The Sacramento Kings and the rest of the NBA are on hiatus, but NBA League Pass is free for a month. What games should Kings fans go back and watch?
There’s no way to know when the NBA will resume the season. With this amount of time on Sacramento Kings fans hands, and some fans complying with a shelter in place across a multitude of cities they should turn their attention to the top games that Kings have played during the 2019-2020 season. With NBA League Pass free for over a month fans can access these games, and enjoy them in the comfort of their own home.
We’ll take a look at some of the best games from their season so far.
1. Kings versus Celtics: November 17th, 2019
The Sacramento Kings hung with the third seed and potential championship team in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics. The Kings ended up starting out well with a 30-18 lead and kept close till the end of the game when the Celtics made runs in the second and third quarters. Richaun Holmes was the hero that night nailing clutch free throws and the Marcus Smart missed a bunny in the paint which rolled off the rim to seal the game. The score was 100-99.
2. Kings versus Jazz – November 1st, 2019
The Kings were desperately seeking their first win and it was not going to get any easier with the potential fourth seed team in the Western Conference, the Utah Jazz coming into town. It took a great defense. It took a defensive effort by the Kings and a little bit of magic from De’Aaron Fox to win this game! The Kings won on a Harrison Barnes layup off of a Nemanja Bjelica miss on a score of 102-101.
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3. Kings versus Nuggets – November 30th, 2019
The Kings trailed in the majority of this game to the third seed Western Conference team Denver Nuggets. They were down 57-40 at halftime, but a big second half forced overtime. The Kings ended up beating the Denver Nuggets 100-97 in overtime.
4. Kings @ Rockets – December 9th, 2019
The Sacramento Kings kept it close against the Houston Rockets knocking down 20 threes on 44 percent 3-point shooting and Buddy Hield was a big part of this who tied the game late. The Kings ended up having one second left to get off a shot after Russell Westbrook made an easy uncontested layup and then announcing what appeared to be “Game Over”! The Kings inbounded the ball to Nemanja Bjelica who nailed down a 30 footer to seal the game beating the Rockets 119-118.
5. Kings @ Clippers x 2 – January 30th, 2020 and February 22nd, 2020
The Kings took on the potential second seed in the Western Conference, the LA Clippers.
In the first matchup in Staples Center on January 30th, the Kings got out to a hot start and never looked back. It was a big night for Cory Joseph who had 16 points, on four threes. The Kings beat the Clippers 124-103, although Kawhi Leonard did not play.
The second matchup in Staples Center started out the same way, but this time Leonard was the opponent the Kings were playing against instead and Paul George was out. The Kings ended up building a lead as much as 14 points, but Leonard was hard to contain and made a run for the Clippers to keep the game close. Luckily De’Aaron Fox was the hero that night and Kings came away with a 112-103 win!
6. Kings @ Mavericks – December 8th, 2019
Luka Doncic fans had to be quiet for one night as the Kings came into the American Airlines Arena early and took control of the game against the Dallas Mavericks. The Kings were up by as much as 24 points but could not hold on as Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis made it close. It was Nemanja Bjelica who became the hero sealing the game for the Kings by a score of 110-106.
7. Kings versus Thunder – December 11th, 2019
The Sacramento Kings played a tough game against the surprising Oklahoma City Thunder. The Kings were down by as many as 12 points but ended up rallying late in the fourth quarter to seal the game on a Bogdan Bogdanovic 3-pointer on a score of 94-93.
8. Kings @ Timberwolves – January 27th, 2020
The Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves came in still trying to heal from the passing of Kobe Bryant. The got down early, and the Timberwolves took full advantage going up by 27 points. In the fourth, Buddy Hield carried the Kings, but would it be enough? The Kings were down 22 points with six minutes left and with about one minute they were down 12. Buddy Hield ended up scoring 42 points on 24 shots to ironically honor Kobe Bryant, and to beat the Timberwolves 133-129.
Overall thoughts
Although the season might be canceled, fans should still realize there were several great games to watch this season. For Kings fans, it was a roller-coaster season with ups and downs, but fans should realize that judging from the games above that the future is still filled with optimism and excitement if the Kings play the above opponents with more consistency.