Kings Extend Disaster Streak in 126-121 Loss vs. Pacers
After three consecutive losses, the Sacramento Kings went into a vital game against the Indiana Pacers. While it would normally be a highly-anticipated matchup with former King Tyrese Haliburton returning to Sacramento, the All-Star point guard was sidelined, along with newest Pacer Pascal Siakam, paving the way for an easy matchup for the Kings.
While that should have been the case, the Pacers took a 13-point lead in the first half and never looked back. The Kings looked like a completely different team than seen in the first couple of months of the season, going down 16 with just over two minutes left. Despite this large deficit with minimal time remaining, the Kings clawed back to make it a three-point game with 30 seconds left.
While the comeback fell short, the Kings showed some fight toward the end, but it was too little, too late. The only Kings that did not struggle on Thursday night were Domantas Sabonis, Kevin Huerter, and Keegan Murray. Sabonis dominated against his former team, notching his 12th triple-double of the season (tied for first in the NBA) with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Despite his struggles this season, Huerter finally had his breakout game, dropping a career-high 31 points on 7-12 shooting from deep. The sharpshooter is averaging 22.3 points in the past three games, as it seems he has broken out of his dreadful cold streak.
Murray showed out with 27 points and nine rebounds as the star sophomore continues to prove to Sacramento why he is untouchable in trade talks. While Huerter has found his rhythm again, many wonder if it is optimism for the franchise or if he is just building up his trade value.
The second-unit rotation in Sacramento continues to be a nightmare, with the bench scoring a combined 16 points, nine from Malik Monk and seven from Sasha Vezenkov. While there is an obvious outlier in the starting lineup with Harrison Barnes, the lack of consistent depth could be the downfall of this Kings squad.
The Kings are on a four-game losing streak as the trade deadline approaches, and many fans wonder what moves Monte McNair and the Kings front office have in store to fix the current disaster in Sacramento.
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