Tag: Davion Mitchell

Sacramento Kings report: Kings lose to Warriors 116-115 in preseason thriller

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By Mary Anne

The Sacramento Kings took on the Golden Warriors in the second game of the home-and-home preseason series. The Kings lost to the Warriors 116-115 at Chase Center on Wednesday night. Sacramento fell to 0-4, while Golden State improved to 4-0 and remained undefeated.

De’Aaron Fox led all scorers with 25 points and seven rebounds. Keegan Murray scored 24 points and eight rebounds. Davion Mitchell added 14 points.

The Kings’ starting lineup featured De’Andre Fox, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis. Murray hit a fast three-pointer to help the Kings get on the board first, and Murray led all scorers early on, shooting 3-5 from the field, in the first quarter. The Kings merely led 23-22 at the end of the first.

The Kings continued to pour in the points in the second quarter, but the Warriors hit quite a few three-pointers, such as Andrew Wiggins’ three-pointer, to avoid falling behind by double-digits. The Kings carried a 56-49 lead to the locker room at the end of the first half.

The Warriors initially trailed by more than a dozen, but they picked up the pace and made it a four-point game, 68-64, with 6:08 left in the third quarter before a TV timeout. The Kings, however, made it rain with three-pointers, including Keegan Murray’s three-pointer. The Kings led 91-76 after three quarters.

Kings rookies Malik Monk and Colby Jones showed some range in the fourth quarter. Warriors veteran point guard Chris Paul hit a three-pointer late in the fourth. The game went down to the wire. Warriors star Stephen Curry hit a late three-pointer to make it a two-point game, 115-113, but Warriors power forward Dario Šarić missed a pair of free throws. The Kings’ challenge was tossed out, and the Warriors had the ball for the remaining 10.7 seconds. The Warriors sealed the scoring with a three-pointer for a 116-115 win.

Notes
Kings shooting guard Chris Duarte was out with a left knee injury.

Kings rookie Malik Monk recently talked about his fashion choices in a new episode of the show “NBA Style” on the NBA App. Watch Monk’s recent appearance here.

The Kings will hold their NBA 2K24 3v3 Tournament at Fan Fest on Saturday, October 21. Sign up here.

Up Next
The Kings will return home to host the Utah Jazz on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. Pacific.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Comanche and Burton demoted to G League Stockton; plus a look inside the Kings

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The Sacramento Kings Chris Duarte (3) drives on the Los Angeles Kings at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Wed Oct 11, 2023 (USA Today photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Sacramento Kings waved Chance Comanche and Deonte Burton. Once they clear wavers they will head to the G League Stockton Kings. After waving Comanche and Burton the Kings roster is cut to 18 players.

#2 Burton played for Iowa State in college he is a three year NBA player averaging 12 points, four rebounds and three assists and played just two games with the Kings last season. It was originally announced that Burton was released but has a chance to stay with the organization if he goes to the G League Stockton Kings.

#3 Keegan Murray and Davion Mitchell were key players in last season’s success for the Kings how do you see them as returning players and how much help will they contribute this season?

#4 Chris Duarte had to get warmed up just a bit during pre season games against the Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors. Once he did he performed well while playing with the starters.

#5  Sasha Vezenkov has been a good shooter, and works the ball getting in the paint and working on defense. Head coach Mike Brown is trying to see what role Vezenkov will play as Trey Lyles is strong on defense.

Join Jeremiah does the Kings podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Dynamic Davion: Mitchell leads Kings’ comeback in 115-108 win over the Hornets

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By Morris Phillips

Apparently Coach Mike Brown knows what he has in Davion Mitchell.

The NCAA champion from Baylor hadn’t scored in double figures in any game this season, and hadn’t seen more than 16 minutes of floor time in any of last four games.

That all changed Monday night in Charlotte.

Mitchell started fast and came up big down the stretch in the Kings’ 115-108 come-from-behind win over the Hornets.

“He brings an understanding of what his role is and embraces his role,” Brown said of Mitchell. “He’s a guy that I know anytime we call his number he is going to be ready to play.”

In reality, Mitchell may embrace his role, but it’s not quite clear what exactly that role is seven games into the new season. The 6’0″ guard wasn’t particularly effective in the season-opening loss to the Blazers and he was summarily dismissed. Not his fault, but when a team’s top two scorers are starting in front of you, and playing for a new coach, your floor time can get bypassed.

But Mitchell’s hard to miss: he finished his rookie season by scoring in double figures 14 times in the season’s final 16 games, and he made at least nine field goals in six of those 16 games. He’s a presence.

On Monday, Mitchell was front and center.

The Kings started their road trip with an ineffective first quarter as they fell behind 34-24 with the five starters combining to miss 11 of their first 14 shots.

The second quarter wasn’t much better as the Kings fell behind by 15, and De’Aaron Fox was lost for the evening after he bumped knees with another player and was removed for precautionary reasons. The Hornets shot 60 percent from the field in the opening half and appeared to be locked in as a follow up to their impressive, overtime win over the Warriors on Saturday.

The Kings seized momentum and the lead in the third as Kevin Huerter scored 12 of his team-high 26 points. Matthew Dellavedova hit a three that gave the Kings their first lead, 79-77 with 3:43 remaining, and that set the stage for the visitors’ big push in the fourth.

Mitchell hit his first three shots of the game in the first quarter to keep the Kings attached. In the fourth, Mitchell had a pair of big baskets late to help the Kings maintain a small lead they wouldn’t relinquish. He finished with 23 points on 9 of 11 shooting, and in Fox’s absence, he and Huerter combined to make 10 threes.

“We are a team that don’t quit,” Mitchell said. “We try to play 48 minutes.”

P.J. Washington led the Hornets with 28 points as one of six double-figure scorers for the hosts. Kelly Oubre Jr. had 16 points, and Dennis Smith Jr. added 15.

The Hornets were without LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier and Cody Martin, all due to injuries. The Hornets committed 31 fouls which lead to an impressive 24 of 28 night at the foul line for the Kings.

“We turn the ball over 21 times and foul like that, we’re not gong to win,” coach Steve Clifford said. “Every drive, we fouled.”

The Kings have a pair of wins after starting the season 0-4. They visit Miami on Wednesday in an immediate rematch of their home win over the Heat on Saturday.

Kings Can’t Stand The Heat: Miami cruises, snaps Sacramento’s modest win streak

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By Morris Phillips

Once the Heat established themselves on Monday, little space remained for the Kings to be who they are, or who they want to be for that matter.

How’s that?

“We got back to being who we are,” Miami’s Jimmy Butler said after he led the Heat to a 123-100 win over the Kings with his 27 points and seven assists. The Heat snapped a four-game slide with the win, and looked like the Eastern Conference leaders they’ve been in the latter stages of this season in the process.

Bam Adebayo also had a big night for Miami with 22 points, 15 rebounds and Tyler Herro added 20 in 29 minutes off the bench.

“Felt amazing to get back in the winning column,” Herro said.

The Kings (27-49) had their moment early, leading 6-0 briefly before the host’s grueling style wore down the visitors and their thinned rotation. Miami scored the next nine points and never looked back. Sacramento managed just 19 points in the first quarter, and they trailed by 12. The deficit grew to 16 at the half, and 25 points after three quarters. Most notably, the Kings improved defensive play took the night off as they surrendered 101 points with eight minutes left in the game.

Davion Mitchell play was once again an eye-opener for the Kings as he led them with 21 points and nine assists in 41 minutes on the floor. Drafted for his high-level, defensive intensity, the rookie continues to show polish in all facets of his performance.

“(It’s hard) playing him 40 minutes every night and guarding the best player,” coach Alvin Gentry said. “But he accepts that and goes out and does the very best he can. I think you can see the improvement, the improvement in his decision-making. The effort has always been there defensively, so we just have to continue to get better.”

Harrison Barnes added 17 points as the Kings played without the quartet of Domantas Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox, Terence Davis and Richaun Holmes for the fourth straight game. The Kings squandered an opportunity to win a third, consecutive road game and have lost 13 of 18.

The Kings conclude a five-game road swing with games at Houston on Wednesday and Friday. According to the Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson, an improbable 6-0 finish to the season–all against Western Conference opponents–could net the Kings the needed tie breakers to nab the 10th spot in the Western Conference. Possible, but highly unlikely as the Kings have yet to win four in a row this season.

The visit concluded Sacramento’s schedule against Eastern Conference teams. They finished 10-20 against the East, a major reason they likely will miss the playoffs for a 16th straight season.

Finding An Edge: Kings tip Pacers ahead of the final buzzer, and get the last word on the Haliburton trade

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By Morris Phillips

In a game featuring some spirited competition, and some intentioned, pointed side glances, no one was particularly interested in saying just how important getting a win was.

Well, one guy, Sacramento’s Damian Jones, who tipped in the game-winner with less than a second remaining, didn’t hesitate to say what was on his mind. After all, that is what winners do.

“It was good to see Tyrese and Buddy. It felt good to rub it in,” Jones said after the Kings robbed the Pacers 110-109 in Indianapolis.

In a match-up that featured players traded in the second-most discussed trade deadline deal, most notably the Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield, the Kings got the last word with the win, even if they weren’t tremendously interested in exploiting the occasion by running their mouths.

“We’ve been struggling on the road,” Kings coach Alvin Gentry said. “Just to come and find a way to win a game on the road is really important to us. It makes a statement that these guys haven’t quit. They’re still battling and do the best they can to win games.”

Along with the win, the Kings got slightly worse positioning in the upcoming draft lottery, which has flattened its odds to the point neither team will notice the difference a month from now when the ping pong balls start cycling. But the speculation regarding which team made out best vis-a-vis to the trade starts now. And with Domantas Sabonis fashioning himself as a double-double machine while rookie Davion Mitchell has more than adequately replaced Haliburton in the Sacramento lineup, the Kings aren’t looking like suckers for moving their dynamic, second-year player from Iowa State.

For one, the Kings are no longer last defensively in points allowed, the Rockets are. And the Kings’ defense was noticeable in the fourth quarter Wednesday, when they held the Pacers to 20 points. And no pointing fingers, but Haliburton missed the Pacers final shot attempt with 37 seconds left which would have put them up five. Then Hield fumbled the ball out of bounds with 14 seconds remaining, opening the door for the Kings.

This time the Kings saw the open door and walked right in. Down 109-108, the Kings saw Trey Lyles miss a 3 attempt with a couple seconds left only to see Jones tap in the careening basketball just ahead of the final horn.

“I missed a layup. Buddy had a bad turnover in the full court, obviously,” Haliburton said. “I thought we were in position to win. We just didn’t execute down the stretch.”

That the Kings had to show some grit late to secure just their tenth road victory in 35 outings wasn’t surprising. But their hot shooting first was. Without Sabonis and leading scorer De’Aaron Fox, both out with injuries, the Kings couldn’t miss, shooting 72 percent in the first quarter, and still above 61 percent at halftime, when they led 66-61.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: All Star Break couldn’t have come at a better time for weathered Kings

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Sacramento Kings Davion Mitchell will not participate in the NBA All Star break’s Rising Star’s Challenge in Cleveland due to suffering from a hand contusion. Mitchell is expected to return to action on Thu Feb 24, 2022 at the Chase Center in Sacramento (file photo from Hoops Habit)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah, going over some of the Sacramento Kings Domantas Sabonis who is averaging 18 points per game, 12 rebounds, and has 5.1 assists. How important is he since joining the team?

#2 The Kings DeAaron Fox led the Kings with 33 points against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. When the Kings struggle in some of their games they always seem to look for Fox as their go to guy for offense.

#3 Sobonis didn’t hold back landing second on the Kings leaderboard behind Fox on Wednesday fending of the Bulls defense and scoring 22 points.

#4 Jeremiah the Kings Davion Mitchell has a hand contusion and will not participate in All Star weekend during the Rising Stars Challenge. With Mitchell out that means the Kings will not be represented at all during All Star weekend in Cleveland.

#5 Mitchell will rest the hand and hopes to be back in the Kings next game Thu Feb 24th against the Denver Nuggets at Golden One Center in downtown Sacramento.

Join Jeremiah for the Kings podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Levels To This Game: Kings still aren’t where the Warriors are now, lose 119-107

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By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–At Golden 1 Center on Sunday night, the storylines didn’t budge much.

The Kings remain enamored with the Warriors’ style, the small lineups, relentless pace, 3-ball hunting and daring panache.

But the Kings haven’t quite poached their neighbor’s game to the extent needed to prevail.

That, and the Warriors still have Steph, Draymond along with emerging depth.

Golden State broke open a tight game with a 7-2 run to end the third quarter, then pulled away in the fourth, grabbing a 119-107 win over the Kings to stay undefeated.

After dropping their second home game to begin the season, the Kings are 1-2.

“We need to be better in the fourth quarter,” Kings’ coach Luke Walton said. “Part of the problem is we’re slowing the pace down. We have to get out and go.”

“We have to finish games,” said Davion Mitchell, who scored a career-best 22 points. “Throughout the game we have leads, (then) they go on their run and we have a lot of turnovers.”

The Kings were competitive for the first three quarters. Mitchell had 19 of his 22 during that stretch, and Harrison Barnes all of his 24 points, but they unraveled in the fourth, while committing 19 turnovers over the course of the game. Barnes was limited to one miss and three rebounds when he returned with 7:06 remaining, and the Kings trailing 102-98.

Stephen Curry (27 points, and his 500th career assist) and Jordan Poole (20 points) paced the Warriors’ attack, which put six players in double figures.

The Kings got 17 points from De’Aaron Fox, and 16 points and 11 rebounds from Richaun Holmes. Buddy Hield was limited to six points, missing nine of his 11 shots in 25 minutes on the floor.

The Kings matched the Warriors in assists (26 each), made more threes (15-13 edge), and they even mimicked their reduced-sized lineups, but the Warriors were just sharper. The visitors created more high-percentage shot attempts, and backed it up with 20 of 24 made free throws, they set more effective screens, and enjoyed a 12-0 edge in steals.

Draymond Green had a hand in all those areas, as did Otto Porter Jr. Green finished with 14 points, six rebounds, six assists, and Porter had five points, nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block in 24 minutes off the bench.

“We were rock solid with the ball,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We had multiple guys come in off the bench and play well.”

The Kings didn’t have anyone in their nine-man rotation struggle other than Hield with his shooting, but the playmaking from their guard quartet of Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Hield and Mitchell was a mixed bag. The four tallied 22 assists, but committed 13 turnovers and the Kings were held to 19 points in the fourth.

Also, Walton wasn’t pleased that Warriors’ reserves ruled the first half of the fourth, and his team did little to stop it.

“You can’t do that, you can’t give Steph Curry and Draymond Green a six-point lead when they come back in the game. It just can’t happen,” Walton said. “We talked about it as a staff, as a team, really. But it’s one thing to talk about. It’s another thing to go out there and do it.”

Nemanja Bjelica, the former King, had the least effective game of his three thus far for the Warriors, missing all five of his shots in 10 minutes of action.

Sacramento opens a four-game road trip in Phoenix against the Suns on Wednesday night.