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Welcome in to your morning cup of Kings. The Kings finally found a way to break through, snapping their franchise record 16-game losing streak Monday night in Memphis.

Here is the latest Locked On Kings discussing the highs and lows of the game:

Praise the basketball gods, the streak is over. The Kings snapped their 16-game losing streak and picked up just their 4th road win of the season with a 123-114 victory over the Grizzlies Monday night in Memphis. Here are six quick thoughts as the Kings pick up win No. 13:

🏀 1. They went small. With the Grizzlies lacking size inside, the Kings' bigs went to work. Precious Achiuwa was active in the post, grabbing rebounds and scoring around the rim. Achiuwa posted a double-double in the first half on his way to 22 points and 12 rebounds.  

🏀 2. The other big. Like Achiuwa, rookie Maxime Raynaud had no problem dominating the undersized Grizzlies. Raynaud posted his 11th double-double of the season, finishing the night with 10 points, 13 rebounds and 2 assists.

🏀 3. Thief. Nique Clifford was all over the court in the first half, setting a new career-high in steals with 4 before the first 24 minutes were in the books. Clifford finished the night with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals off the bench. He was active.

🏀 4. The vets. DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook continue to clock minutes. DeRozan dropped 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting and chipped in 4 assists. Westbrook added 25 points and 7 assists. They keep plugging away. 

🏀 5. Settling in. Daeqwon Plowden is getting a golden opportunity to play, averaging nearly 24 minutes per game over the previous 7 contests. He found success in this one, scoring 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting to go with 5 rebounds. 

🏀 6. Welcome to the squad. In a surprise move, Killian Hayes, who signed a 10-day contract early in the day, made a first quarter appearance. He picked up three early fouls and missed a couple of 3-balls, but he set up the offense, posting 4 assists in 11 minutes. 

Over the last few days the Kings added a pair of young players in Killian Hayes and Patrick Baldwin Jr., two former first round picks putting up big numbers in the G League.

Hayes played 11 minutes in the win over the Grizzlies on Monday and brings experience to the point guard position. Taken with the No. 7 overall pick by the Detroit Pistons in the 2020 NBA Draft, Hayes came into Monday’s game with 216 NBA games under his belt. At 6-foot-5, 195, the 24-year-old has good size for a lead guard, although his 3-point shooting has limited his success.

Before joining the Kings on a 10-day contract, Hayes was averaging 22.4 points, 8.4 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game for the Cleveland Charge. He shot 47.4 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from three in a little under 33 minutes per game.

Baldwin Jr. found similar success playing for the San Diego Clippers. Taken with the No. 28 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors, Baldwin struggled to stick in the league. Still just 23 years old, Baldwin is now listed at 7-foot, 220 pounds and he’s turned his potential into productivity, at least at the G League level.

The Kings signed Baldwin Jr. to the two-way slot left behind when Dylan Cardwell was elevated to the 15-man roster. The slot has an estimated 19 games remaining of the initial 50 games allowed for two-way players. In 18 games with San Diego, Baldwin Jr. averaged 21.2 points, eight rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 49.8 percent from the field and 32.6 percent from three.

Both of these players struggled to get a foothold in the league in their first few seasons. They’ve continued to develop at the lower level, and there are no guarantees that they can make the transition back to the NBA, but they are certainly worth a low risk, high reward flyer down the stretch.

On Sunday night, I went over the additions on Locked On. The link is below.

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