3 Key Takeaways From Brutal Kings Loss Against Nuggets
The Sacramento Kings had started the season off 3-0 against the Denver Nuggets, but the script was flipped in a 21-point loss for the Kings on Wednesday night. The Nuggets handed Mike Brown's squad their third-biggest defeat of 2024, holding Sacramento to under 100 points.
Absent from the court was star PG De'Aaron Fox, a veteran whose presence was missed dearly as he was sidelined with a left knee injury. Playing in his place was Davion Mitchell, the third-year guard out of Baylor who has yet to win a game as a starter this season, leading to the first takeaway from the Kings' second loss in a row.
De'Aaron Fox is the spark plug of Sacramento's offense.
If De'Aaron Fox finds himself sidelined with an injury come playoff time, Sacramento will be in deep trouble. The offense comes to a screeching halt without him, with the Kings scoring under 100 points in three of the seven games he's missed this season.
Fox is in the midst of his highest scoring season on record, averaging nearly 27 points per game while shooting nearly 37% from beyond the arc. The former Kentucky Wildcat is also one of the league's best fourth quarter players, as he sits in the top five in points scored per 4th.
With a lack of scoring options off the bench aside from Sixth Man of the Year favorite Malik Monk, Fox's presence will be needed to close out the season.
The Kings haven't fixed their free throw problems.
While Mike Brown may try and emphasize free throws during practice, nothing has changed. Sacramento still ranks dead last in free throw percentage in the NBA (73.1%), and that proved to play a part in Wednesday's defeat. The Kings shot an abysmal 61% from the charity stripe, failing to capitalize on multiple possessions.
The main issue with this problem is that Sacramento's main ball handlers are two of the worst free throw shooters on the team. Both Fox and Sabonis hover around the 70% mark for the season while shooting a combined 11 free throws per game. If the Kings are going to be more consistent, it starts with nailing the free shots.
In fact, it's gotten so bad that social media won't give the Kings a break. It seems like every game there's a new joke circulating about just how bad they are from the line.
The Kings offense is too streaky.
After a dominant 35-point first quarter, it took the Kings nearly 24 more minutes of game time to score another 35. From bad shots to missing open looks, Sacramento struggled to find their groove away from home.
Starting off 7/10 from downtown, the Kings were off to a hot start before shooting 5/25 the rest of the night from beyond the arc. Shooting only 20% from three after the first quarter is a recipe for disaster, and the Kings couldn't seem to get back to normal after taking an early 15-point lead.
The Kings will look to snap a two-game losing streak as they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night at 5 p.m. PT.
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