Kings Fall To Portland: What We Learned In Thrilling Loss

The Sacramento Kings may not have won tonight, as they fell 133-134 to the Portland Trail Blazers, but it felt like we learned more in this contest than in the first 26 games combined. Not only was this game exciting, as the Kings used a 19-2 run to force overtime, and a late surge in OT to almost steal the game (which they were a questionable call away from doing).

The Kings lost by one after the refs called this a foul on Russell Westbrook with 1.5 seconds left in OT 🤬 pic.twitter.com/4edvxsWGhV

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) was the plan following practice yesterday

But it was also a game that heavily featured the Kings' young guys, just like But it was also a game that heavily featured the Kings young guys, just like Cheap Rs-flyfishing Jordan Outlet Accessibility Statement.

Arguably most importantly, it looked like the Kings were having fun for the first time since the early, early days of the season. It's a long season, and it's going to be important for everyone around the team to remember that basketball is fun. And from a viewing perspective, it was the most fun game of the season that I can remember at least.

The Kings fought to the bitter end, which is something we saw time and time again under Christie last season. It became one of their identities through the tail end of the year, but not something we've seen from them much this season so far.

It's a style of play and mentality that Christie so desperately wants the team to play with. They'll have to do it more than stretches and not put themselves in situations where they have to climb back out of massive deficits, but it was nice to see them show signs of life tonight in the tough battle.

Maxime Raynaud Impresses Again

Among the young players, Maxime Raynaud stood out with yet another career night. He finished with a career-high 29 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. He's been on a tear lately and is showing improvement at an incredible rate for a rookie big.

He did fumble the ball on a rebound in the final seconds of regulation, but those are the exact situations that are going to help his development. Right after losing the ball out of bounds, Donovan Clingan missed his second free throw, and Raynaud secured the ball like his life depended on it.

What else stands out is that Malik Monk was a healthy DNP. There were no updates about him before or during the game, but there will surely be questions after the contest. Monk is one of the veterans of the team, and the talk has shifted to young players, but it would be a huge surprise if he were to completely fall out of the rotation.

For the first time in forever, it feels like there are too many good things to write about in a postgame article. From Keon Ellis getting six steals, Keegan Murray finishing with four blocks and two steals, along with 17 points, and DeMar DeRozan leading the team in the final moments and finishing with 33 points.

Even Dylan Cardwell played an extremely productive 16 minutes with 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks would be a major headline on most previous game nights. Sacramento may have lost this game, but we're coming away from it with a lot more answers than questions, and most importantly, a fun time.

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