Kings Embarrassed in Washington - Fall to Wizards 111-116

The Sacramento Kings made a late push but ultimately came up short on Wednesday against the Washington Wizards, falling 111-116 on the road in a game that was frankly painful to watch for long stretches.

The Kings entered the game against the Wizards on Wednesday night with a record of 36-39, good for tenth place in the Western Conference standings. The Kings and Wizards had both lost ten of their last thirteen games, but the teams began the night with vastly different perspectives on the final few games of their respective seasons.

The Kings are battling for a play-in position and the chance to advance to the playoffs, and the Wizards are…not, to say the least. Washington came in with a record of 16-59 and seemingly minimal incentive to win games the rest of the way. The Wizards are in their own battle against the Utah Jazz to see who will finish with the league’s worst record.

Sacramento got off to a decent start, getting good looks on the offensive end and pushing the pace of the action early. The Kings were not making many shots, but were playing well enough until back-to-back turnovers sparked an 8-0 run by the Wizards. The teams ended the first quarter tied at 26.

As the game went on, the Kings increasingly played like a team that lacked urgency and ambition. Despite the efforts of reserve center Jonas Valanciunas, who single-handedly kept the game close early in the second quarter, the Kings continued to allow the Wizards to go on runs and push the lead.

The Kings were able to close the gap to three points at halftime, but they did not have the look of a team that was truly competing. That changed to start the third quarter, as Keegan Murray started hitting shots and the Kings kept the game close.