The Sacramento Kings are still looking for that elusive first win at home, as they fell once again to the Portland Trail Blazers 120-107 tonight. It brings the Kings to 1-11 on the season and 0-7 at home. If it weren’t for the early star potential of Darius Acuff Jr., this season would already feel completely over for the Kings.
Sacramento has played some exciting basketball of late, but tonight was one that felt like a game to get through during a long season. With that said, let’s look at some takeaways as the Kings drop their fifth straight.
Stuck in the Mud
It was another night where it just felt like the Kings were kind of stuck in the mud. They had flashes on offense, but overall felt like they couldn’t get anything going. They finished shooting 45.3% from the field, which wasn’t terrible, but combined with poor shooting and low-volume three-point shooting (11/34) and free-throw shooting (18/23), the Kings never got a true run going.
On the flip side, the Blazers shot 17-of-42 (40.5%) from beyond the arc and a ridiculous 29-of-31 (93.5%) from the free-throw line. The fouls, especially, continue to be a huge problem for the Kings. They can’t find the balance of being physical enough without being too much, and tonight continued that trend in the wrong direction.
Acuff’s Down Game
Darius Acuff Jr. had arguably his worst game of the season. He came alive late in the fourth quarter, but finished with 17 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds, but shot 6-of-19 from the field and 3-of-10 from three.
At the end of the third quarter, Acuff was attacking and just sort of lost the ball. It just felt like that type of night for the rookie. It’s to be expected from the player who is leading the league in minutes, let alone a 19-year-old accomplishing that feat.
Acuff has been on an absolute tear this season so far, and it was just a matter of time before he had a game like this, especially when going against a team full of defenders and length like the Blazers.
Keegan Murray Finding Some Rhythm?
The box score may not show it, but Keegan Murray may finally be finding his rhythm. He finished with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals on 7-of-14 from the field and 2-of-6 from three. Those are season-highs across the board, and easily Murray’s best game of the year.
And we’re finally getting a chance to see Murray with De’Andre Hunter, who also had a nice game with 24 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. The two of them have the potential to be a balanced duo on the wing who can do a little bit of everything, and Keegan getting going is a great sign for the Kings.
Sacramento has so many things to fix, but Murray getting going would instantly fix a lot of issues for this team. He and Acuff feel like they’ve yet to figure out a true game together, but getting some action or chemistry with each other should be high on the Kings’ priority list.
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