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Week in review: Kings open stretch run with loss to Nuggets, Michael Malone

Week in review: Kings open stretch run with loss to Nuggets, Michael Malone

Kings fall 17 games under .500 for first time

James Ham
February 26, 2022

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Kings record: 22-39

Kings record on the week: 0-1

The All-Star break limited the Kings to just one game this week, although the team did get in a couple of practices. Former Kings head coach Michael Malone brought his high-powered Nuggets team through Sacramento looking for his 300th career win as front man in Denver.

Domantas Sabonis outplayed reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, posting 33 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. But the Kings failed to control the backcourt of Will Barton and Monte Morris and fell by a final of 128-110.

Fox on squandering Sabonis’ big night.
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA)
Feb 25, 2022

De'Aaron Fox scored 20 points in the loss, but struggled with his handles. Sacramento's porous defense was an issue once again, as were the live ball turnovers that led to easy buckets on the other end.

Injuries

Richaun Holmes practiced on both Tuesday and Wednesday, but was a late scratch on Thursday due to a sore back. He is questionable for Saturday's rematch in Denver.

Davion Mitchell returned to action against the Nuggets after missing the Kings' final game before the break and the Rising Stars challenge with a sore right hand.

Jeremy Lamb missed three straight games with a sore ankle, but returned to action against the Nuggets, finishing with 11 points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocks in just over 20 minutes of action.

Terence Davis is out for the season after undergoing surgery to repair tendon damage in his right wrist.

Player of the Week: Domantas Sabonis

It was only one game, but Sabonis was impressive against the Nuggets. He battled Jokic in the post, hit a few 3-point shots and orchestrated the Kings' offense. Sabonis easily could have posted his first triple-double with Sacramento if his teammates hit open shots.

Previous winner: De'Aaron Fox

Stats of the Week

17: With the loss to the Nuggets, the Kings now sit at a season-high 17 games under .500. With another matchup scheduled in Denver on Saturday, we could see that number grow to 18 by the end of the day.
3.5: Despite Sacramento's 22-39 record, they still sit just 3.5 games out of the tenth seed in the Western Conference standings with 21 games remaining. The Kings trail the Blazers by four games in the loss column and both the Spurs and Pelicans by three games in the loss column.
2-3: In the five games since making a franchise altering trade, the Kings have lost three straight and fallen to 2-3.

Tweets of the Week

Kings and Nuggets stand with Alex Len and the Ukraine:

Nuggets and Kings stand in solidarity with Alex Len and Ukraine for a moment of silence in pregame.
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA)
Feb 25, 2022

Malone gets win No. 300 with the Nuggets:

Glad this guy is on our side. Congrats again, Coach! 🎉
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets)
Feb 25, 2022

Moe Harkless with the new look:

Moe Harkless with a new look:
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA)
Feb 23, 2022

Monte McNair waves to the media:

We’ve been waived by @mmcnair
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA)
Feb 23, 2022

Quotes of the Week

“Whenever things change, and I think we had a drastic change with the amount of players and the amount of moving pieces that were moved, it’s a breath of fresh air for everybody. I’m not playing with the same guys that I had, and everybody else is coming from different places. You wish that it was zero-zero record, but knowing that it’s not, it’s still -- everybody takes a deep breath and everybody’s able to reset.” -Fox on the final 22 games

“We just want to play basketball the right way. Start moving the ball more, making that a habit. Making that the new basketball here and just having fun with each other and getting as many wins as we can.” -Sabonis on the stretch run