The Western Conference’s Nexus of Pain: A Look at the Sacramento Kings’ Impact
The Western Conference’s nexus of pain is in an unsurprising location: Sacramento. The city’s basketball team, the Sacramento Kings, have been a thorn in the side of many teams this season. Let’s consider three NBA teams whose seasons have been impinged upon by straying too close to the Kings, whether physically or psychically.
Exhibit A: Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are currently spiraling, losing three games in a row. As the halfway point of the season approaches, evidence for their would-be contenderhood is matched by the evidence for their possible fraudhood. The team’s rotten turnover differential, inability to make enough three-pointers, and an offense that “looks like shit” are all concerns. Coach Ime Udoka wants to win every game 82-70 and utilize nothing but mean, nasty 6-foot-9 guys who beat the crud out of people and play offense more or less on accident. However, the team is mostly composed of those sorts of guys, but you cannot build a functional offense out of them.
Reed Sheppard is a critical player for Houston, but his presence on the team is a problem for Udoka. Sheppard is a lively gunner who can beat guys off the dribble and get into the lane, but he is also a tiny man who gets bullied more often than Udoka wants. Absent Sheppard, Houston’s offense is Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant playing your-turn-my-turn, which often works because those guys are great, but they don’t make each other better. This all came to a head in Sacramento on Sunday night, when Houston scored 22 points in the fourth quarter to lose to the Kings by 13.
The Rockets do have an excuse, though: they were unable to book a hotel in Sacramento that was up to NBA standards. The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks are already in town and have taken up the few available rooms. The Rockets stayed in San Francisco and drove, which takes roughly two hours. However, this excuse is not convincing, and the team’s struggles on the court are a bigger concern.
Exhibit B: Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors beat the Kings by 34 on Friday night, which was a mercy to this reporter. Steph Curry was asked after the game about the “rivalry” between the two teams, and he justifiably scoffed at the notion. “Geographically,” he said. “That’s about it.” The Warriors were tainted by proximity to the Kings, as they followed that win by dropping a dispiriting one to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night.
In the loss, Golden State showed off all its considerable flaws: Draymond Green’s presence on offense puts his team into a 4-on-5 hole; the tallest functional player on the team is 6-foot-5; the zoomer cadre meant to usher the Warriors gracefully out of the Curry era is in fact just sort of bad; and coach Steve Kerr continues to flail through a massive rotation. Meanwhile, Jonathan Kuminga, the exiled and soon-to-be-ex-Warrior who has not played since Dec. 18, becomes trade-eligible later this week.
Exhibit C: Sacramento Kings
The Kings were the worst team in the Western Conference for a day or two, though the New Orleans Pelicans have reclaimed that spot. Sacramento hosts Luka Doncic and the Lakers on Monday, and the Kings will be without Dennis Schröder, as the German point guard was suspended for three games after reportedly attempting to punch (and possibly successfully punching) Doncic after a Dec. 28 Kings loss in Los Angeles. Doncic reportedly had spent the game calling Schröder a “bitch” and taunting him for turning down a four-year, $82 million deal from the Lakers in 2021.
It makes sense that Doncic, whose on-court persona is “Li’l Stinker,” would talk line-crossing shit like that, and I think Schröder is justified in trying to hit him. For his part, the Kings point guard commented on an Instagram post by ESPN’s Shams Charania, hinting that he successfully punched Doncic. Sadly, Schröder will not be on the court for Monday’s rematch. Pity for Sacramento: He has been so bad this season, and a very handy tank commander. Without their backup point guard, the Kings had nobody to dribble around aimlessly and take horrible pull-ups on Sunday against the Rockets, so they accidentally won their ninth game of the season, a result that left no one happy.
In conclusion, the Sacramento Kings have had a significant impact on the Western Conference, with teams like the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors struggling after playing them. The Kings’ own season has been marked by struggles, including the suspension of Dennis Schröder and the team’s overall poor performance. As the season continues, it will be interesting to see how the Kings and their opponents fare in the Western Conference.
