Although they entered weakened, the Sacramento Kings held him close in a 104-98 scrimmage loss against the Miami Heat.
The kings were without star guard De’Aaron Fox, the great men Alex Len and Richaun Holmes, as well as veteran Harrison Barnes for various reasons, but there were some bright spots in Sacramento’s first NBA action after the coronavirus stopped.
Coach Luke Walton went with an initial lineup of Cory Joseph, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kent Bazemore, Nemanja Bjelica and Harry Giles. The heat came out in flames from the depths, hitting seven 3 points in the box, but Walton made a good adjustment, putting in a 2-3 zone to release Miami’s momentum.
Kings DaQuan Jeffries’ winger provided a spark from the bench and helped cut Sacramento’s 17 point deficit in the first half.
There is no doubt that rust played a major role in Sacramento’s first half up and down performance. The Kings shot the ball more than 10 times during the first 20 minutes, while the attack failed to create much in the paint. Sacramento’s defensive rotations were also out of sync, which allowed Heat to take a series of uncontested jumpers.
The kings were much better in the second half, especially in creating easier looks at the offensive end. Guards Cory Joseph and Yogi Ferrell were able to penetrate, which allowed things to open up for Sacramento shooters. Buddy Hield has had a strong performance in the last 20 minutes and has led the team with 19 points.
In the end, both coaches went with role-playing players to close things, and Heat resisted for a 104-98 win.
Here are the good, bad and bad parts of the first game of the Kings in over four months:
Good: Bjelica played very well, although he certainly needs a trip to the barber shop. He often comes online, making 7 free throws out of 8 and ends with 13 points in 18 minutes of action. Bjelica was the only one to start the game as a positive player, finishing at +10.
Jeffries also looked good in his 18 minutes. It brought a lot of energy once it entered the game and did a great job of protecting multiple positions on the floor.
Walton praised Jeffries’ performance after the game.
“He is a very tough young man, and I mean him physically and mentally. In defense and in attack, “Walton said.” It does a good job of not forcing anything, it seems aggressive, but it plays within what we want to do. “
With Barnes’ status still pending because of the league’s coronavirus protocol, Walton said Jeffries is pledging to play an expanded role.
“We played [Jeffries] plus the 3 or 4 in the field, right where we are with the bodies, “Walton said.” He did a good job of picking up both positions. ”
The bad: Giles struggled with his rim protection, and was not a determining factor for the offensive side. The big man shot just 1 in 5 from the field and finished with two points. Kings will need more from Giles, especially if Holmes and Len are behind the curve when it comes to conditioning when games start counting on August 1st.
The ugly: Sloppiness. Sacramento seemed slow with his movement of the ball, especially in the first half, but is expected after this long layoff period. The Kings have two other scrimmages to tighten things up before playing the San Antonio Spurs in the first official restart game.
What did you like or dislike about the Kings performance?
