Rockets vs Kings Gamethread

So today the Rockets are “away” at Sacramento, which means the Kings will get to control the arena noises, video boards, virtual fans and superimpose their logo digitally on the court. That’s real home cooking right there.

The Kings are 1-4 in the NBA Restart Bubble, and are plagued with injuries, bad luck, generally Kingsiness and Luke Walton. You have to feel a bit bad for the Kings fans, this is a once proud team that has fallen on very hard times. It’s hard to believe that some might look back to the Maloof Brothers (pre Vegas debacles) as a sort of golden age, but it’s possible.

The Kings will be without Marvin Bagley, and always seem to be without Marvin Bagley. I’m not sure of the thinking that went into picking Bagley over Luka Doncic, but they picked Bagley, who seems really ok when he plays. Perhaps it was some theory that De’Aaron Fox couldn’t play with him, that they both needed the ball. As Doncic appears to be Socially Acceptable James Harden, he’s the sort of player than can play with anyone, can make any group better. It’s sad to think the Kings, a team and fanbase I generally like, could have had a young Harden / Russell Westbrook combo, with Fox streaking to the basket, and Luka breaking down defenses.

Instead they have Bagley, who seems to be a perfectly fine Duke product. Sorry, Kings fans, I’d much rather you have Doncic than Dallas.