 100 points for just the third time this season. They shot 42.2 percent from the field and 28.1 percent from long distance.
De’Aaron Fox scored 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Willie Cauley-Stein had 14 points and nine rebounds. Thaddeus Young led Indiana with 20 points and nine rebounds.
Kings coach Dave Joerger offered no excuses, noting that the Pacers were also playing a back-to-back after winning in Orlando on Friday night.
“They’ve got experience, they were physical, they got in the lane and I thought they just handled the mental part ... better than we did,” Joerger said.
Oladipo sits again
The Kings have benefitted from the absence of some of their opponents’ best players in six of their last seven games. That trend continued Saturday night.
Indiana scoring leader Victor Oladipo missed his ninth consecutive game while recovering from a knee injury. Oladipo, who averages 21.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists, also sat out Dec. 1 when the Kings handed the Pacers a 111-110 loss at Golden 1 Center.
Domantas Sabonis, Indiana’s leading rebounder and third-leading scorer, was listed as questionable going into the contest after missing Friday’s game against the Orlando Magic due to illness, but he felt well enough to play in a game-time decision.
Star players who sat out against the Kings due to injuries in recent weeks included Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz, the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and DeMarcus Cousins, the Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker and T.J. Warren and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kevin Love.
The Kings will face a relatively healthy Chicago team on Monday. Bulls power forward Lauri Markkanen recently returned after missing the first 23 games with a sprained elbow. Bobby Portis and Kris Dunn are expected to return soon from knee injuries.
Bagley fouls out
Rookie big man Marvin Bagley III had a rough night after shining for the last three weeks. Bagley committed five fouls in his first six minutes of action before finally fouling out with four points and two rebounds in 10 minutes. Bagley had scored in double figures in each of his seven previous games with three double-doubles.