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Week in review: Kings win, when winning means losing

Week in review: Kings win, when winning means losing

Kings string together wins at the wrong time

James Ham
April 02, 2022

The Kings Beat Notes

We are in the early stages of setting up Off the Record with The Kings Beat Virtual Happy Hour Part 5. The dates we are honing in on are April 14 or April 21. We'll bring in another guest and toast the end of another exhilarating Sacramento Kings season.

The Kings Beat Merch shop is thriving! We added a fire and ice t-shirt, which are flying off the shelf and more new designs are on their way, thanks to Brickhouse Industries.

Link to Merch Shop

It has been a light week, but we'll be cranking up the content machine this week as we approach the offseason. A potential coaching search, season recaps and a major shift to draft coverage is on the horizon.

Thanks again for your continued support!

Kings record: 29-49

Kings record on the week: 2-1

Winning cures all. Well, no it doesn't, especially when the NBA Draft Lottery is at stake.

After scuffling through another inconsistent, underwhelming season, the Kings chose the wrong time to string together four wins in five games. The week started with a rough loss in Miami, but finished off with a pair of riveting games against the Rockets.

Davion Mitchell continued his strong play against a veteran Heat squad on Monday, dropping in 21 points and nine assists. Damian Jones and Harrison Barnes put up numbers, but the Kings were no match for one of the Eastern Conference's best teams, falling by a final of 123-100.

After recovering from the Miami flu, the Kings made their way to Houston for a pair of matchups against a young, but talented Rockets team. Rookie Jalen Green put on a show in the first game and Kevin Porter Jr. chipped in a 30-point, 12-assist, 12-rebound triple-double, but it wasn't enough.

Mitchell, Jones and Trey Lyles dropped in 24 points each and the Kings survived a late scare to come away with a 121-118 win.

In round 2, it was more of the same for Houston. Green and Porter continued their dominant play and Garrison Mathews lit the Kings up from long range. The Rockets have plenty of firepower, but defense continues to be an issue.

Barnes broke out of his mini-slump to drop in 25 points, Jones posted a monster double-double and the tandem of Donte DiVincenzo and Chimezie Metu provided a spark off the bench to push the Kings over the top for the 122-117 win.

Injuries

De'Aaron Fox (sore right hand) and Domantas Sabonis (left knee) continue to sit down the stretch for the Kings, although neither have officially been ruled out for the season.

Richaun Holmes has left the team to deal with a personal issue and is not expected back in Sacramento this season.

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

Player of the Week: Damian Jones

After back-to-back awards for Mitchell, Jones stole the hardware this week. He posted a career-best 24 points against the Rockets on Wednesday. He went off for a career-best 17 rebounds and six blocks in the team's win in Houston on Friday. For the week, the 26-year-old center averaged 18.7 points, 10.7 points, 2.7 assists and 3.3 blocks in a little over 30 minutes per game. The NBA is about taking advantage when opportunities present themselves. Jones has done that down the stretch of the season, proving that he is a rotational player in the league moving forward, whether in Sacramento or elsewhere.

Previous winner: Davion Mitchell

Stats of the Week

3.5: With four games remaining in the season, the Kings are still alive in the play-in chase. They trail the Spurs by 3.5 games with games against the Warriors, Pelicans, Clippers and Suns on the docket. The Spurs still have five games to play, including matchups against the Blazers, Nuggets, T-Wolves, Warriors and Mavs. It's a long shot, but the Kings have a tie breaker over San Antonio, although they need to win out and hope for a Spurs collapse.
20/7: Mitchell is taking huge steps forward in the final few weeks of the season. The rookie point guard scored 20 points or more and dropped in seven assists or more in five straight games leading into Friday's battle in Houston. He fell short of the mark, but managed to post the first double-double of his career.
19/9/9/3/2: Donte DiVincenzo hasn't moved into the starting lineup, much to the frustration of many fans. But he's found his sea legs with the second unit. Against the Rockets, the soon-to-be free agent posted 19 points, nine assists, nine rebounds, three steals and two blocks. He can do it all.

Tweets of the Week

Dunk of the year:

EDUCATION IN ELEVATION 🗣🚀

@hoopculture13 | #SacramentoProud
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings)
Mar 31, 2022

Mitchell on his hot streak:

Davion Mitchell on his current hot streak and what he is hoping to take from this experience into the summer:
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA)
Mar 31, 2022

The wife taking in the Final Four in New Orleans:

Always.
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA)
Apr 2, 2022

Alvin Gentry on Queta [narrators voice: Neemias Queta never played again.]

Alvin Gentry on what he would like to see from Neemias Queta in the final six games:
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA)
Mar 30, 2022

Quotes of the Week

"I'm a two-foot jumper, so I knew if I got middle, I was going to try to dunk it, miss or make it. And I just happened to make it." -Mitchell on his highlight reel dunk in Houston

"I don't go into any game thinking about my contract. I go into every game trying to be the hardest playing player and trying to be the best teammate I can be. Wherever the chips fall at the end of the year, that's where they fall." -DiVincenzo

"I feel great. I feel like I can play another 40 minutes." -Mitchell on how his body is feeling right now after logging 39 minutes

“There should be no reason to discuss it now.” -Gentry on whether he’s discussed his future with Monte McNair