‘Ready for another fight’: Kings face adversity in loss to Nuggets with Sabonis, Brown out
Kings coach Mike Brown always said there would be days like this.
From the moment he was hired, in good times and bad, Brown has repeatedly said the Kings would face bouts of adversity over the course of the season. How they deal with that, Brown said, will be critical to their success.
The Kings were hit with a heavy dose of adversity over the past couple of days as All-Star center Domantas Sabonis was diagnosed with a serious thumb injury and Brown was sent into isolation after entering NBA health and safety protocols.
The timing couldn’t have been worse with two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets coming to town for a daunting back-to-back set. The Kings managed to amass a 20-point lead in the first half Tuesday, but they came up short in the end, falling 113-106 before a sellout crowd of 17,937 at Golden 1 Center.
“I think the guys did a great job defensively, especially in that first half, limiting them to 37% from the field and 23% from (3-point range),” said Kings assistant coach Jordi Fernandez, who served as head coach after Brown was sent home sick with mild symptoms. “I thought that was amazing. Our energy. Our physicality. I think Nikola went in with two points at the half. The second half was a different story.”
Michael Porter Jr. scored 30 points to lead the Nuggets (22-11), who have the best record in the Western Conference. Jamal Murray had 25 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Jokic finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists.
De’Aaron Fox scored 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting while going 3 of 5 from 3-point range for the Kings (17-15), who will play host to the Nuggets again Wednesday. Kevin Huerter added 21 points. Harrison Barnes had 13 points and eight rebounds.
Alex Len, Richaun Holmes and Trey Lyles tried to fill the void at the center position after Sabonis was ruled out with an avulsion fracture of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb. Len, Holmes and Lyles combined for 21 points, 22 rebounds and four assists.
“It tells you how good of teammates they are,” Fernandez said. “They kept themselves ready and in shape to play. Rich played 23 minutes, Alex played 14 minutes and then Trey played 24, so those are real NBA minutes. When you go from not playing to playing these amount of minutes, it just tells you your readiness — you’re ready for the team and you keep yourself in shape. I give them a lot of credit and I’m happy for them. In the case that we’re missing a player, whoever that guy is, we’re always going to have that next-man mentality.”
Sabonis, who joined the team on the bench Tuesday, was said to be in good spirits. Fernandez said Sabonis would be reevaluated before his status for Wednesday’s game is determined. The two-time All-Star will attempt to play through an injury that sometimes requires surgery to repair.
Fernandez, who celebrated his 40th birthday Tuesday, was asked about the subject of adversity before the game.
“I think adversity is going to be something fun because it’s going to force us to compete in a different way,” Fernandez said. “What we cannot do is just have excuses because we don’t have one of our best players, because we’re playing a very good team, because our head coach is not going to be here with us. It is what it is. Everybody has tough stretches with the schedule. Everybody has tough trips. Everybody has injuries here and there, so how do we respond to that as a group?”
Fox said consistency will be the key to dealing with adversity.
“Just go out there and play the way we’re supposed to play,” Fox said. “Obviously, continue to move the ball, continue to play fast, continue to try to get out in transition. Nothing changes. We still need to play the right way. Obviously, we’re going to need a lot more production from everybody because of the type of player that Domas is, and him not being there, but you go out there and continue to play the same way.”
Kings forward KZ Okpala said Brown met with players Monday, as he has done periodically throughout the year, to define roles and discuss expectations.
“I think we all just have to look in the mirror and do what coach asks of us,” Okpala said. “He told us what our roles are, so I think him telling us that will help.”
The Kings responded well in the early stages of Tuesday’s game.
Len, who appeared in only eight of Sacramento’s first 31 games — logging a total of 25 minutes — started in place of Sabonis. Len had two points and three rebounds in six minutes before Holmes came on to replace him. Holmes scored six points in his first 3:30 to help Sacramento go up by nine.
The Kings led 32-20 at the end of the first quarter. The home crowd showed its appreciation with many fans climbing to their feet to give the team a standing ovation.
The Kings went up 44-24 on a 3-pointer by Huerter before the Nuggets mounted 12-2 and 9-2 runs to cut the deficit to six. Sacramento led 56-47 at the break, but Denver kept coming in the second half.
The Nuggets cut the deficit to one in the third quarter, went ahead on a basket by Murray in the fourth and then pulled away with an 8-0 run in the final 3:14. That included a desperation 3-pointer from Murray as the shot clock was expiring, putting Denver up 102-96 with 2:34 remaining.
“They took shots,” Huerter said. “Michael Porter Jr. had it going tonight. Lost him on the backside. Their movement was so loaded to the ball against Jokic, it makes it tough. They knocked down two tough shots, and Jamal Murray, obviously, threw some up, and it went in.”
Fernandez blamed himself for that late run, but he praised his players for the way they competed.
“I’m very happy with our guys’ efforts,” he said. “And I’m pretty sure everybody’s going to show up tomorrow with a positive mindset, ready for another fight.”
This story was originally published December 27, 2022 at 11:48 PM.
