SACRAMENTO -- After a promising start to the 2016-17 season, dark clouds are rolling into Sacramento. For more than a decade, the Kings have been on the outside looking in of the NBA’s playoff picture and following the team’s loss to the lowly Brooklyn Nets Wednesday night, the season is taking on a familiar form.
“It hurts, but you’ve got to give them credit, they played well,” veteran Arron Afflalo said after the 109-100 loss to the league’s worst team. “We’ve watched a lot of film on them and they’ve been in games.”
Brooklyn might have been competitive here and there, but they rolled into Sacramento riding a 16-game losing streak. They hadn’t won a game in 40 days and in their previous 27 games, they had just one victory.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Sacramento looked every bit the part of a team trying to make adjustments on the fly. They had moments where the ball moved freely, but they finished the night with just 12 assists as they took turns pounding the air out of the ball.
“It’s inexcusable, it’s embarrassing, especially playing against team that’s hungry for a win, in our home building,” veteran Darren Collison said. “We know we’re better than this. We’ve got to play better.”
The team understood that they would have a transition period after trading DeMarcus Cousins 10 days ago. It’s not just about removing a star player. Cousins’ touched the ball on every possession. The team was designed around the three-time All-Star and the void left by his absence is too much to overcome on the fly.
“It’s difficult because I think everybody is trying to take it upon themselves to try and make plays instead of just letting the game come to you,” Collison added.
NBA
Six different players scored in double-figures for Sacramento, including a team-high 16 for rookie Buddy Hield. The Kings even hit 11-of-22 from long range, but the team finished with just 12 assists on the night and nine of those came from Ty Lawson.
“Just move the ball - just dribbling too much,” Afflalo said. “If you have a lane, take it, if you don’t, move it to an open teammate.”
Hero ball is one way to describe it. Outside Lawson, the ball stuck. Player movement froze. And the Kings still had a shot.
Lawson began the day as questionable with gastroenteritis. Not only did he play 32 minutes of action, but he finished with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
Tyreke Evans added 15 points and five rebounds in 20 minutes and Afflalo returned from a hamstring injury to score 14.
The Kings finish up their five-game homestand on Sunday when the Utah Jazz drop by Golden 1 Center. Sacramento has lost three straight and now sit at 25-36 on the season.
Labissiere gets the start
Rookie Skal Labissiere picked up his first career start. The 20-year-old big scored 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting and chipped in five rebounds in 15 minutes of action. Since the Cousins trade, he’s played in four straight games and is averaging 8.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per game.