I get it: when people think of the most cursed NBA franchises of all time, the Sacramento Kings are at the top of mind. No one can blame them. Never forget how Mike Bibby ate an elbow to the face from Kobe Bryant, and was called for a blocking foul in Game 6, or how they picked Marvin Bagley over Luka Dončić. (Although, there is also the Phoenix Suns, who have been hosed by luck, and a lot of it started when they lost the coin flip, which had they won, would’ve allowed them to draft Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.)
Additionally, the poor fans in Sacramento have endured painful years leading to nowhere. At some point, they started going to the games and tuning into their broadcast with the intention of watching the other team. What else could it be?
Nonetheless, it was another San Antonio Spurs road adventure, and bless them. These Pacific Coast weekday games with a 9 PM or later tipoff times are rough on lot of their supporters back in Central Daylight Time (why is that still a thing again?) who have to work early in the morning, and they came out with the intention to break spirits by turning it into a slaughter before the first quarter ended.
Mission accomplished.
Russell Westbrook passed Steve Nash for fifth all-time in NBA assists, which is a huge deal, but it felt like an afterthought. I was nearly expecting by that point for the Spurs to yell at them to get off the court while they waited for their next opponent, like some savage scene at LA Fitness.
Some of the Kings’ efforts on loose balls or to close out to shooters were so bad that it had one questioning if the incognito tank was in full effect. As we all know, sometimes, you have to do what you have to do; this upcoming draft is supposedly deeper than the Atlantic, with great talent at the top.
The Spurs set a season high in assists with 41, plus another franchise record (more on that below), and they have a few tune-ups like this left on the schedule, which means they’ll have just as many opportunities to surpass that mark (the Miami Heat and New York Knicks tied for the most assists in a game this season with 44), as well as keep finding that perfect form as they prepare for their first playoffs appearance since 2019.
Takeaways
- This is exactly how one expects a contender team to perform against a basement team. The main rotation was so devastating that the third-string players got plenty of time, which they must have been very pleased about. This allowed Lindy Waters III, who has not played since March 8, to tie with Carter Bryant for second-most minutes of the night.
- Speed doesn’t last forever, but my gosh, Westbrook is still loaded with burst. De’Aaron Fox is a speedster in his prime, but it might be a good idea for him to consult with Westbrook on what the secrets are to extending youth. Furthermore, Tuesday’s game was against his old team, and Fox has clearly won the divorce.
- Domantas Sabonis hasn’t played since Feb. 4, so second-round pick Maxine Raynaud from France was in over his head against his best friend Victor Wembanyama (although he did look very impressive when Wemby was off, totaling 32 points on the night). Nonetheless, not enough of the public talks about how the Kings trading Tyrese Haliburton for Sabonis is one of the worst trades in recent memory. Granted, it’s the Kings, so maybe they would’ve wasted his talents like Fox’s anyway, but it’s striking when comparing the impact of both players.
- Not to keep dragging on the Kings, but Precious Achiuwa, the Kings forward who has started the last 16 games, signed with the Heat at the start of the season before they quickly dropped him after four preseason games. Whoever the Kings deployed in the front line was always going to be in trouble. In fact, Sacramento‘s front line had an uphill challenge like Peter McNeeley, who only lasted a minute and a half against Mike Tyson.
- The way Castle can effortlessly rack up assists, makes me think he could be the league leader or get pretty close. Despite only playing 22 minutes, it was the 13th time he’s logged double-figure assists this year. It’s a shame the leap he’s made in that department won’t get him more consideration for the Most Improved Player award because it seems voters use points as the most important metric. Keep in mind that Castle raised his assists by 73 percent, and he is logging a 2.28 assist-to-turnover ratio. A 2.0 and above is excellent for a high-volume playmaker. And this is all despite often sharing the floor with Fox, who is just behind him at second on the team in assists per games.
- It was initially funny that associate head coach Sean Sweeney appeared to have a semi-conniption on the bench after a poor sequence when the game was probably already out of reach. But that moment says a lot about his diligence. He has “future head coach” written all over him — not that I’m anxious to see him leave the Spurs’ sideline.
- The Spurs set a franchise record of three-pointers made by hitting 25-49. The snowball effect started with Harrison Barnes making two of the team’s seven treys in the first quarter. He started with Devin Vassell sitting this one out but had come off the bench for his last 12 outings. This was his ninth time making at least four 3-pointers in a game, and he has started it on each of those occasions. He’ll probably return to the bench, but it would be a huge development for the already surging Spurs if his shot is returning to form.
