Fans boo, chant ‘Fire Luke Walton’ in blowout loss to Toronto Raptors
The Kings trailed the Toronto Raptors by 30 when they left the floor to a loud chorus of boos at the end of the third quarter. By the time the game was over, a group of fans in Section 117 started a “Fire Luke Walton” chant before they got up and left.
Pascal Siakam scored 32 points to lead the Raptors to a 108-89 victory over the Kings on Friday night at Golden 1 Center. Gary Trent Jr. added 23 points for the Raptors (8-9), who had lost three in a row and six of their last seven.
De’Aaron Fox scored 17 points for the Kings (6-10), who have lost six of seven after going 5-4 to start the season. Harrison Barnes added 14 points. Chimezie Metu and Buddy Hield scored 10 points apiece.
Pressure on Walton continued to mount days after reports surfaced suggesting his job could be in jeopardy if Sacramento’s struggles continued. Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton spoke out in support of his coach after the game.
“I got his back,” Haliburton said. “I’m pretty sure we all do. I don’t have to say I’m pretty sure. I know we all do. He’s put a lot of time and a lot of trust into us as players, and when you get that from a coach who invests in his guys, it’s hard not to like him, to be honest with you.
“I’ve always had his back because he’s been nothing but great to me and good to these guys, and it’s not on him. It’s not. He did not shoot 32 of 84 from the field. He did not shoot 64% from the free-throw line. Our staff did not do that. That has nothing to do with them. We just have to be better down the line and guys know that.”
Fox offered a similar assessment.
“He’s not out there missing box outs or not making shots or allowing guys to get in the paint,” Fox said. “So, as a player, everybody needs to do their job at the end of the day.”
Haliburton added: “I think at this point, every game, it feels like a must win. We have to correct this and we have to correct it fast.”
The Kings won’t have much time to prepare for their next challenge. They will face the Utah Jazz (10-5) on the second night of a back-to-back Saturday with the Philadelphia 76ers coming in on Monday.
Walton acknowledged that speculation about his future in Sacramento is putting pressure on his players.
“Yeah, it always does,” Walton said. “Look, it’s hard to win in this league anyway. That’s why we always talk about controlling what we can control, and I appreciate their support, but I don’t want them even having to think about that.
“I know what the reality of what this league is, but we need our guys focused on what we’re trying to accomplish out there. That’s why it’s important that we’re always staying locked in as a group and doing our best not to let anything from the outside come in, because it just makes things more challenging. So, we’ll continue to preach that message, but we’ve got to be focused and locked in on Utah now and playing much better tomorrow.”
The Kings outplayed the Raptors over the first six minutes to take a 15-9 lead midway through the first quarter. They were up 27-21 with 1:28 to play in the opening period, but then they fell apart.
Toronto staged a 17-1 run to take a 38-28 lead early in the second quarter and carried a 63-45 lead into the halftime break. The Raptors shot 51.2% and outrebounded the Kings 30-16 in the opening half.
Toronto carried that momentum into the second half, outscoring Sacramento 8-1 to start the third quarter. The Raptors went up 71-45 on a 3-pointer by Siakam and stretched their lead to 29 on a 3-pointer by Fred VanVleet.
“Fans booed tonight and, honestly, rightfully so the way we played,” Haliburton said. “I don’t think they were wrong for booing us and demanding that we play better. We have to be better. They come out and support us and we have to give them a better effort, have better energy and just be better. … I don’t know how to put it, but we’ve got to look at ourselves in the mirror and be better.”
Anunoby out
The Raptors didn’t have leading scorer OG Anunoby, who is expected to miss a number of games with a left hip pointer. The 6-foot-7 small forward is averaging a career-high 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists for the Raptors this season.
Anunoby started the first 15 games for Toronto, but he was ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Jazz due to the hip injury. Raptors coach Nick Nurse said the team’s medical staff told him Anunoby will be out “a while.”
Defensive rebounding
Walton has been stressing the importance of rebounding with a particular emphasis on defensive rebounds.
Sacramento is 17th in the NBA in total rebounds (45.3) and 19th in defensive rebounds (35.1), but those aren’t the most alarming numbers. The Kings are 29th in defensive rebounding percentage (.695), meaning they are giving up offensive rebounds and second-chance scoring opportunities on more than 30% of their defensive possessions.
Walton said this is why he is starting Chimezie Metu and bringing Marvin Bagley III off the bench while relying less on his three-guard lineups. Oddly enough, though, three of the team’s best defensive rebounding lineups, based on defensive rebounding percentage, are three-guard sets.
Here’s a look at the team’s best defensive rebounding lineups (with minutes in parentheses).
+29.2%: De’Aaron Fox, Davion Mitchell, Tyrese Haliburton, Harrison Barnes, Richaun Holmes (16:22)
+27.8%: De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Tristan Thompson (19:05)
+22.9%: De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Chimezie Metu, Richaun Holmes (9:15)
+10.8%: De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Harrison Barnes, Richaun Holmes (44:18)
+10.0%: De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Harrison Barnes, Chimezie Metu, Richaun Holmes (38:09)
+6.6%: De’Aaron Fox, Davion Mitchell, Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Alex Len (27:44)
Toronto Raptors at Sacramento Kings
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Golden 1 Center
TV: NBC Sports California
Radio: Sports 1140 KHTK
Odds: Kings -3.5
Over/under: 218
Morning injury report
Raptors: QUESTIONABLE — Precious Achiuwa (shoulder). OUT — OG Anunoby (hip); Isaac Bonga (G League); David Johnson (G League); Yuta Watanabe (calf).
Kings: OUT — Louis King (G League).
Note: Check back for updates with the latest news, notes, quotes and injury updates before, during and after tonight’s game between the Kings and Raptors.
This story was originally published November 19, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
