The King’s East Coast road trip is in its waning stages now following their defeat in Boston last night. The tables turned with Bogi’s missed shot in the closing second, giving the Kings a one-point loss against the team they beat by one-point a little more than a week back at home.
Boston got their revenge, sending the Kings to 1-2 on this road trip, but despite that, it was still a hard fought game that showed the Kings’ grit and potential, even with Bagley and Fox sidelined.
Walton and company started this trip coming off a win against the Suns, and yet, their stop in Brooklyn was not pretty as the Kings suffered a forgettable defeat. In their defense, Bogdan Bogdanovic missed the game, but at the same time, so did Kyrie Irving.
In the nation’s capital, the Kings took care of the Wizards with ease. Nothing was going to stop the Kings from getting the W having Bogdanovic back in the lineup.
Then yesterday, the second night of a back to back, the Kings fought all the way until the end with the help of Buddy Hield’s 41 points and a franchise record 11 long balls. Bogi’s missed shot in the closing moments of the game spoiled Hield’s career night and sent the Kings over to their next assignment.
The proverbial three games in four nights will be the manner in which the Kings will cap off this East Coast roadie, taking on the 11-6 Philadelphia 76ers, who stand as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Kings, who played surprisingly well last season against the Eastern Conference going 18-12, but only 6-8 when actually playing on the East Coast, will have to be prepared in order to take down a formidable opponent like the Sixers.
The players will be tired and it’ll be the fourth game in a row away from their home court, but games like these are what separate the good teams from the bad.
The Kings’ youthful squad, along with the solid play from rookie Justin James during this trip, gives the Kings the horse power they need to outlast Philadelphia in this fourth game since Friday night.
Buddy and Bogi will have to continue to carry the team while Holmes and Bjelica will need to step up after some underwhelming performances in Boston.
The Kings need to show out for one more game before a little Thanksgiving break and a return to Sacramento to face off against Denver on Saturday afternoon.
The elusive .500 record was within reach before last night’s blow. Now it’s time for Sacramento to get back up, brush off the dirt from a narrow defeat, and play well against the Sixers tomorrow night in hopes to move up in the standings and stay relevant in this competitive Western Conference.
