SACRAMENTO -- When you looked at the Kings' November schedule, there was an instant cringe. After a quick start to the season, an already difficult schedule turned down right nasty for Sacramento.
So far, the Kings are plugging along and ignoring the odds makers. Monday’s victory over the San Antonio Spurs pushed the team’s record to 3-3 in November, with wins coming against the Hawks, Timberwolves and Spurs.
The schedule continues to get more difficult as the month goes on, but the Kings appears up for the challenge.
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The Kings currently stand at 8-6 on the season after a 104-99 win over the Spurs.
Here are two positives and two negative from the game.
POSITIVES
Bogi Ball
NBA
Bogdan Bogdanovic had the unenviable task of sitting on the sidelines and watching as his team got off to a fast start this season. A knee injury had the 26-year-old guard down through training camp and missing the first 10 games of the regular season.
When he did finally step on the court, the Kings lost, first against the Raptors and then again Saturday against the Lakers. Monday’s victory over the Spurs marked the first time Bogdanovic got to celebrate a victory as a player this season and he played a big role in the upset win.
With minute restrictions slowly being lifted for Bogdanovic, he managed to post a team-high 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting in 25 minutes of action. Following the game, Bogdanovic said he planned to play in both of the team’s back-to-back games later this week and is hopeful his minutes restrictions will be lifted soon.
Streak busters
When you are a franchise that has struggled through more than a decade of losing, some nights the game notes have some alarming stats. Last year, the notes mentioned something about the Kings not winning in South Beach since Crockett and Tubbs were still on the beat.
Against the Hawks, Sacramento’s losing streak dated back to the George W. Bush presidency, which seems like a long time ago.
When the Kings hosted San Antonio on Monday evening at Golden 1 Center, they were up against a 14-game losing against the Spurs, dating back to 2014.
It’s a new day in Sacramento. The Kings are young and fun and they no longer want to read about extended losing streaks. So they have decided to go out and smash a few of them.
NEGATIVES
Get to the line
Last season, the Kings ranked last in the league in free throw attempts. They were timid going to the rim, choosing fall away jumpers and floaters over contact in traffic. The team has improved this season and currently ranks ninth in the league with 23.7 attempts per game, but against San Antonio, they reverted back to their old ways.
The Spurs are a veteran team and they understand how to play defense without getting in foul trouble. On the evening, San Antonio committed 12 personal fouls and yielded just 12 free throw attempts to the Kings.
The lack of free throws didn’t cost the Kings a win, but in a tightly contested game, Sacramento has to learn how to continue to attack and draw contact. In the final quarter of a five-point victory, the Kings didn’t go to the free throw line a single time.
Trouble at the wing
In a reoccuring theme this season, the Kings continue to struggle with offensive production from the small forward position. Iman Shumpert started the game and finished with two points, two assists, two rebounds and three steals in 26 minutes.
Justin Jackson came off the bench and went scoreless with four rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes.
Shumpert ran a team best +9 in the plus/minus category and played well defensively against All-Star DeMar DeRozan. Jackson helped out on the defensive end as well and was a plus-one for the game.
Sacramento has plenty of scorers and neither player is expected to put up huge point totals. But if they want to keep the defense honest, they have to do better than a combined two points on 1-of-6 shooting over 45 minutes of game action.