‘I’m sorry, Sacramento’: Kings coach Mike Brown apologizes after blowout loss to Pelicans
Kings coach Mike Brown waved the white flag early in the fourth quarter, probably figuring the guys at the end of his bench couldn’t play any worse than the group that started the game.
The Kings suffered one of their worst losses of the season, falling 133-100 to the shorthanded New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday at Golden 1 Center. The game drew a sellout crowd of 17,832, but most didn’t bother to stay for the finish.
“Not much to say,” Brown said. “They flat-out kicked our behind. One thing I will say is I feel sorry for the fans who spent their money to come out and watch the game today.”
The Pelicans outscored the Kings by double digits in each of the first three quarters and led by 50 in the fourth despite the absences of Zion Williamson (quad) and Jose Alvarado (illness).
“For us to perform that way, and the lack of fight to get back in the game or stay in the game, however you want to call it, was nonexistent,” Brown said. “... They came out here and just flat out kicked our ass and did it for four quarters. I’m sorry, Sacramento fans, for coming and spending your money today.”
Sunday’s loss continued a disturbing trend for the Kings. Ten of their 13 losses have been by 10 points or more with margins of 10, 12, 14, 17, 18, 20, 25, 25, 33 and 36 points.
“The fight was nonexistent today and that hasn’t been there on a few occasions,” Brown said. “That’s the tough part. I don’t hear all the chatter, but I don’t see it in guys’ eyes and I don’t hear it. You hear the chatter if we’re not playing well offensively. You hear that chatter, but diving on the floor for loose balls, going vertical, hitting somebody, I didn’t see that and that’s bothersome.”
CJ McCollum had 30 points and seven rebounds for the Pelicans (22-15), who improved to 4-0 against the Kings this season with an average margin of victory of 21.0 points. McCollum made 11 of 16 from the field and 7 of 10 from 3-point range to lead the onslaught for New Orleans.
Jonas Valanciunas had 15 points and 12 rebounds for New Orleans. Brandon Ingram had 15 points, five rebounds and eight assists.
Domantas Sabonis had 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Kings (21-14), who had won four of their previous five games. Kevin Huerter came off the bench to score 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, a silver lining, perhaps, for the 25-year-old guard who recently lost his starting position following some recurring struggles.
Keon Ellis scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, all in the fourth quarter. De’Aaron Fox, who was seen holding his left wrist at times, was held to a season-low three points, going 1 of 10 from the field and 1 of 4 from 3-point range with four turnovers.
The Kings fell to 0-4 against the Pelicans this season. They suffered a 129-93 loss Nov. 20 in New Orleans, a 117-112 loss Nov. 22 in New Orleans and a 127-117 loss Dec. 4 in Sacramento. The Kings and Pelicans will meet for a fifth time April 11 in Sacramento.
“This is a good team,” Brown said before the game. “Their length and their athleticism has bothered us. It’s no secret. I don’t think there’s anything magical I can give our guys to go out there and win the game. We’ve just got to play smarter. We’ve got to play harder for longer stretches.”
That didn’t happen.
New Orleans led 25-12 midway through the first quarter. The Pelicans went 11 of 15 from the field to start the game while outrebounding the Kings 14-3 over the first 10 minutes.
The Pelicans led 33-21 at the end of the first quarter. They went up by 22 points early in the second, prompting coach Mike Brown to call a timeout amid a chorus of boos inside the arena.
Sabonis said he understood the fans’ frustration.
“We’re a good team,” Sabonis said. “We had two great home games (wins over the Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors) with a lot of energy and fight, and tonight we didn’t show that, so it’s normal. It sucks as players (to get booed). You’re on your home court, but you definitely understand them. It was not our best performance.”
The booing continued as the Kings went to the locker room trailing 72-47 at the half. New Orleans shot 63% while holding Sacramento to 39.5%. The Pelicans had a 29-9 advantage in rebounding, a 7-0 advantage in second-chance points and a 9-0 advantage in fastbreak points. The Kings nearly equaled a franchise record for fewest rebounds in a half almost 34 years after grabbing eight boards in a half against the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 4, 1989.
The Pelicans led by 34 following a 3-pointer by McCollum midway through the third quarter. They stretched the lead to 40 on a 3-pointer by Naji Marshall later in the third and went up by as many as 50 in the fourth.
“We didn’t bring it today,” Ellis said. “From the start, they just jumped on us and we didn’t show any fight. We tried to fight back, but they just kept punching us in the mouth and we could never really stop what they were doing out there.”
Sabonis was also disappointed with the lack of resistance his team showed against the Pelicans.
“It’s a team that beat us three times, so it sucks,” Sabonis said. “I expected everyone to come out with more energy. I don’t even know how to answer that question. When someone has beat you three times, you’ve got to come out and show some kind of fight.”
Ruled out
The Pelicans were missing two players who have given the Kings problems in the past. Williamson was ruled out due to a right quad contusion. Alvarado was out with a non-COVID-19 illness.
Williamson pulverized the Kings in their first three meetings, averaging 20.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists while shooting 67.5% from the field. Alvarado had 10 points and three steals in the Nov. 22 game in New Orleans. He had nine points, three rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots in the Dec. 4 game in Sacramento.
Sasha Vezenkov sighting
The Kings were missing backup forward Trey Lyles, who was ruled out with a right ankle sprain. Lyles was listed as questionable going into the game after sustaining the injury in Friday’s win over the Raptors.
The absence of Lyles provided an opportunity for Sasha Vezenkov, who did not play in four the previous five games. Vezenkov had 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting in 21 minutes.
Up next
The Kings will open a five-game road trip when they visit the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday at Little Caesars Arena.
The Pistons (3-33) have lost three in a row since ending their NBA record-tying 28-game losing streak. They suffered a 113-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Friday and a 131-114 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
Cade Cunningham is averaging 23.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.4 assists. Bojan Bogdanovic is scoring 19.8 points per game. Jaden Ivey is averaging 12.9 points. Former Kings forward Marvin Bagley is averaging 10.2 points and 4.6 rebounds, but he did not play against the Nuggets.
