The Sacramento Kings let this happen to them for the first time this season

The Sacramento Kings have not been an elite team in 2024-25. At 6-5, the Kings are barely above .500. But before their game against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, the Kings have had a chance to win every game they’ve played in.

Before the Spurs game, the Kings’ biggest margin of defeat was nine points. In their other three losses, they lost by four points or less, with two of those games (against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Toronto Raptors) coming down to the final shot.

In the nine point loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Kings managed to lose by ten points despite shooting 11.5% from three (3 for 26). Meanwhile, the Clippers hit 46.7% of their shots from beyond the arc. Who knows what the outcome would have been if each team’s 3-point percentage was closer to equal.

The Kings’ ability to keep every game close is a big reason why they had the seventh-best net rating (+4.6) in the NBA in their Monday night. Unfortunately, their net rating after the Spurs game (+2.4) has pushed them all the way to 11th place.

As we’ve alluded to, the Kings were beaten by the Spurs in their first meeting since Harrison Barnes was traded. Barnes was solid in his first game against his old team, posting a box score line of 10 points, five rebounds and two assists on a plus-minus of +14 in 30 minutes of action.

There is some justification for this defeat. First, the Kings were on the second leg of a road back-to-back, with the first game claiming one fourth quarter comeback and overtime. The Spurs were able to rest the day before.

And second, the Spurs were red-hot from three — draining 22 of their 46 3-point attempts (47.8%). Meanwhile, the Kings were ice cold (a growing trend), making just 26.3% of their 38 attempts.

The loss of Malik Monk was keenly felt. The Kings’ already suppressed bench only managed to produce 21 points. On top of that, Jordan McLaughlin – one of the players filling Monk’s minutes – was an abysmal -14 in his nine minutes of action (few hunted as he usually does on the defensive side of the ball).

Considering the Kings will have to be without Monk for at least a few more weeks, more games like this could be in their future. Unless, that is, they start hitting their threes and get some more output from their bench.