**ESPN:** [recap](https://www.espn.com/nba/recap/_/gameId/401468677) – [boxscore](https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401468677) – [gamecast](https://www.espn.com/nba/game/_/gameId/401468677) | **NBA.com:** [boxscore](https://www.nba.com/game/0022200522) – [shotchart](https://www.nba.com/game/0022200522/game-charts)
||**Q1**|**Q2**|**Q3**|**Q4**|**Final**||
|:—|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|
**DEN**|**40**|**35**|**30**|**21**|**126**|[](/DEN)|
**SAC**|**24**|**38**|**32**|**33**|**127**|[](/SAC)|
**Team**|**FG**|**3PT**|**FT**|**OR**|**Reb**|**Ast**|**TO**|**Stl**|**Blk**|**PF**|**Pts**|
|:—|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|
[](/DEN)**DEN**|**49-85 (57.6)**|**12-27 (44.4)**|**16-18 (88.9)**|**7**|**34**|**31**|**16**|**6**|**8**|**24**|**126**|
[](/SAC)**SAC**|**47-89 (52.8)**|**14-31 (45.2)**|**19-25 (76.0)**|**11**|**34**|**32**|**12**|**10**|**6**|**17**|**127**|
**[](/DEN)DEN**|**Min**|**FG**|**3PT**|**FT**|**OR**|**Reb**|**Ast**|**TO**|**Stl**|**Blk**|**PF**|**Pts**|**+/-**|
|:—|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|
M. Porter Jr.^^SF|34:40|6-12 (50.0)|4-8 (50.0)|3-3 (100.0)|1|7|1|4|0|3|2|19|0|
Z. Nnaji^^PF|30:55|7-9 (77.8)|0-1 (0.0)|0-0 (0.0)|2|3|0|1|1|1|2|14|+2|
N. Jokic^^C|32:29|15-24 (62.5)|0-3 (0.0)|10-10 (100.0)|1|7|6|5|1|1|3|40|-1|
K. Caldwell-Pope^^SG|30:56|3-7 (42.9)|1-3 (33.3)|0-0 (0.0)|0|3|3|0|3|0|5|7|+6|
B. Hyland^^PG|33:25|8-16 (50.0)|3-6 (50.0)|1-1 (100.0)|1|5|11|1|0|0|2|20|-5|
C. Braun|23:57|4-5 (80.0)|1-1 (100.0)|0-0 (0.0)|0|0|0|1|0|1|3|9|-7|
D. Jordan|15:31|0-2 (0.0)|0-0 (0.0)|1-2 (50.0)|1|7|0|2|0|1|1|1|0|
V. Cancar|15:19|3-4 (75.0)|3-4 (75.0)|0-0 (0.0)|0|0|2|1|0|1|2|9|-2|
I. Smith|14:35|2-4 (50.0)|0-0 (0.0)|0-0 (0.0)|0|1|5|1|0|0|2|4|+4|
D. Reed|8:13|1-2 (50.0)|0-1 (0.0)|1-2 (50.0)|1|1|3|0|1|0|2|3|-2|
**Totals**||**49-85 (57.6)**|**12-27 (44.4)**|**16-18 (88.9)**|**7**|**34**|**31**|**16**|**6**|**8**|**24**|**126**||
**DNP:** ***Jack White***
**Inactive:** ***Bruce Brown***, ***Collin Gillespie***, ***Aaron Gordon***, ***Jeff Green***, ***Jamal Murray***, ***Peyton Watson***
**[](/SAC)SAC**|**Min**|**FG**|**3PT**|**FT**|**OR**|**Reb**|**Ast**|**TO**|**Stl**|**Blk**|**PF**|**Pts**|**+/-**|
|:—|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|
H. Barnes^^SF|23:47|2-8 (25.0)|0-2 (0.0)|4-6 (66.7)|2|2|2|1|1|0|1|8|-13|
K. Murray^^PF|20:35|2-7 (28.6)|1-5 (20.0)|0-0 (0.0)|1|2|1|0|0|0|0|5|-6|
D. Sabonis^^C|38:04|12-18 (66.7)|2-2 (100.0)|5-8 (62.5)|3|10|5|2|1|1|5|31|-4|
K. Huerter^^SG|17:35|2-5 (40.0)|2-4 (50.0)|0-0 (0.0)|0|2|1|0|1|0|4|6|-6|
D. Fox^^PG|36:55|12-21 (57.1)|2-6 (33.3)|5-5 (100.0)|0|2|13|4|1|0|1|31|+5|
D. Mitchell|21:03|2-4 (50.0)|1-2 (50.0)|0-0 (0.0)|1|2|2|1|1|0|0|5|0|
M. Monk|30:01|12-21 (57.1)|4-8 (50.0)|5-6 (83.3)|0|2|3|2|1|0|2|33|+8|
T. Lyles|24:27|2-3 (66.7)|1-1 (100.0)|0-0 (0.0)|3|9|4|0|2|0|1|5|+13|
R. Holmes|9:56|0-1 (0.0)|0-0 (0.0)|0-0 (0.0)|1|1|0|0|1|2|2|0|+5|
K. Okpala|17:34|1-1 (100.0)|1-1 (100.0)|0-0 (0.0)|0|2|1|2|1|3|1|3|+3|
**Totals**||**47-89 (52.8)**|**14-31 (45.2)**|**19-25 (76.0)**|**11**|**34**|**32**|**12**|**10**|**6**|**17**|**127**||
**DNP:** ***Terence Davis***, ***Matthew Dellavedova***, ***Alex Len***, ***Chimezie Metu***, ***Neemias Queta***
**Inactive:** ***Keon Ellis***, ***Chima Moneke***
||**PITP**|**2^^nd PTS**|**FB PTS**|**BIG LD**|**BEN PTS**|**TOT TOV**|**TOV PTS**||
|:—|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|
**DEN**|62|10|9|19|26|16|13|[](/DEN)|
**SAC**|54|15|21|2|46|12|16|[](/SAC)|
**Lead Changes: 1** | **Times Tied: 3** | **Gametime: 2:13** | **Attendance: 17985**
*Officials: Sean Corbin, Tyler Ford, Jonathan Sterling*
by BigHoneyBot
45 Comments
Bones doesn’t fit the system and that’s fine , he will fit somewhere else in Detroit, Houston or some other mediocre hero ball team. Get him out
Defense was abysmal to end the game…. If I’m reading the play by play correctly from the 8:48 mark (Ozpaka travel) on the kings had 16 possessions and scored on 14 of of them (FG or free throw)
Malone needs to calm down in close late games and Bones needs to play like an NBA player
Edit: also if we lose I’m glad it’s to the kings. Would love to see them get to the playoffs
Really could have used that challenge we burned for no discernible reason
No excuses really. Most guys played great, struggled in the end there. Refs weren’t doing anybody any favors. Rather this than get blown out without 4 key guys missing, that just bodes well for things to come.
On to the next!
Bones was awful running the offense down the stretch but Jokic bailed us out on that end. The biggest problem was defense.. kings literally got any shot they wanted down the stretch, most uncontested
Its hard to give a shit how much Bones scores when his defense is some of the worst in the league.
Bones needs someone screening for him every time down the court- it’s why Boogie was so effective with him. Him and Nnaji had a nice PnR in the first quarter and they never went back to it 🙁
Bones is cool but obviously lacks quality to be a go-to guy. The last five minutes the only guys taking shots should have been Jokic and MPJ.
Why we were trying to run plays designed for Murray/Jokic with Bones is beyond me. He doesn’t have that skillset that Murray has. In the absence of Murray and Gordon go with MPJ, not Bones.
I don’t get it.
That challenge was just dumb as fuck. You had Jok sit at the scorers table for 1 and a half minutes and instead of calling the timeout on the possession to get him in you challenge a call that was never going to be overturned on the literal next possession and lose the timeout anyway.
We were never supposed to beat a fully healthy Kings team down 3 of our starting 6. Should have won it for sure with that lead, but never would I have bet to win that given the injury discrepancies, they had their entire team avaliable. Especially with the home court advantage to Sac too.
Also if you look at the stats, basically nobody ever wins both of these b2b same team games the nba scheduled this year. All in all that was not a bad loss imo bc when we got Mal and AG out there in clutch time we have proven to not lose games like this.
20 point leads mean nothing when you’re playing against a Malone coached team!
kinda reminds me of last year. Waited to long to put jokic back into the game in the 4th. Im all for not overworking him, but I think 8 minutes with a solid lead is less exhausting than 6 minutes in a close game.
I would critque Bones Jok PnR, but that would require Bones to actually attempt the 2 man game with Jok lol
Forget trying to finish first. Isn’t going to happen. We don’t have the personnel to win consistently enough. That’s why we drop games like this all the time.
We need to focus on playing good ball on both ends and being healthy for the playoffs.
We are currently in overtime if Malone would’ve saved the challenge
No surprise we struggled without Gordon and Murray, option 4+ are not good. Kings fun super nice and excited about their team.
https://preview.redd.it/lpjdl3liet8a1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2097f7721b0c25d51cb6d66006c3db1c34f8b5e1
Refs were ass this game, especially with the missed hook on KCP right in front of the ref at the end. I mean come the fuck on…. Doesn’t excuse pissing a 19 point lead away in a game they didn’t have business in dominating in with 2 starters out, but still.. this one hurts
Cant be too disappointed by this loss. B2b on the road with key players missing. On to the next one.
Bones is a 2nd year player, it was literally his first start ever tonight and dropped 20 pts 11 ast to 1 TO on 50% shooting.
Like wtf do you expect this man to be Luka or what???
Big opportunity for Bones here and he just showed the same cracks playing with Jokic as he does playing with the 2nd unit.
Holds the ball, gets caught driving without a plan and doesn’t defend anybody.
I had accepted to loss pregame, with all the fella out, but now this L stings so much since it feels like we gave one away. Alas, hope everyone can get healthy again soon
L2M report is going to be brutal
Bones was awful tonight. He’s a young player and I’m not trying to crucify him or anything, but he was terrible on both ends. He doesn’t really know how to run an offense from the point, had trouble getting the ball to other players, and his only reliable offensive moves are a step back three or immediately beat his man off the dribble. If neither of those are working he doesn’t add much. Tough loss but we are a couple starters down, we’ll be alright.
I hate this subreddit sometimes. We are currently first in the west. We played a good team while missing two starters. Everyone is acting like we are on the edge of the lottery.
Edit: same number of wins and losses as first.
Fuck Minnesota for choking against the Pels we back down to 2nd
We get up big and then players start chucking 3s and shit when the ball needs to get back to Jokic to rub some real fucking offense and put these teams to sleep early on. Down 4 guys but still there’s no excuse to lose the game that way
Disappointing loss but the Kings are a solid team and made a run at home. We win this all day with AG, Bruce, and Jamal playing.
Bones had the chance to have a solid game today until he decided to run down the clock every damn time down the court in the last 3 min, single handedly let the Kings back in it.
I imagine the doomers will be in full flight so I’ll see y’all Friday lol
Player rating survey. https://forms.gle/7wYEnruVSrLrgbet6
I love looking in here and seeing how many of y’all have no idea what you’re talking about lol
I lov bones. He’s cool
¯_(ツ)_/¯ meh
Jokic 32 Mins
Fox 36 mins
Sabonis 38 mins
This was why we lost the game.
Malone might as well have been sabotaging
I’d love to see what Kerr could do with this team. Holy shit we’d be unstoppable
Y’all being harsh on bones. 20/5/11 on 8/16 fg
I know Bones is just a sophomore, but we have to win now. And his bball IQ is just not there yet. I’ve said it many times, but he reminds me so much of young Oladipo at Orlando. So much potential, but absolutely not a playstyle for a win now team. I know Jamal is gonna be there in the playoffs, but we need a guy who can run the bench. And Bones is just not that guy yet.
Also, he is going to get killed on D in the playoffs.
Missed Murray and AG in the clutch 😭.
Jokic still gave us a chance and nearly hit that floater.
A lot went right for the Kings to win this and it’s hard to beat a team twice in a row on their floor, especially back 2 back.
On to the next. Go Nugs!
I like how most these comments have the word Bones in them lmao
Bones needs someone to screen him up the court, he lacks the ability to play out of a press which totally killed the late game execution.
Braun was awesome again, fun game.
Imagine Brooklyn Nets having to fight B2b roads without Ben Simmons and Kyrie irving. You’re not beating Sac and they are a play in team, they are not gimme teams.
This is one of the few games where everyone deserve blame equally. They all played a part in the loss.
As a Kings fan what a game, Jokic and Porter are damn near unstoppable.
I don’t understand how MPJ can have that type of first quarter and then there is literally no urgency to get him the ball the entire rest of the game – especially during that stretch in the fourth where Bones dribbled the air out of the ball every single possession.
Obviously MPJ should be more aggressive at times, but there should be no scenario where Bones finishes with more shot attempts than him – and that’s on the players and coaches.
I think some people still associate Kings with being terrible. They’re not. They’re actually good, and fully healthy.