How Zach LaVine’s rough night began early and set tone for Kings’ loss to Suns
Zach LaVine’s first touch of the ball on Wednesday night came when he received an in-bounds pass following the Phoenix Suns’ first basket. He threw a languid left-handed bounce pass toward Russell Westbrook that Phoenix guard Collin Gillespie intercepted easily before finding Dillon Brooks for an open 3-pointer.
It was 5-0 just 27 seconds into the game. LaVine got the ball again in the left corner on the Kings’ second possession. Devin Booker pressed into LaVine, pinning him in the corner and causing him to step out of bounds for his second turnover in two possessions.
It proved to be an ominous start to a 41-16 opening quarter from which the Sacramento Kings never recovered. They lost 112-100 and never led after falling behind by 25 points in the first 12 minutes. They went the entire first quarter without registering an assist while allowing the suns to shoot 14 of 26 (54%) from the floor.
“I probably should have called a timeout within the first six seconds, with the very first turnover,” Kings coach Doug Christie said afterward.
LaVine finished with six turnovers while scoring 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting. And the uninspired performance led to spending the last 5:53 on the bench with Christie trying a back court of Keon Ellis and Malik Monk to spearhead a 16-point comeback, with no luck. LaVine and Westbrook combined for 11 of the Kings’ 19 turnovers, which led to 34 points for the Suns.
Sitting late in the game continued an ongoing trend of LaVine that began on the recent road trip. LaVine is average just 14.5 points per game in his last seven while not looking anything like the player who averaged 29.5 points per game during his first six contests of the season.
The loss was particularly dispiriting given it came on the back of Sacramento’s first winning streak of the season with a victory Saturday in Denver — which ended an eight-game skid — and a win Monday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“Not good,” LaVine told reporters in the locker room. “We’re frustrated we’re not winning. Guys are frustrated they’re not playing right or playing the way to best suit them. We’re all trying our heart out though. That’s what we get paid for.”
LaVine was asked if he had experienced this much frustration before.
“No,” he said. “This is something new for a lot of guys in here.”
Boos and a fan altercation
The home fans at Golden 1 Center booed the Kings heartily at the end of the first quarter after falling behind by 25 points. Things appeared to escalate midway through the fourth quarter when a fan donning a Kings jacket sitting near the Kings’ bench was escorted out by a member of the team’s security staff.
Video showed the fan being animated towards Kings players. The disturbance was aired during the home television broadcast on NBC Sports California.
One player within earshot said the fan was yelling about the team’s effort and LaVine responded, causing the fan to get more animated.
Near bottom of Western Conference
The loss put the Kings at 5-14, tied with the Dallas Mavericks for the second most losses in the Western Conference ahead of only the New Orleans Pelicans (3-16), who have the worst record in the West. If there’s a silver lining, they’re only two games back of the Memphis Grizzlies (7-12) for the final spot in the play-in at the Thanksgiving mark.
For LaVine, the Kings’ highest paid player who was the centerpiece of the trade that sent De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs last February, his lack of scoring and knack for turnovers (he’s averaging 3.3 in his last seven games) are not helping the Kings win games, which is important for both the team’s immediate trajectory and his trade value.
“When it comes to turnovers ... you rely on fundamentals,” Christie said. “Catch the ball with two hands. Use your pivot. Get the defender in a bad position. Take off, and if you don’t feel comfortable with (dribble handoffs) and all that type of stuff, jump stop and pivot again. Find somebody who’s open. Pass with two hands.
“All the super little things you think, ‘ah whatever,’ those are the ways you get out of that (habit of turning the ball over). Because when you look at those turnovers ... some of them were passes with one hand, some were just nonchalant. Are they being physical? Yes. So that means you have to be more fundamental when people are physical.”
LaVine and Westbrook were both benched late in the game. Westbrook, of course, catalyzed Sacramento’s win Saturday in Denver when he scored 15 fourth-quarter points to end the team’s eight-game losing streak.
To this point, it’s clear the Kings don’t have a regular closing lineup they can go to late in games, which was evident again on Wednesday.
“When we talk about closing the game,” Christie said, “you know what DeMar (DeRozan) does. And I think you’re starting to see Keegan (Murray) take a huge, giant step. ... It’s going to be a night to night thing. It just depends on who’s going (well). First of all, we got to put ourselves in position to be able to close the game.”
The Kings certainly did not do that in the first quarter against the Suns, a lopsided period that put the game out of reach.
