3 Key Takeaways From Kings' Loss to Thunder

For the second game in a row, Zach LaVine did not close out the game and scored less than 10 points. LaVine did play 30 minutes in this one, but he scored just eight points on 4-10 from the field with five turnovers. 

LaVine struggled against the pressure from Lu Dort and Alex Caruso, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. However, there does seem to be a trend emerging. Zach has only scored over 20 once in the last four games and is 7 for his last 24 threes after a 6-9 performance against Minnesota. 

As has been the case all season, Sacramento struggles to get their gaggle of guards going at the same time, and in the last two games, it has been LaVine on the outs with Dennis Schroder starting to get a bit more comfortable. 

LaVine didn’t score a single point in the second half, and they absolutely have to find a way to get him going if the Kings want to stay competitive. 

2. Mad Max

Maxine Raynaud hasn’t had a ton of extended run so far this season, but he took full advantage of his opportunity on Wednesday night. Max played 19 minutes in OKC and put up seven points and four rebounds while hitting his only triple. 

His impact went beyond the stat sheet as he handled pick-and-roll defense quite well and used his size well to get in passing lanes. Max also had a good moment where he fouled Isaiah Hartenstein and made sure he couldn’t get a shot up. A lot of the criticism of him had to do with him not playing with as much force as he should, which makes moments like that foul on Hartenstein noteworthy. 

Max was actually the only player with a positive plus/minus tonight, ending at a +3 for the game. Individual plus/minus isn’t a great measurement, but it does reinforce the fact that Raynaud is getting better each time he gets on the floor. 

Wednesday night was the most impactful game of the season for Raynaud, in my opinion, and I’m looking forward to him getting more opportunities on the back of his performance.

3. Self-Inflicted Wounds 

Against a team as well-coached and disciplined as the Thunder, the Kings would need to be nearly flawless, and they simply were not. Sacramento shot just 15-23 from the free-throw line and turned the ball over 18 times, which was a big difference in this game. 

The Kings caught the Thunder on a bit of an off night shooting the ball, but couldn’t keep themselves in the game with all of their self-inflicted mistakes. LaVine led the Kings with the aforementioned five turnovers, but Schroder also added four, which overshadowed some of the positives he brought tonight. 

Turnovers on fast breaks were especially frustrating as the team botched two in a row at one point. Other than Raynaud and Nique Clifford, every single player on the Kings who touched the floor turned the ball over at least once. 

It’s hard to harp on free throws as much as the turnovers because Russell Westbrook and Precious Achiuwa, who missed two free throws each, aren’t great shooters. However, 65% at the line is not nearly good enough to win games against a good team like Oklahoma City. 

Overall, this was better basketball from the Kings, who have looked helpless the past few games, and it’s unfortunate that they couldn’t take advantage on a night where the Thunder were vulnerable. 

Sacramento doesn’t seem like they’re doing much of anything high-level right now. While effort has been a problem with this team for some time, I’d argue that isn’t why the Kings are losing games. 

Sacramento is trending toward the bottom of the league despite having one of the more experienced and expensive rosters in the NBA. It’s obvious that the roster has its issues, but the hard part to watch is the lack of minutes for the younger players while the veterans are struggling. It’s still early in the season, but something needs to change before the Kings dig themselves into a hole they can’t get out of.